Chapter Text
“No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path”
~ Siddhartha Gautama ~
****
Inside an isolated room, a man places a green device on his left temple. He touches the index and the middle fingers of both his hands to his temples and activates a glowing data sphere. Twenty minutes later, he exits the room and informs the others.
“We found her. Her next course of action has been determined.”
****
The Shenzhou has been in the Orion sector for nine days, scanning for traces of tachyon particles in the region.
“Long range sensors detected Alicia Reynaud’s warship 1.4 light-years from our location.” Jira reports.
“I’m getting high tachyon readings in that location. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that ship is out here in this sector.” Itzel adds.
“Activates cloaking field and get us closer. I want a visual on what that ship is up to.” Philippa instructs.
As the Shenzhou gets closer to the warship, Philippa can feel the nagging pain in her head intensifies. She focuses on her breathing mediation and let every breath she exhales, expels the pain from her body.
“We have visual.” Jira announces.
The warship is shooting streams of multiple beams onto a focal point in space. The space starts to shimmer, flashes of energy ribbons appear around the focal point. A bright light emerges and begins to expand. It collapses suddenly and only darkness remains. The process is repeated two more times with the same results and after a few hours, the warship jumps to FTL and leaves the sector.
“It appears they are trying to create a spatial rift but is unsuccessful.” Itzel suggests.
“Perhaps, their experiments have not all failed or have caused the spacetime continuum in this sector to become unstable. Whichever it was, it’s possible they created the quantum singularity that brought us here. The question is, whether it was intentional or accidental.” Philippa posits.
“Philippa, you’re bleeding.” Keyla interrupts, looking worriedly at the captain.
Philippa touches her upper lip gingerly and her fingers come away coated in blood. Itzel is in front of the captain almost immediately with Agnes, one of the ship’s junior doctor that has been stationed on the bridge since the Hyperion-8 incident. Agnes checks the captain’s vitals and stops her nosebleed.
“Your vitals are normal. Are you feeling any discomfort?” Agnes asks.
“I have a bad headache earlier but I got it under control.” Philippa replies.
“Maybe you should go to sickbay or at least let me take over for now.” Itzel urges.
“I’m fine, Itzel. I’m okay, I promise. Thank you, Agnes.” Philippa dismisses, though it doesn’t ease Itzel’s concern.
“What do you want to do about Alicia Reynaud?” Itzel asks.
“First, we monitor the temporary rift for another few days. Deactivates cloaking field but stay alert for any ships dropping out of FTL in the sector. Sends out sensor drone to collect residual particles around the beams and the focal point.” Philippa instructs and adds. “Contact the Raza and ask them to meet us here. Android might be able to pick up something we missed.”
****
“Hello, you must be Milo. Nyx told me a lot about you.”
“He knows where you are. He’s coming for you.”
“Then, you know what must happen in order to save the Seers.”
“You may not survive.”
“Have you seen my death?”
“No, the visions not conclusive but I saw what it did to you. I cannot ask for such a great sacrifice.”
“The choice is mine to make and one that I make willingly.”
“There’s a major paradigm shift coming and the most likely scenario is an all-out corporate war within the next six months. The future of this galaxy is in the balance, you and your crew could tip the scales. That’s why I can’t just let you sacrifice yourself.”
“We cannot outrun the future, which is why the experiments must stop.”
Philippa wakes up abruptly. That was not a normal dream or a vision, it was dream telepathy. The question is, did Milo initiate it or did Philippa. Philippa contemplates if she could tell her senior crew without affecting the outcome or must she let the events play out naturally. Ever since she woke up from her coma after Iriden-3, she knew facing the pod is inevitable, just like she will need to face the wall when the time comes. Perhaps, subconsciously, she knew they are coming for her and that was why she was adamant that Ellen joins Michael on the Raza because Ellen would never allow Philippa to go through with what she is planning to do when the Seer ship arrives. If she survives the Seers, she still needs to face the wrath from Two and Michael.
****
“Philippa, a ship just dropped out of FTL near us. I don’t think they have detected us yet. Should I activate cloaking field?” Itzel reports.
“No, it is pointless. That is the Electus Seer ship and we cannot outrun them. They already predicted our every move. This is an enemy we cannot fight from the outside, our only chance of defeating them is to fight from within.” Philippa explains.
“I’m not sure I follow…” Itzel is confused but mostly trepidatious.
“The ship is hailing us.” Troy announces.
“Open a channel.” Philippa instructs calmly.
“Greetings. My name is Hansmeed, I am the leader of the Seers.” The man on the screen introduces himself.
“I am Philippa Georgiou, captain of the Andromache. How can we help you?” Philippa greets Hansmeed cordially.
“I would like to invite you to come aboard my ship for a short stay, to discuss a possible alliance. If you agree to help me, I can offer you valuable information in return.” Hansmeed states his intention.
“I will need to discuss your offer with my team first.”
“Of course. You have an hour.” Hansmeed demands.
“Kamran, raise shields. Keyla, prepare for evasive manoeuvre.” Philippa orders.
“Aye, Sir.”
“Philippa, what’s going on? I thought you said we cannot out manoeuvre them.” Itzel remarks with concern.
“We can’t but we need to appear as though we are trying to before I hand myself over to them.” Philippa discloses her plan.
“What are you talking about? We are not handing you over to anyone.” Itzel protests.
“I need you to trust me on this, Itzel. This is the only way to save all those people on that ship. No matter what happens to me on that ship, no one must interfere.” Philippa tries to convince Itzel.
“No, there has gotta be another way.” Itzel refuses to go along with the plan.
“Itzel, look at me. I know what I need to do and you have to let me. You are acting-captain when I leave, I trust you to take care of our ship and our crew. Do not let Two and Michael come after me. Wait for my signal.” Philippa commands sternly.
“What signal?”
“Nyx will know.”
“Okay, Philippa but you must promise me you will come back and you will be okay.”
“I will come back, Itzel. I promise.” Philippa assures.
It is not lost on Itzel that Philippa only promised she will come back but not that she will be fine.
“They are hailing us again.” Troy interrupts.
“Keyla, evasive manoeuvre.” Philippa orders.
As soon as the Shenzhou makes their move, the Seer ship open fires. The two ships engage in a fire fight until it is obvious the Seer ship has the upper hand due to their ability to predict their enemy’s moves. Philippa surrenders herself over to the Seers after guaranteeing the safety of her ship and her crew. The Seer ship jumps to FTL once the captain is on board while Itzel waits helplessly for the Raza to arrive.
****
“How could you let her surrender herself to them?” Two screams in disbelief.
“I didn’t just let her. She asked me to trust her and that this is the only way to save the people on that ship. I’m following her orders.” Itzel defends.
“There has got to be another way. Do you have any idea what they will do to her?” Two is beside herself. “We have to go after her.”
“I can’t let you do that. I promised her.” Itzel stands firm.
“Tell me, if she orders you to shoot her yourself, will you fire?” Two spits out in anger.
“That’s enough!” Michael interjects and asserts her authority. “You’re not the only one who cares about Philippa. If she asks us to trust her, then that’s exactly what we will do. We will not interfere and we will wait for her signal. Do I make myself clear?”
Two does not answer. Her heart is beating out of her chest and her breathing rapid and shallow.
“Two, please.” Michael pleads with a gentler tone.
“I can’t lose her, Michael. I wouldn’t be able to cope.” Two stands down in dejection.
“We won’t.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because she taught me to never give up and she taught me to have hope, and I know she will do the same to come back to us. We need to have faith, give her time to do what’s needed and be ready when she reaches out to us.” Michael utters with conviction, trying to ease the distress and fear gripping the hearts of everyone on the bridge, including her own.
****
She feels like she’s underwater, the voices are muffled and her vision blurry. Her body feels mostly numb but her mind is still lucid.
The men around her are having some kind of debate among themselves.
“Are you sure? This could kill her.”
“We don’t have a choice. Do you dare to defy them?”
“If what they suspect about her abilities is true, she could help us win the upcoming war.”
“She failed to prevent her own capture. Maybe they are wrong.”
“Then why do they fear her? Why do they want to control her?”
“Stop asking question and just do as you’re told.”
There is a sharp sting on her neck and a minute later, she screams in agony as something sinks its claws into her heart, tearing it apart from inside her chest. Every nerve in her body is on fire, she couldn’t move and she isn’t even sure if the screaming is just inside her head. The pain is unlike any she ever felt and she welcomes the loss of sensation when the last flicker of light fades out of her consciousness.
Her thoughts are moving rapidly through her mind like a holo film being played in fast forward mode. Images, conversations, feelings appear and disappear without time to process any of them. She tries to slow down the frames and comprehends some of these thoughts.
Master Sulla’s voice. “Remember what I told you on your first day.”
“We were drugged and put into pods that linked our minds.”
Michael. Michael is very special and dear to me. Michael is like the daughter I never had. I’m so proud of her.
Master Sulla’s voice. “With you mind, you can control the flow of energy around you. Everything is energy, everything is one, everything is possible.”
“My soul, the person that I truly am, will always choose you every time.”
Two, my soul bond. I can feel her all the time. Two is my shield.
Master Sulla’s voice. “Do not fear, Philippa. You don’t need to control your gift, you need to stop letting it control you.”
Philippa can feel everyone on the ship, there are 108 minds linked through the pods including her. There are another 45 personnel on board the ship. The crew on the ship, they are all afraid of Hansmeed. None of them are exempted from the pods, they have to take turns, do their part to ensure the survival of their kind. The men in the lab, they are afraid of an evil energy far more corrupt than Hansmeed. Hansmeed is just a pawn who serves a greater evil. She is really tired and her chest hurts, there’s something physically wrong with her heart. The mental exertion is taking its toll and she retrieves deep into the recess of her subconscious mind.
“Philippa, wake up.”
“Two?”
“I’m here, my love. I’m here.”
“They did something to my heart, it hurts really bad.”
“I know it hurts but you’re so strong. You have to come back to us.”
“I promised Itzel.”
“Yes, that’s right. You promised Itzel. Michael, Ellen, Das, everyone is waiting for you.”
“I’m so tired…”
“You have to wake up. Nyx is waiting for your signal. Please come back to me, my love.”
Philippa reaches out to her family. She feels their energy and draws strength from their love and finds courage in her love for them. She uses the connection that linked their minds through the pods to find Milo.
“Milo, where are you?”
“I’m here.”
“I need your sibling bond with Nyx to send a message to her.”
“How?”
“I need you to trust me and let me into your mind. I don’t have enough energy, something is draining me and trying to take control. I can only reach out to Nyx through you.”
****
It is 0200 hours, Michael and Ellen are in Philippa’s quarters with Two. It’s been four days since Hansmeed took Philippa and Michael isn’t sure how much longer she can hold on. Two is going to lose it soon and Michael may not have a choice but to remand her to the brig.
The door buzzes and Nyx bursts into the lounge area.
“I know where they are.” Nyx exclaims. “Sigma sector, near Gamma Tauri.”
“How did you know?” Two asks.
“Philippa told me in a telepathic dream. She reaches out through my sibling bond with Milo.”
“How can we be sure that’s the signal?” Michael asks, wanting so much to believe but needing to be sure.
“She said to tell Two, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” And to tell you she wants to go back to Pulau Langkawi when this is over.” Nyx relays.
“It’s a line from her book collection, The Art of War by Sun Tzu.” Two confirms.
“Pulau Langkawi is where her family home was, where she was born.” Michael offers.
“Michael to Bridge.”
“This is Saru. Go ahead.”
“Chart a course to Gamma Tauri in the Sigma sector, maximum FTL.” Michael instructs with renewed hope.
****
Milo is one of the most talented Seers on the ship, he can manipulate the data stream within the collective. Altering the data stream is as dangerous as trying to predict the future, the ripple effect can be just as catastrophic. All they need is a small window for the Shenzhou and the Raza to board the Seer ship and take control. Even without the information from the collective data sphere, individuals still have the power of foresight and will not be easy to overcome. They need to convince more Seers to join their cause, something they would be willing to fight for. They need to want to save themselves from their current fate.
“I can reach them through their emotions, give them something they have lost for a long time, the feeling of home and freedom. I know you and Nyx were both children when you were taken. Do you remember your homeworld? Memories of your parents?”
“I do but not much, I’m afraid.”
“Can you share those memories and feelings with me?”
Philippa uses Milo’s memories of his childhood in the Seers homeworld and shares the energy of home, love, freedom and hope with those in the pods. Combining their abilities, Philippa and Milo are able to communicate with a group of Seers that Milo trust will rise against Hansmeed, including the ones not inside the pods. Milo can feel Philippa weakening and losing focus.
“Philippa, are you alright?”
“I can’t hold on much longer. We need to act now.”
Philippa uses the last of her strength to wake up the two dozen Seers they won over and send a final message to Nyx. The pain in her chest is excruciating and it’s starting to take over her mind until all she is aware of, is agonizing pain, indescribable and overpowering pain.
****
“Michael, long range sensors detected the Seer ship near Gamma Tauri.” Itzel reports.
“How long before we reach the ship?” Michael asks urgently.
“We’re 23 minutes out.” Itzel confirms.
“We don’t have much time. We need to board the Seer ship immediately upon arrival.” Nyx informs.
“Did you receive another message? But you’re been awake.” Two asks.
“It’s different this time, it’s like a distant echo, weaker but the message is clear.” Nyx tries to explain.
“Wouldn’t they see us coming?” Ellen asks.
“Normally, yes. Philippa and Milo have manipulated the data sphere and give us a small window of opportunity.” Nyx offers.
“Itzel, the conn is yours. Two, Ellen, Nyx, Kamran, with me. We’re gearing up.” Michael orders.
When they drop out of FTL, Michael, Two, Nyx and Ellen will be immediately transported onto the Seer ship before they raise their shields. The Shenzhou will engage and draw attack from the ship, while the Raza targets the shields and weapon arrays around the docking bay. Kamran will lead a second team of a dozen security and tactical officers and board the Seer ship once the shield around the docking bay is down. They cannot attack the Seer ship directly due to the risk of endangering the lives of the people inside the pods.
They succeed in taking control of the Seer ship without fatality on both sides but not without injuries, including Ellen.
“Stop fussing, Michael and go help the others.” Ellen utters with irritation. “It’s just a scratch.”
“You have a bullet hole in your arm.” Michael exclaims.
“It’s a through and through. It hurts like hell and it bleeds a lot but I’ll live.” Ellen tries with a softer tone. “Please find Philippa, Michael.”
“Michael to Andromache.”
“This is Itzel. Go ahead.”
“Transport Ellen back and she needs immediate medical attention.”
Michael heads off to join Two in finding Philippa. Kamran and his team are securing the ship. Nyx and the Raza crew are helping the Seers who aided them, in releasing the people from the pods. There are multiple hallways filled with rows and rows of pods. Nyx finds Milo and disconnects the device on his left temple.
“Milo, where is Philippa?” Two asks frantically.
“They keep her separated in the room at the end of the hallway. You need to hurry, I’ve lost connection to her and cannot reach her anymore.” Milo responds with equal urgency.
He is still weak from the drug and Nyx has to support him. They make it to the room Philippa is kept. The pod Philippa was placed in, is different to the others. It is filled with some kind of liquid.
“How do we get her out?” Two asks in desperation. Seeing Philippa in the pod causes her chest to clench painfully and making it difficult for her to breathe.
“I don’t know. I’ve never seen them do this to the others before.” Milo utters apologetically. “Nyx, find Daxson and Amvri. They work in the lab and might know something.”
Nyx springs into action immediately.
“Alice, this is Michael. I need you on the Seer ship urgently.” Michael calls out.
“Understood.”
“Michael to Andromache.”
“This is Itzel. Go ahead.”
“Itzel, I need you to transport Dr Nambue to my location on the Seer ship.”
Nyx comes back with Daxson and Amvri, and is soon joined by Android and Dr Nambue. Daxson and Amvri flush the liquid out of the pod and place Philippa on the medical bed.
“What are those tendrils on her chest? What have you done to her?” Two demands.
“We were given a syringe containing some black substance and ordered to inject her with it.” Daxson replies in fear.
“Can you get it out of her?” Michael asks anxiously.
“We don’t know how.” Daxson states regretfully.
“It appears to be some kind of organic lifeform and it has attached itself to her heart. Removing it might actually kill her.” Android informs.
“Who gave you the syringe?” Michael asks.
“Some scientists from Dwarf Star Technologies.” Daxson replies.
The answer makes Two spiral, her emotions and thoughts all twist into a senseless tangle.
“What...what is it doing…to her?” Two stammers between shaky breaths.
“We don’t know.” Daxson shakes his head.
Two draws her weapon and aims it at Daxson.
“You did this to her!” Two snarls.
“Two, lower your weapon, please. Philippa needs you. She needs you to be strong for her right now.” Michael coaxes, slowly putting herself the gun and Daxson.
“Two…” Philippa calls out weakly, barely audible.
Upon hearing the captain’s voice, Two holsters her gun and is back by her side instantly.
“I’m here, my love. I’m here.” Two whispers and brushes the captain’s cheek tenderly.
“You said that in my dream too.”
“You’re going to be okay.” Two doesn’t know who she’s trying to convince.
“My chest hurts…everything hurts…” Philippa gives a low cry and clutches her chest.
“I know it hurts. You’re doing so well and you’re so strong.”
Two is helpless as she watches Philippa writhes in agony. Philippa grounds her teeth and chokes back a scream as the wrenching pain in her chest continues to flare.
“Please do something…help her.” Two pleads.
“Is it safe to give her analgesic drugs?” Dr Nambue asks Daxson. The captain’s vitals are setting off all kinds of alarms on the medical tricorder.
“Yes, we gave her sedatives when she was inside the pod.” Amvri is the one who reply.
Philippa could not contain the next scream as the tendrils tighten around her heart. She rolls on her side and curls up. She wants to tell Two she is sorry, she is not strong enough to hang on but she couldn’t form the words through the pain. Dr Nambue presses a hypospray against the captain’s neck and Philippa lets herself drift into blissful oblivion.
****
They are back on the Shenzhou and Philippa is placed inside the quarantine ward in a private section of the sickbay where Two was held when she was first brought onto the ship. Two is inside with the captain and she hasn’t let go of Philippa’s hand once. She cannot help Philippa with her physical pain but at least she can shield her from other emotions and negative energy.
“What do we know so far?” Michael asks.
“We know it is an organic lifeform and it is alive. When she’s sedated, it appears to stay dormant. It only starts moving when Philippa is conscious but I don’t believe it is actually affected by the sedative. I suspect it is reacting to her heart rhythm and brain activity.” Android offers.
“So it doesn’t do anything to her as long as she’s sedated?” Two asks.
“It doesn’t attack her when she’s sedated but it’s doing something. What exactly, I cannot say. I am detecting active electromagnetic radiation from it, similar to that of the human brain waves.” Android clarifies.
“Are you saying that thing attached to her heart has a brain?” Two asks, the information overwhelms her with dread.
“Essentially, yes. It will feel threatened and may react aggressively if we attempt to remove it from its host.” Android deduces.
“Before she was sedated, the medical tricorder detected an abnormal amount of electrical impulses throughout her nervous system and excessive activity in the somatosensory cortex and areas of the brain associated with processing pain. There were also a high level of bradykinin and prostaglandins in her system. I think that thing generates neuropathic pain as a way to control and subdue its host. It overloads the nervous system with pain signal inhibiting the host ability to function. In the long term, the process could lead a complete shut down the nervous system and eventually death.” Dr Nambue offers his assessment.
“It came from Dwarf Star Technologies, they may know how to remove it.” Two suggests.
“What are you proposing?” Michael asks, though she already suspect what Two is thinking.
“I can offer to surrender myself and guarantee my cooperation in exchange for their help.” Two utters solemnly.
“No. Those people cannot be trusted and I will not risk losing both of you to them.” Michael objects.
“What other choice do we have, Michael? We cannot let her die. What have to do something, whatever it take.” Two argues.
“We can try killing the host.” Android proposes.
“Are you insane?” Two exclaims in shock.
“You’re suggesting if it thinks the host is dead, it might detach itself willingly.” Michael considers.
“Absolutely not. It’s too risky.” Two protests and pleads. “Michael, let me go to Alexander Rook. At least, let me try to ask for his help.”
“Philippa will never agree to that. Please, Two, you cannot leave her side right now. You’re the only who can shield her from more pain.” Michael tries to persuade Two to abandon that option. “I will find a way, I promise.”
“Nyx, this is Michael, do you copy?” Michael speaks into her earpiece.
“Yes, Michael. Go ahead.”
“I need you and Milo on the Andromache. I’m sending someone to pick you up.”
Michael sends Kamran to pick up Nyx and Milo from the Seer ship and escort them to the sickbay. Philippa’s actions didn’t make sense, they are missing something and Michael thinks Milo can fill in the gaps.
“How did Philippa know she can contact Nyx through you?” Michael asks.
“We spoke before through our dreams. I warned her but she was determined this must happen and that we cannot outrun our future.” Milo reveals.
“But you did not see her death in your vision.” Michael implies.
“No, but you couldn’t have known that? Do you also possess her abilities?”
“No, I don’t have her gift, mine is merely intuition combined with deductive logic. Philippa is my mentor and we’re extremely close. Her actions are never irrational and I don’t think it is any different this time. Because of the Seers ability to predict her moves, she could not warn us. She told Nyx, visions are glimpses of the future and glimpses do not tell the whole story. But the clues must still be in the glimpses.” Michael expounds.
“You think my visions can show you how to save her?” Milo asks.
“Yes, I do. Will you tell me about them?”
“I saw her come aboard the Seer ship, a hand holding a syringe with black liquid, Philippa screaming in pain and black tendrils appearing on her chest, someone handing over a case with a star logo to Hansmeed, she’s lying unconscious on a medical bed and Two is holding her hand, her body inside a stasis pod, someone places a device shaped like an arch above her forehead and it emits some kind of bluish light.” Milo recounts.
“Thank you, Milo. Is that all?”
“No, it’s not but I cannot tell you more because of the unpredictable and potentially dangerous ripple effects.” Milo replies sincerely.
He does not tell Michael the role Two will play in all of this. Michael dismisses Milo and she sends Kamran with Nyx to find and retrieve the case Milo saw in his vision. Michael contemplates on the visions Milo revealed. Even without the visions, Michael had considered Android was right. Making the alien parasite thinks Philippa is dead, is probably their best hope of getting it to detach itself without harming the host. Convincing Two to let them try will be the bigger challenge.
Kamran returns with the case and it contains a syringe and three canisters. One of the canisters is empty and the other two canisters are activated with an atmosphere that sustained the black substance inside. Michael instructs Android and Dr Nambue to take the case to the science lab for analysis. Until they can find out more about the black substance, they will have to keep administering sedatives to alleviate Philippa’s pain and hopefully, the alien lifeform will remain inactive.
****
The science team has been making slow progress with the black substance. The lifeform is organic and requires a suitable environment to survive, hence it can easily be killed as well. The canisters provide the environment for it to survive outside the human host. Without a live human test subject, the analysis is inconclusive in determining the safest way to remove the lifeform attached to the captain’s heart.
“Two?”
“I’m here, my love. What do you need? Is your chest hurting?” Two utters tenderly while stroking her forehead.
“I want to stay conscious.” Philippa murmurs tiredly.
“You need to rest. You need all your strength.” Two coaxes.
“Did we save them? The Seers? Is Milo okay?”
“Yes, we did. Milo is fine. You save everyone on that ship.”
Philippa closes her eyes momentarily and Two thinks she has drifted back to sleep.
“Don’t blame, Michael.” Philippa utters suddenly. “No matter what happens to me, make sure she knows it’s not her fault. Tell her I love her and I’m so proud of her. Will you make sure she’s alright?”
“I will, I promise. You have to stay strong, my love. I can’t lose you. Your family needs you.” Two whispers.
Philippa starts to tremble and Two injects the content of the hypospray Dr Nambue gave her. Two kisses Philippa’s knuckles until she stops trembling and her vitals stabilizes. She hears voices in the sickbay and she could just make out the distant conversation with her enhanced hearing.
“I don’t what to do, Ellen? Without a live human test subject, everything is speculative. I can’t gamble with her life based on suppositions and gut feelings.” Michael utters dejectedly.
“Philippa always said you are the smartest person she has ever met. She’s never been wrong with her character assessment so far.” Ellen encourages. “Whatever you decide, you know the crew will support you.”
“Even if I take a person’s life?”
“If you must, yes. If you can’t, I will.”
“Then, how are we different from the people we claim to protect the world from?” Michael questions. “I keep asking myself what Philippa would do in my place and I think you and both know the answer.”
“No, Michael. Don’t you dare. You promised her you will take care of the ship and her crew if anything ever happens to her. You cannot possibly consider injecting yourself. I wouldn’t let you. If one of us has to be the test subject, then it must be me. Let me do this for her.”
“No, Ellen. Not you. No...just no.”
“You’re letting your emotions cloud your judgement. If this is the best chance you have for saving her, you have to let me. You know it is the right decision to make.”
“You’re still recovering.” Michael offers a weak argument.
“My wound is as good as healed, Michael.”
“No, I’ll think of something. I just need a bit more time.”
****
Michael couldn’t sleep, she needs her mentor’s counsel desperately. Philippa makes being a captain looks so effortless. Michael has never felt so alone in her burden. She considers injecting the black substance into herself but Ellen is right. It would be easy for her to sacrifice herself but also irresponsible. Can Michael really accept Ellen as the volunteer test subject? It is pointless to think she can set aside her emotions and rationalize on that option. Her thoughts keep coming back to Hansmeed. If the universe has decided Philippa must die, then Michael will defy the universe. Michael comes to a resolution. She goes to sickbay to check on Philippa and finds her alone. Her vitals are stable and the captain appears to be resting peacefully.
“Computer, track Two’s location on the ship.” Michael instructs.
“Commander Burnham, Two is not on the Shenzhou.”
Alarm bells are going off in Michael’s head as she sprints to the science lab and finds the case containing the black substance missing.
“Alice, this is Michael. Do you copy?”
“This is Alice. Go ahead.”
“Alice, where is Two?”
“Two is on the Raza.”
“Whatever she’s trying to do. Stop her. Wait until I get there.”
“I’m sorry, Michael. I cannot comply. Two is doing the right thing and what must be done.”
Damn it. Michael hurries to the transporter room and beams on board the Raza bridge. No one is on the bridge. The screen shows the security footage from the brig and Michael turns up the volume.
“Your mind is too primitive to grasp what we are. Humanity is weak, you will serve us. It is your destiny.” Hansmeed utters in a deep resonant voice unlike his own.
“Oh yeah, try this for destiny.” Two exclaims and Hansmeed collapses onto the floor.
Moments later, the black substance pours out of his eyes, nose and mouth, and floats towards the canister. The canister opens automatically and the black substance enters before it seals itself and activated. The airlock opens, sucking Hansmeed and the canister into space. Two shots are fired from the Raza, pulverizing both the body and the canister. Michael goes to meet Two on the brig.
“If you’re here to stop me, you’re too late.” Two utters with defiance.
“I’m not here to stop you. I saw what you did from the bridge. I wish you could have come to me because I would have agreed with your decision.” Michael admits.
“Michael…”
“I know. You did it because you wanted to spare me the burden and guilt.” Michael understands.
“This is a line you cannot ever go back from, Michael. I love you like a sister, it is my job to protect you from crossing it.” Two utters sincerely with deep affection.
Michael gives Two a heartfelt hug, tears stinging her eyes. One day she will need to cross that line and when she does, it will be for her family, to protect the people she loves.
****
Philippa is placed inside a stasis pod with an empty canister in the quarantine ward and they wait.
“Why isn’t it working?” Two asks anxiously.
“In Hansmeed case, the black substance attached itself to his brain, not his heart. I think Philippa is resisting it from controlling her mind, hence it attaches itself to her heart instead. We need to stop her heart completely.” Android posits.
“Do what you must, Michael. I trust your decision, no matter the outcome.” Two gives her support.
“Dr Nambue, stop her heart and get ready to resuscitate in two minutes.” Michael instructs.
Dr Nambue uses the control panel on the stasis pod to administer a drug that stops the captain’s heart from beating. Within a minute, the black substance exits her body through her eyes and nose, and locks itself inside the canister. Android retrieves the canister and the medical team moves in, to resuscitate the captain. Android takes the case to the science lab and it is destroyed in a disintegrator and any residue is ejected into space. The medical team is able to get Philippa’s heart started again but she remains unconscious inside the quarantine ward with Two by her side.
“Her vitals are weak but stable. Before it detached itself, it emitted a powerful energy field that disrupted her neural pathways. Unless we can repair the neurological damage caused by the shock, she may never regain consciousness.” Dr Nambue reports.
“Can you repair the damage?” Michael asks warily, terrified of the answer.
“I wish I can give you a definite answer, Michael but I’m sorry. I will start cortical regeneration as a treatment but it will take a few days before we know if it’s effective.”
“Do what you can. Any resources you need, let me know and I will make it happen.”
The medical team moves the captain onto a special biobed and Dr Nambue places a device shaped like an arch over her forehead. He activates the device and another clear arch panel extends over the captain’s torso. The device starts emitting a series of dim light that glows blue.
****
Itzel has been coordinating the activities aboard the Seer ship with Boone. With Hansmeed dead, those who were loyal to him quickly renounced their allegiance. Most of the people who were inside the pods have recovered from the effects of the drug. The elders among the Seers voted for them to return to their homeworld, Iadara Prime in the Tallaren sector. Without the protection of the Council of Corporation, the Seers will not be safe from future attempts by any of the corporations to kidnap and conduct similar illegal experiments on them. Michael contacts Felicia Brand who is more than happy to place Iadara Prime under the protection of CoreLactic Industries, which has appointed Felicia as its current CEO. Felicia pledges unlimited resources to develop Iadara Prime and the luscious green planet with beautiful rivers and waterfalls becomes a sanctuary for the Shenzhou and Raza crew.
After everyone has been safely shuttled down to Iadara Prime, Kamran and Nyx pilot the Seer ship to Taurian Alpha with a photon torpedo on board, escorted by the Raza. They drop out of FTL near Taurian Alpha, armed the torpedo and set the ship on auto-navigation on a collision course with Traugott Corp pharmaceutical research facility on the planet. The team stays on board the Raza to witness and ensure the destruction of both the Seer ship and the research facility before returning to Iadara Prime.
****
“You shouldn’t be out of bed” Michael admonishes her mentor lightly but it warms her to see Philippa on her feet after weeks in bed.
“Dr Nambue cleared me this morning.” Philippa chirps. “I can’t spend another day in here. I haven’t spent so much time in sickbay since my first two years out of Starfleet Academy.”
“Why are you even out of bed?” Two chastises harshly as she enters the sickbay.
Philippa sighs. “Both of you need to stop fussing. I’m not an invalid.”
“Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea what you put us through the last few weeks?” Two starts to lose control.
All the fear, worry, guilt, helplessness, frustration, a multitude of pent-up negative emotions start rolling out in waves and manifesting into anger. Philippa keeps quiet, she feels everything and she knows Two needs to release her negative energy. Philippa rather Two aims it at her than hurt someone else.
“Two, come on, that’s enough. You need to calm down.” Michael intervenes, sensing Two is about to snap and will likely say something she will deeply regret later.
“You’re defending her, after what she did?” Two doesn’t stop.
“Two…” Philippa tries.
“DON’T! You do not get to speak. You knowingly surrendered yourself and got an alien parasite attached to your heart that almost killed you. Oh wait, you did die. YOU WERE DEAD FOR 1 MINUTE 14 SECONDS! Why should I even care if you’re so blasé about your own life. You know what, I can’t do this anymore.” Two raises her arms in defeat, turns on her heel and walks away.
“Two, wait.” Michael calls out.
“No, let her go. She…she just…” Philippa suddenly finds it hard to form coherent words.
“Agnes!” Michael calls the junior doctor on duty.
Michael helps the captain sit on the biobed so Agnes can stop and clean her nosebleed. The nosebleed is a side effect Philippa gets from frequent use of analgesic drugs. It is one of the reason she tries not to rely on drugs to cope with her pain. The nosebleed itself is more of an inconvenience but they occasionally makes her dizzy and confused when the bleeding is heavier than usual.
“She just need to rest for a while, then she can go back to her quarters.” Agnes advises and leaves the two of them alone.
“Are you upset with me as well?” Philippa asks wearily.
“Yes, I am.” Michael answers truthfully but adds. “I also understand why you can’t tell us and why it has to be done. Your condition keeps getting worse each time, it’s hard for all of us. She doesn’t mean it. You know she loves you.”
“I know she does, Michael. This destructive energy will consume the humanity in her. I cannot make her choose our love over her fears, it is a choice she needs to make for herself.” Philippa sighs and lies down.
****
Two is sparring with Nyx in the Raza training room. Her strikes are forceful but lack precision. She attacks rapidly and relentlessly. The only reason Nyx could keep up her end in the fight is her power of foresight which allows her to predict her opponent’s moves in combat.
“What the hell is going on with you?” Nyx winces when Two lands two blows on her torso.
“I’m sorry, I’m just so…”
“Angry?”
“Scared. Every time I close my eyes, I see her lying there with black tendrils on her chest and I can’t stop hearing the screeching alarm when her heart stopped. I can’t move past this fear and it makes me feel so helpless.”
“Have you tried talking to her about it?”
“She’s still recovering and she has so much to deal with already. I don’t want to add to her burden.”
“Is that how you see yourself? That you’re a burden to her?”
“Aren’t I? Ever since we met, all I ever brought into her life is trouble and pain.”
“It looks to me you brought her a whole of joy too. When she looks at you, she glows and her eyes gleams with love and endless possibilities.”
Two knows Nyx is right but she stubbornly refuses to concede because fear, hate and anger, these emotions are so easy to accept and act upon. They are more familiar than love, trust and happiness.
“Are you done or are you up for round 2?”
Nyx obliges and they continue sparring for another good hour until Two knocks Nyx on her back and is straddling her. They are both panting heavily and Two doesn’t know what possesses her when she leans down and kisses Nyx breathlessly. She pulls back suddenly and scrambles off Nyx, sickens by what she did.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Two mumbles repeatedly, more so to Philippa than to Nyx.
I could feel you all the time. Philippa’s words echoes in her head.
What have I done?
Both the Shenzhou and the Raza are landed on Iadara Prime and the crew members are on shore leave. Two staggers down the ramp and throws up violently on the field between the two starships. She needs to fix this, she needs to make this right. Two returns to the Shenzhou but finds the sickbay empty.
“Agnes, where’s Philippa?”
“Dr Nambue releases her from sickbay this morning but she hasn’t been clear for duty. Her body is still weak and she needs a few more day of rest. I assume she’s back in her quarters.” Agnes replies earnestly.
Two thanks Agnes and heads toward their quarters. Philippa was out of bed because she’s been released from sickbay. Two hadn’t even bothered to ask before she admonished the captain. She enters their quarters and there is no one there. She tries the bridge and the captain’s ready room but Philippa is nowhere to be found. She goes to find Michael and sees Ellen coming out of Michael’s quarters. Before Two could get any closer, Ellen walks up to her and stops her on her track.
“I don’t care what happened, what you did or did not do. You don’t get to go anywhere near Philippa right now. I will post two security personnel outside that door if I have to. Do you understand me?” Ellen growls at Two.
Two nods reluctantly but heads back to wait in their quarters. Philippa stays away throughout the day and when the door hisses open around midnight, Michael enters and is practically seething.
“What...”
One push.
“Have...”
Two pushes.
“You...”
Three pushes.
“Done?”
Four pushes and Two slams into the wall separating the lounge and sleeping area.
“I…” There is no justifiable excuse, there is no easier way to say it but as it is. “I kissed Nyx.”
“Why?” Michael yells in despair. “I defended you, I told her you love her.”
“I do. I do love her. I…I don’t know why.”
“Do you have any idea how deep you hurt her?”
“I’m so sorry, Michael.”
“I don’t need your apologies, Two. Damn it. Don’t you get it. Philippa doesn’t perceive pain the same way we do. She could resist the black substance because it is only causing her physical pain. Emotional pain is what cuts deep into her soul and makes her bleed inside. Being an empath amplifies her emotional pain to a degree that you and I cannot even fathom. The deepest cuts are always inflicted by those she holds dearest to her heart.”
Michael knows this well because she is one of the very few people who has ever made the captain cried. Michael just spent hours in her quarters holding her mentor in her arms until she cried herself to sleep but Philippa didn’t tell Michael what happened.
“I’ll make it up to her. I’ll do anything.”
“You need to figure out why you did what you did, not for her, not for anyone but for yourself. You want to stay or you want to leave, it is entirely up to you. She’s not capable of breaking her bond with you and she will love you, no matter how much you hurt her, so I’m asking. If you cannot choose your love for her over your fears, let her go. She will be devastated but she has her family with her, we’ll make sure she’s okay.”
****
Philippa returns to her quarters in the morning looking haggard and pale. Two hasn’t slept and has been sitting on the sofa in the lounge area the whole night waiting for the captain. It doesn’t feel right for her to be in their bed without Philippa, especially after what she did. Now that Philippa is here, Two is at a lost, words escape her. Philippa sits down heavily on the sofa but she doesn’t look at Two. She rubs her face and sighs. They both sit in silence, neither could think of the appropriate words to say to each other.
“You look tired. You should get some rest.” Two breathes tentatively, breaking the silence.
Philippa doesn’t acknowledge her but she places a hand over her mouth as if to stifle a sob.
“For what it’s worth, I’m truly sorry, Philippa.” Two apologizes emotionally before she leaves the captain alone in her quarters.
****
Michael assigns Two a guest quarter, telling her she is welcomed to stay on the Shenzhou as long as she wants. Technically, Philippa didn’t kick her out of their quarters, it is her own shame that keeps her away. She couldn’t bring herself to leave the Shenzhou and returns to the Raza either. Everyone treats her cordially and respectfully on the Shenzhou but the mood on the ship has changed drastically. She remembers Michael telling her Philippa is the heart of this ship, it is as if the ship is shrouded in her pain. The air is sombre and the vibrancy is muted.
Shore leave has ended and the Shenzhou is getting ready to depart. Kal, Ryo and Nyx have opted to stay on Iadara Prime for the time being to help coordinate the rebuilding project with CoreLactic. Since she’s not needed to pilot the Raza, Android requests to join the Shenzhou on their next mission. Boone, to everyone’s surprise volunteers as well. He was briefed about the true origin of the Shenzhou and its crew. Boone may be ill-mannered and brusque but he is loyal, speaks his mind, surprisingly sentimental and disciplined in following orders.
Philippa is in the captain’s ready room with her senior crew ready to discuss their next mission. Android, Boone, Das and Two have been invited to join their briefing. Two hasn’t seen Philippa since she left their quarters that morning and the ache on her chest has been constant. Philippa appears calm and composed as usual but the energy around her is heavy and her eyes are dull.
“We are now fairly certain that the spatial anomaly that the Shenzhou encountered was manmade and the evidence all points to Alicia Reynaud. What we are unable to determine is, if we were specifically targeted or pulled into this universe by accident.” Michael begins the briefing.
“What else have we found out about Alicia Reynaud?” Philippa asks.
“There is not much information about her on the network. She’s extremely low profile so we reached out to Calchek. Alicia Reynaud is one of the corporate elites, on the boards of half a dozen companies, all of which are at least partly owned by Ferrous. Her headquarters is practically a fortress. She never leaves that place and only travels by clone, Transfer Transit.” Two relays.
“So to get to her, we get in the same way she gets out. Lucky for us, we already have everything in place to pull that off.” Michael adds.
“We may only have one shot in getting into her headquarters and we need to know exactly what we’re looking for. My instincts tell me Alicia Reynaud is connected to the card Das stole. The answers are on Eridani-6, beginning with the man Das pickpocketed. We need access to all the security footage on Eridani-6.” Philippa posits.
“I can function as a roaming access point to net-link the ship to the data hub of any space station it’s docked.” Android offers.
“Thank you, Alice. We will chart a course for Eridani-6. That would be all.” Michael concludes the briefing.
Two is reluctant to leave, seeing Philippa has momentarily soothed the aching in her heart but intensifies her longing for the captain. Their eyes meet from across the room and the pain Two sees in them floored her. Philippa attempts to give her a small smile which turns out more like a grimace. Michael moves in front of Philippa and blocks her view while Ellen ushers her out of the ready room. It looks like they are intent on keeping Two away from Philippa and Two cannot blame them.
****
Boone has been spending a lot of time with Itzel. Two thinks they are the polar opposite but the same could be said about Philippa and her. All Boone seems to do, is antagonize Itzel but Itzel can literally make Boone does anything she wants. Das joins her for lunch in the mess hall and sighs dramatically as she sits down.
“I’m not a kid any more, you know. So, are you going to tell me why you’re sleeping in the guest quarter?” Das asks. “Did you do something to make Philippa kick you out?”
“She didn’t kick me out but I did do something bad and it hurt her deeply.” Two laments.
“Can’t you just apologize and make up?”
“It’s not that simple.”
“But it can be. Why do adults always make things to be so complicated?”
“I wish I know the answer.”
“She’s sad all the time now. Her smiles never reach her eyes anymore.” Das utters miserably. “I think she’s sick again. She’s been having a lot of nosebleed.”
Two frowns in worry. She knows Philippa gets nosebleed as a side effect if she relies too frequently on drugs. Even with the alien parasite, Philippa had resisted sedatives because she hates being dependant on drugs. Something really bad must be happening and it is not just about Two.
****
That night, as rare as it is, Two finds Philippa alone on the bench in the alcove near her quarters.
“Can I join you?” Two asks gingerly.
Philippa gives her a slight nod. She has her arms wrapped around herself as if she’s cold.
When she looks at you, she glows and her eyes gleams with love and endless possibilities. Nyx had told her that on the Raza but still Two chose to let her fear and anger dictate her actions. She is responsible for snuffing out that sparkles in those beautiful warm eyes and she needs to reach deep inside to find that courage to overcome her fears and embrace love because this woman is worth fighting for. Two has been wrestling in the paradox of love and fear, and has been enslaved by her emotions. Philippa offered her a taste of freedom and out of fear, she retreated back into the familiarity of hatred and anger. The first time she saw Philippa in a medically induced coma, she overcame her fear of being in love with the captain. Now, she needs to overcome the fear of losing her. She knows it isn’t kissing Nyx that hurt Philippa, it is the intention behind her action. Two had wanted to challenge the integrity of their bond, to test its strength, to push its limit, to see if she can break it. And that is the pain that cuts deep into Philippa’s soul, her intention to break their bond. Healing takes place when we are willing to tell the absolute truth.
“I found a bracelet among my personal belongings. It has an inscription on it, ‘A part of me will always remain with you’. I don’t remember who it belongs to or our history together but it triggers certain feelings in me. The despair of losing someone I loved. When your heart stopped, I felt like I lost my world all over again. I can’t get the image out of my head. Every time I close my eyes, I see the medical team trying to revive you. The pain and anguish is so overpowering.”
Two takes a shaky breath and swallow the lump in her throat before she continues. “I remember having this feeling before and I think that’s why I became Portia Lin, a ruthless mercenary. I kissed Nyx because I was trying to break our bond, because I was afraid of the monster I would again become if I lose you. I was caught in the emotions of a memory that did not belong to us. I stopped because when I kissed her, all the memories that flashed through my mind, all the emotions I felt in those memories of us, there was no fear, no hatred and no anger. There was only love and acceptance. I know you feel everything I feel but I needed to realize this for myself, to overcome this fear on my own. I don’t know why the universe thinks I deserve you, I am just grateful that it does.”
Philippa still has her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
“Hold me.” Philippa whispers and Two doesn’t need to be asked twice.
The moment they touch, the emotional relief is palpable and a pall of dark energy dissipates into thin air.
****
They dock on Eridani-6 and Android net-links the ship to the space station’s hub. The science team on board is tasked to search through the security footage archive from the station. Returning to Eridani-6 is distressing for Das and Philippa is the only who could make her feel safe enough, so the captain joins the ground team with Ellen and Kamran. Android has hacked into the station’s security system and is tracking their movements to identify the security cameras that might have captured Das’s activities the week before she stowed away aboard the Raza. Das leads the ground team to her old hideout.
“Hey, it’s okay. You don’t have to go down in there if you don’t want to.” Philippa comforts Das.
“I…I want to. Will you go down with me?” Das asks timidly.
“Of course. I’m gonna be right there with you the whole time.” Philippa assures.
Ellen unlocks the door to a restricted area for maintenance crew. They pass through a few narrow pathways to an opening with a ladder that leads down to an empty lower deck storage area. The place appears to have been rummaged but otherwise abandoned. There are a number of sleeping bags, old blankets, clothes, a screen, some boxes and random items scattered all over the floor. Philippa picks up a photograph of Das and her friends.
“Are these the friends you mentioned?” Philippa asks gently as she hands the photograph to Das.
Das nods tearfully. “I’m so sorry. I promise we will find those responsible.” Philippa hugs the distraught kid.
Ellen finds a hotel room keycard and asks Android to include the hotel in their search and obtains a list of all the guests that stayed in that hotel during that period. From the hideout, they backtrack their way to where Das recalled bumping into the guy she pickpocketed. Android compiles their findings and goes to the captain’s ready room to brief the team. She puts up an image of a guy with beard who they suspect is the one Das pickpocketed. There is no security camera where the incident took place but nearby security footages suggest they may both in the same area when it occurred.
“We believe this is the guy you pickpocketed.” Android states.
Das studies the image closely and confirms. “Yeah, that’s definitely him.”
“The keycard Ellen found belongs to a hotel on the upper levels of Eridani-6. The security cameras in the hotel pick up our guy staying there on a regular basis. His name is Sebastian Higgs. He runs some kind of courier service for the corporate elites and uses Eridani-6 as one of his bases. He’s actually on Eridani-6 right now, so I was able to hack into his ship and retrieved the flight logs. Before Higgs arrived on Eridani-6, he was at the Dwarf Star Technologies research facility on planet Icarus. The guest list also shows Alicia Reynaud checking in the hotel royal suite the day after Das left with the Raza.” Android presents their findings.
“It is still unclear if Alicia Reynaud is working for Dwarf Star Technologies or Ferrous Corp or maybe even herself. The card Das stole maybe the key to the experiments she is conducting in the Orion sector. If that card is part of some larger system designed to access pockets of extra-dimensional space, then that device will likely be in her headquarters or her warship. We need to find out exactly what that card does.” Michael concludes.
****
“I accessed Transfer Transit database and cross-referenced the dates and times of Alicia Reynaud’s public appearances over the last month with the transit database, and came up with a single matching point of departure. An office building in a major city on planet Theta X in the Adara sector. It has to be her headquarters and I got the subspace address of her transit pod.” Das updates the team.
“For all we know, we could be transferring into a room full of guards.” Boone cautions.
“It’s possible. Worst case scenario, someone on the other side kills our clones or stops the transfer process midstream. At least we know and we would need to come up with another plan.” Michael argues.
“The plan’s fine. So, who’s going?” Philippa asks.
“Well, we’ve got four pods. I’ll take one.” Two volunteers.
“No, you won’t.” Philippa objects.
“Why not?”
“Those pods are designed to replicate organic material, which means that your nanites won’t make the trip. Without them, your clone might not make it.” Android explains.
“I’ll go. Well, you’ll need me to hack into their server and get the information we’re looking for. Besides, I’ll be a clone. The real me will stay nice and safe back on the ship.” Das volunteers and contends her case.
“Okay, Das will take one pod.” Philippa approves.
“I’ll go.” Boone volunteers.
“You won’t be able to bring weapons, so I think that rules you out. We need someone really skilled in unarmed combat.” Android states.
“I guess that would be me. Michael, Ellen and I will accompany Das.” Philippa decides.
Android expects Two to object, maybe even Michael and Ellen but none of them say anything. It confuses her slightly.
“I don’t believe Dr Nambue has cleared you for away mission, Philippa.” Android reminds.
Philippa chuckles. “My dear Alice, thank you for speaking what is on everyone’s mind. Technically, I will not be away. Like Das said, the real me will stay nice and safe back on the ship.”
Philippa, Michael, Ellen and Das go to the science lab to get suited up for the trip.
“The outfits are made from a biosynthetic material that will allow them to travel with you. They’re specialty constructs, DNA sequenced and quite expensive.” Android explains.
“Yeah, well, it’s clingy in all the wrong places.” Das complains.
“It’s either that or you could travel naked.” Android adds.
“I can do that?” Michael asks.
“Don’t even think about it.” Ellen chides.
There is only one pod in their destination, so they have to travel in turns. Michael first, follows by Ellen, then Philippa and lastly Das. Itzel joins them on the brig for a final briefing.
“This is just an exploratory mission. Primary goal is to find out what the card does and how it is used. The secondary goal is to find out what kind of experiment Alicia Reynaud’s warship is carrying out in the Orion sector.” Philippa reiterates.
“If our clones get killed before we return to one of these pods, we’re not gonna remember a thing, so any information we found will be lost.” Michael reminds everyone.
“Kamran will have a team on standby with Boone and Alice in one of our cloaked shuttlecraft and they will be circling the sky above the headquarters. If anything goes wrong or you need ground assistance, you find a way to signal them. Nothing can scan inside the building so if all else fails, we will be scanning the rooftops for any heat signatures. Get up there and we’ll beam your clones out.” Itzel finalizes.
****
Michael, Ellen, Philippa and Das wakes up one after another in the same transit pod located inside a huge fancy room.
“Come on, let’s go.” Ellen urges.
“Erm…we actually don’t have to go anywhere. I just need a computer that will give me access to this facility servers. This terminal here is perfect. I’ll hack in, get the information we need and we never have to leave this room.” Das suggests.
Michael helps Das with the terminal access.
“Okay. Young people these days do not only make me feel old but they make me feel obsolete as well.” Philippa mutters but in good humour.
“Whoa!” Das exclaims.
“Whoa, what?” Ellen asks.
“I found out what the mystery card does. It’s part of a drive.” Das replies enthusiastically.
“You mean like an engine?” Philippa asks.
“They call it a Blink Drive. It creates traversable wormholes by accessing pockets of extra-dimensional spacetime.” Das explains.
“Normal FTL creates a distortion in space that moves faster than the speed of light, pulling the ship along with it but you’re still moving from point A to point B. With the Blink Drive, you don’t technically move at all.” Michael adds.
“You just disappear from one place and reappear somewhere else instantaneously. If we wanted to go all the way across the galaxy, it would normally take us months with refuelling stops along the way.” Das continues.
“With this, we could do it in the blink of an eye. A fleet of warships equipped with this drive would be unstoppable.” Michael concludes.
Michael and Das are literally finishing each other’s sentences and with the same enthusiasm and excitement over the technology.
“No wonder she’s willing to kill for it.” Philippa remarks.
“I don’t get it. How does one little card move a ship across the galaxy?” Ellen asks.
“The card fits into an adapter which you can attach to the control systems of any ordinary drive.” Das explains.
“It could technically turn any FTL engine into a blink drive.” Michael adds.
“Where’s the adapter?” Philippa asks.
“It’s in a lab four stories up, on the other side of the building.” Das confirms.
“Let’s go. We need to get that adapter.” Philippa urges.
They encountered two technicians in red lab coats being escorted by two security guards. Philippa and Ellen take down the guards easily with a few well executed punches while Michael handles the technicians. They are tied up and left in a supply room without their uniforms and gears. The ground team reaches the lab and gains access. It all feels a little too easy to Ellen, which doesn’t make sense for a headquarters supposedly built as an impenetrable fortress.
“Wow.” Das and Michael both exclaims at the same time.
“I’m assuming this is it. So we just take it? There don’t appear to be any safeguards in place.” Ellen utters uneasily.
“This entire facility is a safeguard and we’re inside the vault.” Michael states.
Michael closes the case lying on the centre pedestal and removes it.
“Password authentication required.” A computer generated voice prompts.
“Password?” Das utters hesitantly.
“Incorrect.” The computer voice replies and alarms start blaring.
“Oh, shit!” Michael exclaims.
“Incorrect.”
“Go!” Philippa shouts.
“Incorrect.”
They do not make it far outside the hallway when they are surrounded by guards coming from all directions and firing stunners at their clones. Philippa and Ellen are in guard uniforms and have their stunners, so they stay to hold off the guards while Michael and Das escape with the case. They are outnumbered, eventually get shot and wake up tied to a chair with their back against each other. The door hisses open and a tall lady with long black hair in an expensive fancy suit enters with a single bodyguard.
“Ladies, I’m Alicia Reynaud but I think you already know that. You are Tracy Hallman and Melanie Kerr or a version of them anyway. I don’t know who you work for but I know you hacked my transit code, used the pod to break in here and stole my adapter. I should thank you for trying to steal it.” Alicia Reynaud introduces herself and doesn’t waste time on small talks.
“Yeah, why’s that?” Philippa asks.
“Because the adapter is useless without the final card. My guess is, you’re working with the Raza and that’s how you know about the drive. I’ve been trying to find the kid who stole my card and now you are going to lead me straight to it.”
“Why don’t you just make a new card?” Philippa asks again.
“I would love to but unfortunately it’s a one-of-a-kind prototype.”
“Which means you didn’t develop the tech, you stole it. Let me guess, from Dwarf Star Technologies.” Philippa implies.
“Of course, I stole it. I don’t know how you know it’s from Dwarf Star Technologies but let me give you a piece of advice. You wanna go after the real bad guy, try Alexander Rook. I’m an angel next to him.”
“You’re all the same to me and good luck trying to find that card.” Philippa antagonizes Alicia.
“As long as the transit connection that brought you here remains open, my men can trace the signal. So I will find your ship, eventually. But you could save me a lot of time and yourselves a lot of trouble if you just give me the coordinates.”
“Now, if by trouble, you mean death or torture, you’re forgetting that these are clone bodies. You can’t really hurt us.” Ellen counters.
“That’s where you’re wrong. You see, the same way that you were able to target my transit pod, I’m able to do the same in reverse, sending a powerful subspace charge back the way you came. If your bodies are still in their transmission pods, which I’m willing to bet they are, the charge will, in layman’s terms, fry your brains. As for hurting you, well, this is Mr Ostrander. He’s a specialist in the field. See, these bodies may be cloned but they still do feel pain. I think I’ll do it both ways. I like to cover my bases. I’ll check back soon and see if you’ve had a change of heart.”
Mr Ostrander is a big muscular bald guy who enters, puts on a pair of gloves and starts pummelling his fists into Philippa. Ellen has to keep reminding herself it’s just the captain’s clone. Alicia is right, the clone feels every bit of pain as a real person. Philippa bites back a groan as the fists connect with her ribs over and over again. Mr Ostrander moves to her face and Philippa is starting to get dizzy from the punches. The door hisses open and Michael shoots Mr Ostrander.
“Get to the rooftop now. He broke my ribs, I will slow you down. Shoot me.” Philippa rasps.
“They’re tracking the pod’s transmission back to locate the Shenzhou and planning to send a reverse subspace charge back to the originating pods.” Ellen tells Michael urgently.
Michael draws Mr Ostrander’s weapon and shoots Philippa, killing her clone. Philippa wakes up on the Shenzhou brig.
“You’re back. How did it go?” Saru asks.
“I don’t remember anything.” Philippa replies, slightly disoriented.
“That would suggest it did not go well. Your clone must have been killed.” Saru concludes.
“What about the others?” Philippa asks.
“Their clones are still active.” Saru confirms.
“Bridge to Saru.”
“This is Saru. Go ahead.”
“Are they back yet? A ship just dropped out of FTL nearby. I’m activating cloaking field.”
“Saru, disconnect the pod transmission immediately.” Philippa orders.
“Kamran, this is Philippa. Do you copy?”
“Yes, Philippa. Go ahead.”
“Send in your team to retrieve them now.”
“Which rooftop?”
“South side, the rooftop with the satellite arrays. Stay cloaked and maintain communication silence.”
“Aye, Sir.”
“Philippa to Bridge.”
“This is Itzel. Go ahead.”
“Jump to FTL now.”
“Aye, Sir.”
****
“There’s no ship here, Miss Reynaud.” The captain of the warship reports.
“What do you mean there’s no ship?”
“I mean we are at the given coordinates and we do not see any ships. Our sensors are not picking up any ships in the vicinity. We even open fire at the given coordinates and there’s nothing there.” The captain repeats in details.
Alicia stalks back to the transit room.
“I thought you said you’ve got a lock on the ship’s location?”
“I did.” The technician replies.
“Well, there’s no ship there.”
“That’s not possible.” The technician argues.
“Do you have the addresses of the originating pods?”
“Yes.”
“Well, send the charge.”
“Which one?”
“All of them!”
“Erm…”
“Well?”
“We’ve lost transmission to the pods.”
“Imbecile! I’m surrounded by a bunch of incompetence fools.” Alicia Reynaud raves and rants. “Nieman will have all of our heads for losing the drive. Find the Raza! Get my blink drive back!”
****
The Shenzhou returns to pick up Kamran and his team who have successful retrieved the three clones and the blink drive. Saru reprograms the empty pod in turns and uses it to return the clones belonging to Michael, Ellen and Das, so their memories are retained. During mission debriefing, they find themselves having more questions than answers.
“At least now we know what the card is for and who killed my friends.” Das utters with some sense of closure.
“Alicia Reynaud stole the card from Dwarf Star Technologies which means there might be more blink drives out there, worst still in the hands of Alexander Rook.” Ellen adds with a sense of foreboding. “She claims to be an angel next to Rook, it’s unsettling.”
“The blink drive technology technically should not exist. It is advance beyond the capability of this decade, century even.” Android remarks.
“He also made Two and she’s technology that’s not supposed to exist either. And not to forget the alien black substance. Makes you wonder what else the guy’s got cooking in his lab.” Boone speaks his mind, albeit a little insensitive.
“If Alicia Reynaud has a blink drive, what is she experimenting in the Orion sector? The blink drive opens a wormhole in a complete different mechanism than what we saw her warship did.” Saru poses another question.
“Alicia Reynaud is a corporate elite but she doesn’t own a fleet or an army at her disposal. She’s probably just a pawn for a bigger corporation, most likely Ferrous Corp.” Two suggests.
“I think Alexander Rook somehow has access to technology from a more advance alien race. The question is, what is his end goal and what does the alien race want with this universe?” Michael adds more questions.
“The black substance, the blink drive, Two, the wall in my vision, they all are connected and everything leads to Dwarf Star Technologies.” Philippa infers.
“What do you want to do next?” Itzel asks.
“We head back to Iadara Prime. With Two’s permission I would like to test the blink drive on the Raza.” Philippa proposes.
“I agree. The Raza is the ideal ship for us to test the blink drive. We can take a small team for a trial.” Two concurs.
After the briefing ends, Michael, Ellen and Two remain in the captain’s ready room.
“I killed your clone in Reynaud’s headquarters so you should have no memory of what happened inside the building. How did you know what to do?” Michael asks her mentor.
“I don’t remember but somehow there’s a feeling, an echo that remains. I don’t know if it’s from the clone or it’s CPA or something else entirely. My senses are heightened and more acute than ever since my encounter with the black substance. I’m hoping it is CPA and not something the black substance did to me. That’s the other reason I wanted to go back to Iadara Prime. I need to talk to Milo, I think he can help me understand what I’m experiencing.” Philippa sighs.
“It’s gonna be okay. We’re in this together. You’re not alone.” Two promises.
Two found out that Philippa has been relying on strong sedatives every night to sleep because she has been terrorized by violent nightmares even since she was injected with the black substance. Two has been trying to ease Philippa off her dependency on drugs and keep her nightmares at bay. The bits of information they have, suggest a possible alien invasion and their only lead is Dwarf Star Technologies but Philippa forbids them to go after Alexander Rook, for now.
As Starfleet, encountering new alien species is nothing new to them, nor is fighting wars against alien races. However, the concept of non-human lifeforms is foreign to this universe or so they thought. The existence of alien species in itself is not worrying but a belligerent alien race with the ability to open portal across the multiverse poses a threat not only to this world but all worlds. If crossings between universes are made technologically possible, then they cannot underestimate the ripple effect of their actions in this universe on all other universes.
Their destiny is fluid, the future is not set in stone. A small group of people or even a single individual can change the future of the universe, or universes.