[This is an Episode that Features Characters from my first ever Star Trek Role Playing game in 1983.]
Star Trek: Outwardly Mobile
The Ezekiel
By
Dennis Washburn
and the Star Trek Players
2267:
"Captain I must protest." Carpenter said. "You are violating Starfleet regulations by having your daughter on this ship!"
Captain St. John-Smythe sighed. "Haven't we discussed this before, Andrew?"
"Doesn't it matter to you that we could be killed at any moment? Don't you care about your daughter's life!? Children don't belong on starships!" Carpenter had been disturbed by the presence of the Captain's daughter on the USS Ezekiel since the start of their mission four months ago. When the Federation starship set out from Earth, Carpenter had done everything short of arresting Captain St. John-Smythe for violating the regulations.
"You are out of line, Lieutenant." This was delivered in an icy voice by St. John-Smythe's First Officer, Lee Barr. She was a short, slim, blonde woman. Carpenter knew that he could break her in an instant, but her tone brooked no discussion. He snapped to attention.
"Your objection is illogical in any case. It is too late to turn aside and put Amber ashore." This was Spiak the Ezekiel's Vulcan Science Officer.
"Thank you all for your concern." Captain St. John-Smythe said dryly. "Shall we discuss our mission, now?"
-*-
The starship Ezekiel was a Constitution class starship. She and her sisters
had the most advanced warp drives of their day. They could cruise one light
year per day, every day at a continuous speed of warp six. This was a three
fold increase in speed over the previous generation of starships.
Even twenty years after the launch of the first the new faster starships, there were still areas in reach that had not been fully explored.
The Ezekiel's mission was to explore a globular cluster that radiated artificial subspace signals. It was plainly visible on subspace telescopes, but it was more than a year's travel away by the slower starships.
The Ezekiel would be making first contact with the people of the globular cluster.
-*-
"This is DZ-309, identify!" The man on the screen said roughly. He was wearing a utilitarian coverall marked with rank and service tabs. He appeared deceptively normal, except for the folds of skin on the bridge of his nose.
"This is the Federation starship Ezekiel." St. John-Smythe said. "We're explorers. We mean no harm."
"They've armed weapons and raised shields." Carpenter report quietly. "They're on an intercept vector."
"Ezekiel, you are on an intercept course with our convoy. If you're truly peaceful, then veer off and come no closer." The man on the screen said carefully.
"Very good." St. John-Smythe said. "Helm, match speed and course with the convoy."
"Aye, Sir." The Ezekiel turned slightly and slowed drastically.
"I don't recommend this, Captain." Carpenter said. "You've given them the tactical initiative."
"This is a first contact situation, Mr. Carpenter. Let's wait to find out if we're fighting before we analyze the tactics." St. John-Smythe calmly said.
-*-
"Well, I've never seen a ship like this." The Commander of the convoy escort said.
"Thank you, Mr. Kogarn. We're fond of her." St. John-Smythe said. They were meeting in a lounge on the sixth deck of the Ezekiel, carefully sampling various dishes from the starship's big replicator. "I would appreciate any information that you could give me about your Confederacy."
"Well, we're kind of fond of that, too." Kogarn admitted. "History isn't my field, but our legends say that our ancestors came through a hole in the sky and settled the area with sub-light colony ships."
"Really? How fascinating." St. John-Smythe knew that several Earth ships had been lost to self created worm holes created by defective warp drives.
"That's the story, anyway." Kogarn had never seen a worm hole and didn't believe the old stories. "The early colonies lost their technology and grew apart culturally. Then we rediscovered star flight. Our planets banded together for mutual defense from pirates which plagued early traders and explorers."
"I see. Is that the purpose for your convoy?" The Federation never used convoys unless warranted by danger to civilian merchantmen.
"Yes, exactly. I am a commander in the Confederate Space Navy. My ships and crews escort convoys and combat piracy. It's the basic function of our organization." He sounded proud of his Navy. "What is the story behind your Federation?"
"Well, it's rather complicated, but it boils down to this. Earth invented it's warp drive almost exactly two hundred years ago. Almost immediately they discovered friendly neighbors. Our neighborhood was actually quite crowded. We all got along fairly well, you understand, but some problems were becoming evident. Who got to settle which new planet? What trade policies did we follow? There were a number of crises that almost resulted in wars, but they were avoided by heroic diplomatic efforts. In time we found that we so enjoyed the heroic diplomatic crises that we decided to make them a permanent fixture. For the last one hundred years we have banded together for mutual defense and exploration. We act as a single economic unit, and combine to form a mutual space navy and exploration arm. That's Starfleet. That's the ship we're on."
"That sounds familiar. You might have just been describing our Confederacy." Kogarn grinned.
St. John-Smythe said happily "Lovely! We'll have diplomats tearing their hair out for years together. It should be quite fun."
"Hi!" A voice said from Kogarn's elbow. He turned to see an eight year old human girl with brown skin and big brown eyes. "Are you the Alien?" Amber asked.
"Now, dear, I'm really having an important business meeting-" St. John-Smythe said. He was exasperated, but didn't know if it was with Amber for intruding, or himself for not making sure that she couldn't. He really couldn't hold anything against her.
"Yes I'm an alien dripping with slime." Kogarn said.
"Really!?" Amber's eyes widened. Then she peered closely at Kogarn "You don't have any slime!"
"Now, Amber dear-" St. John-Smythe began again.
"You're not really an alien! All you have is that thing on your nose!" Amber said accusingly.
Kogarn's hand slid to his nose. "That's right. None of you have the folds on your nose. I was getting so comfortable that I forgot. Your noses look a little weird really."
St. John-Smythe resisted the temptation the finger the bridge of his own nose. "If that's the only difference then Amber's correct. You're not as alien as some of the other people we've met."
Amber reached out for Kogarn's nose. "Is that supposed to be that way?"
Kogarn leaned down and let the little girl feel his nose. "Yes. All of the people on my home world have noses like this."
"Oh. You're different, then. But not really alien." Amber concluded.
St. John-Smythe rolled his eyes "Amber, where are your manners?"
"Oh. Sorry." Amber tried to remember just which manners her father meant. "I'm Amber St. John-Smythe. Pleased meet you." She dropped a small curtsey.
"I'm Kogarn Teran. The pleasure is mine." He nodded back very politely.
"Um, " Amber looked at her father to see if she had satisfied the demands of propriety yet. She decided to pad it a little to be on the safe side. "Thank you for the uh, nose thing." Amber rubbed the bridge of her own nose vigorously to show what she meant.
"You're welcome." Kogarn said, trying to smother a big grin.
Carpenter appeared behind Amber. "Amber, it's not appropriate to bother your father while he's working." His expression was tense and worried.
"It's quite all right." Kogarn said.
"Commander Kogarn Teran of the Confederate Space Navy, my Chief of Security, Andrew Carpenter." St. John-Smythe introduced.
"I'll just take Amber and make sure she doesn't bother you, any more Captain." Carpenter said.
Amber's expression was eloquent. She was having fun with her new friend. She didn't say anything, though. Daddy was usually pretty nice but when he made a decision it might as well have been written in stone.
"Very good, Lieutenant. Take Amber back to our quarters for now." St. John-Smythe said
"But Daddy-" Amber began.
"That's enough. There will be plenty of time for visiting later." St. John-Smythe said mildly.
Carpenter took Amber firmly by her hand and began to lead her away. Amber knew that fighting at that point would be futile.
As they left the lounge, Carpenter leaned down and began talking firmly to Amber. Everyone heard the outraged reply. "But he's NOT an alien! Sickbay is BORING!"
St. John-Smythe took a few deep breaths. He had to get his emotions under control. He felt better with Amber near an unknown life form than with his own crewman. Surely an irrational impulse.
"You have children on your ships?" Kogarn asked, cautiously.
"Not officially, it's just that, well, I couldn't think of any better place for her to be. All the rest of our family has passed on."
"I'm sorry to hear it."
"Thank you."
-*-
In time Commander Kogarn suggested that the Ezekiel would make better progress towards opening relations with the Confederacy at the capital world, Caractalla.
"But I must warn you." Kogarn said. "If you plan anything violent, Caractalla has the best defenses of any world in the Confederacy. They will even destroy the Ezekiel if necessary."
The Ezekiel left the convoy and went to Caractalla.
-*-
The University of Union City was a low sprawling campus set in a park like environment. The climate of that part of Caractalla was warm and sunny most of the year around.
Spiak, Captain St. John-Smythe and Amber were walking through the campus while Spiak reported his findings.
The science staff of the Ezekiel was co-operating with the University. To be more specific they were happily studying each other.
"They are definitely not human, despite the external appearances." Spiak said. "There are too many specific physiological differences to account for. Although they are biochemically completely compatible with humanity they are an alien race."
"So their ancestors came from somewhere else?" St. John-Smythe asked thoughtfully.
"Correct."
"But they're NOT aliens." Amber clarified.
"Illogical. Aliens are whomever does not originate one one's home world." Spiak said.
Amber puzzled it out. "But that means I'm an alien to you! That's silly." She dismissed the idea that she could be strange to a Vulcan she had known her whole life.
"Perhaps a more accurate usage is called for." Spiak admitted.
-*-
After seven weeks the high point of the whole visit was coming. Captain St. John-Smythe would address the Confederate Assembly. A treaty would be signed, friendship would be assured. The Ezekiel could head back home with one of the most wildly successful first contact missions of all time under her belt.
The delay was so that rulers and highly placed advisors could come to the capital and witness the historic events and have their pictures taken with their new ally.
The Ezekiel used the delay time to tour the Confederacy and get to know the people and places better.
The natives of the Confederacy used their family names first and their given names last. They had the holdovers from a very spiritual culture at their beginning, speaking of the Prophets who lived somewhere in space.
There was little actual faith in their spiritual ways. Not with a whole globular cluster to conquer. The Prophets helped those who helped themselves. The Prophets helped those who were smart enough and strong enough to make things happen.
-*-
Quitala Kalathos, King of Keplo-Quitalan was speaking to a group of trusted allies and partners.
"Now is our chance to change the balance of power in this area forever." He said.
"You must be joking!" Wendar Milklos said. He was the Grand Duke of the planet Bossilwick. "That's much too big a change to make so quickly. The populace would never stand for it."
"I would need an extensive cost/benefit analysis to even be able to discuss it." Nar-Yee said. He was the Chairman of the Board of the planet Wa-Lu.
"Life in Purgatory demands suffering in order to purify our souls for the Celestial Temple." Arch-Magi Murkos said. He was from a planet named Yakutz.
"Look, the cost and benefits are exactly the same as for joining the Confederacy to begin with. Look at the data." The King waved a report on the data about the Federation. "It takes all of the problems with the power politics of the Confederacy and moves them to..." He looked up the name "...Earth, where ever that is. However, the Federation safeguards the sovereignty of member planets."
"Are you certain of that?" Nar-Yee said.
"That's if everything in the data they have given us is true. It's confirmed in many instances by other sources, and subtle details of the Ezekiel and her crew. They would have had to put a lot of effort into pulling a hoax to do it that well." Quitala said.
"Yes, but how certain are you?" Nar-Yee asked.
"My intelligence service rates the reliability of the data at somewhere between 75% and 85%." Quitala admitted.
"Now we're talking odds. That I can understand." Grand Duke Wendar said. "Those aren't great odds, but they aren't the worst I've ever heard."
"Yes, but the stakes on the table is the entire Confederacy." Nar-Yee said.
"Look. We know that Tallamatrix is going to move again soon." Quitala pointed out. "What do the odds look like then?"
"What guarantee do we have that the Federation will side with us?" Arch-Magi Murkos asked.
"A bunch of allied planets halfway across the galaxy throw a civil war and you're obligated to support them. What would you do?" Quitala asked. "The Federation Council will do what the Confederate Assembly would do. They will throw their weight behind the status quo."
Quitala's allies remained unconvinced, but each argument slid them a little closer to his side.
-*-
"I don't want the Federation interfering out here, Osric." Vontoer Rolf said. He was a big man, grizzled and tough. He had raised his house from obscurity to the ruling body of Tallamatrix by destroying all rivals. It showed.
"Yes, Sire." Osric said. He was a weasly man who had risen to power by carrying out Vontoer Rolf's every wish quickly and efficiently.
"If they become too involved out here, then the political situation grows more stable and less susceptible to manipulation and force. Hell, that monster ship of theirs at Caractalla neutralizes any three of my dreadnoughts." Vontoer paced around his office on Tallamatrix looking like a big cat.
Osric stood respectfully next to the desk. "They do have a non-intervention clause, their Prime Directive."
"That sounds very well and good, but what makes you think that it's worth the paper it's written on?" Vontoer demanded. "Hell, I've got non-aggression treaties that those idiots believe!"
"It occurs to me sire, that if we move and the Federation starship obeys the Prime Directive, then we can win the war. If we move and the Federation starship does not obey the Prime Directive then we would never stand a chance any way."
"Kind of an all or nothing gamble you're taking with MY empire, Osric!" Vontoer shouted at Osric.
Osric stood his ground and looked the ruthless duke in the eye.
"But I like it!" Grinned Vontoer. "Put our forces on alert!"
-*-
"Ladies and Gentlemen of the Confederacy. I bring you greetings from the United Federation of Planets. We are a union of planets approximately one hundred light years towards the galactic rim."
"While we may be trillions of miles apart in space, our investigation shows that we are much closer in spirit."
Captain St. John-Smythe's speech was long and impressive. He worked on it until he got it just right. An anecdote here, an expression of friendship there, he was just making it to the punch line, the pay off.
"There fore it is our pleasure to submit this treaty for your consideration. It is a treaty of friendship, a treaty for trade and a treaty for mutual defense. Those are the specifics. This treaty is really a statement. It is confirmation that peaceful planets, working together can accomplish miracles. This is the start of a beautiful friendship."
To the sound of thunderous applause. Captain St. John-Smythe placed the treaty down on the table in front of him and signed it with a flourish.
The President of the Assembly moved forward to sign the treaty.
"Wait!" Quitala shouted. The Assembly stopped and looked at the King. Rarely had the orderly business of the Confederate Assembly been interrupted.
"I wish to place a motion before the assembly!" Quitala said. His voice rang out over the assembly.
"I do wish he had waited for the treaty to be signed." Thought St. John-Smythe irritably.
"I move that the Confederacy of the Great Spiral petition the United Federation of Planets for membership." Quitala said.
The Assembly sat stunned for a moment.
"Good Lord!" Said Captain St. John-Smythe.
As the Assembly broke into a noisy hubbub as Grand Duke Wendar shouted "Seconded!"
Baron Vontoer Rolf looked at the theatrical mess with derision. "Let them have their circus." He thought. "While it lasts." He gave a hand signal to Osric. His lackey nodded in comprehension and moved off to send the pre-arranged signal. While the leaders of the Confederacy argued on Caractalla, his forces would be sweeping their home worlds.
-*-
"Captain, I'm receiving a message." The communications specialist said to his Captain. Captain Darnoss, a tough veteran of anti-pirate campaigns and intra-house wars for position waited for a moment. The young specialist did not bow or scrape or even feel especially afraid to be in the presence of such a superior man as the Captain.
After a few moments the Captain Darnoss took the message from the specialist's hand. He read a completely routine sounding status report from the ancestral home of the Vontoers. The routine message addressed directly to the Captain could only mean one thing.
The old captain's eyes glittered. Soon, the young fool of a communications specialist would know what fear truly was. So would all of the people on his ship who were not loyal to Tallamatrix.
The Prophets helped those who helped themselves. Soon Tallamatrix would be helping itself to all the worlds of the Confederacy. That was how it should be. They were too weak to stop it.
-*-
Tallamatrix had contributed a large number of starships and men to the Confederacy Space Navy. On those ships where the Tallamatrix natives were in the majority, they simply eliminated all opposition and took over the ship. On ships where they were the minority they sabotaged weapons and engines to keep the ship out of the fight. In a few instances especially rabid Tallamatrix loyalists blew up ships, taking themselves and their whole crew out of the fight forever.
Over the next two weeks, ships and small battle groups fought desperate battles, trying to organize to fight for real. No one had much information about what was going on except for Vontoer Rolf. At a secret base he activated long hidden warships and men held in suspended animation. He had been planning for the war for a long time.
Soon a powerful battle group appeared, sweeping all opposition before it.
-*-
"I'm really terribly sorry, Your Majesty." St. John-Smythe said "Interference in the affairs of others is strictly prohibited. It is, after all, our prime directive."
"Even after you were prepared to sign the treaty?" Quitala said. He hadn't expected the Ezekiel to sit the war out, and the results were devastating so far.
"No treaty was signed. You made your motion to join the Federation about three minutes too soon. Even so, a mutual defense treaty says nothing about taking sides in a civil war. That was done on purpose, you know."
"Can't you help us at all?" Quitala asked, desperate. "We're getting killed!"
"I'll see what I can do." St. John-Smythe said. He felt very bad about all the nice people getting killed. He felt very strongly about not getting into the middle of their conflict. That would make the whole mess the Ezekiel's fault.
-*-
A few days later the Ezekiel started to perform the limited missions that Captain St. John-Smythe thought would not add to the fires of war. The Ezekiel became the biggest search and rescue cruiser in the history of the Confederacy. Her new engines could quickly move her out to the sight were a battle had been completed. She would sweep for survivors and escape pods regardless of what side they were on. Her medical staff reinforced by doctors from Caractalla would treat injured people who might otherwise have died.
The Ezekiel did not fire a single shot. She engaged no targets. Captain St. John-Smythe would not enter a place until it was clear that all fighting had ended.
-*-
On the flagship Destiny, Vontoer paced once again. "All or nothing, Osric. All or nothing. That's the key."
"Are you sure that's wise sire?" Osric was really worried about the Baron's plan, but afraid to really say so.
"They've started to take part. It's only a matter of time until that monster ship starts running down our cruisers and destroyers and blowing them out of the sky." Vontoer raged.
"But they haven't engaged a single target, yet." Osric pointed out.
"Bah! Have you been halfway into a firefight, Osric? Of course not! Either you're there or you're somewhere else. That fool of a Federation captain may think that there's a halfway point at which he can stop, but I'll show him differently." Vontoer began to draw up a plan.
"We'll catch the Ezekiel and the rest of the Confederate forces at Caractalla. It will be all or nothing, just like you said. Osric. A single grand battle to decide the whole issue."
-*-
Vontoer gathered his forces and once fully arranged and deployed, he sent them out to englobe the area of Caractalla. As soon as it became apparent what Vontoer was aiming for, the ragged Confederate was recalled to Caractalla. A lot of them never made it. Vontoers' globe was a tight going in as it was going out.
The Ezekiel made run after run snatching suffocating, dying people out of shuttles and pods. In each case, when it looked as though the Ezekiel might approach the line of Vontoer's ship's they would move to attack. In order to obey Captain St. John-Smythe's order's not to engage, the Ezekiel was forced to retreat back to Caractalla.
The noose was drawn tighter and tighter around the capital of the Confederacy.
-*-
"You've got to evacuate Amber and the other non-essential crew and go on the attack!" Carpenter said.
"I must obey the Prime Directive, Lieutenant. This is strictly an internal matter and we must not become involved." Captain St. John-Smythe was tired of having the same argument with Carpenter.
"With all due respect, Captain, this time I must agree with Carpenter." Commander Barr said. "The way those ships approach us out near the line, I think they're trying to hem us in with the rest of the Confederates."
"The Prime Directive is clear." Spiak reminded them. "We must not become involved."
"Lieutenant, we're already involved." Carpenter said. "We're what the whole war is about."
"I beg to differ." St. John-Smythe said. "The real goal here is power over the Confederate worlds. I believe, however, that the Ezekiel may be regarded as a factor in determining that."
"Do you think that the Baron's ships will really stop to ask whether we intend to become involved, or will they simply try to destroy us?" Carpenter asked, acidly.
"Now, really old chap. Do you think that they will totally unreasonable?" St. John-Smythe asked.
The intercom whistled. "Captain St. John-Smythe to the bridge."
"St. John-Smythe here, report, please."
"Ensign Ashby on watch, Sir. The Baron's forces have begun their final push."
-*-
The ships from Tallamatrix were on the attack. The Confederate forces fell back to Caractalla and began to plan for their final defensive strategy. They hoped to use the powerful defense installations of Caractalla as cover to break the back of the assault.
The military leaders of the Confederacy didn't have much hope for the plan, but it was the best they had.
The Tallamatrix assault was centered around five huge dreadnoughts, one of which was Baron Vontoer Rolf's flagship, Destiny. The five ships working together could not be stopped by the Confederate forces.
On the bridge of the Ezekiel, the Federation crew watched as the final climactic battle at Caractalla began to take shape around them.
-*-
"Captain, we're reaching the point of no return." Lee Barr said quietly.
"The Prime Directive is clear." Spiak said.
"Quiet, I'm watching the pretty explosions." Carpenter said nastily.
"Hail the attacking flag ship, would you?" St. John-Smythe said.
"Hailing frequency open." Carpenter said.
The triumphant face of Baron Vontoer Rolf appeared on the screen. "Are you calling to surrender?" He asked sharply.
"Not quite, old man." St. John-Smythe said mildly. "I was wondering quite frankly, if you intended to attack my starship?"
"Attack it? I'll blow you out of the sky. You can avoid that by surrendering now. I assure you that the psychological effect would bring the end of this battle." Vontoer was good at gloating over defeated enemies. He had practice.
"So your intentions are violent then?" St. John-Smythe asked carefully.
"Let me clarify this for you. Surrender now or I'll destroy you." Vontoer didn't understand what the weak Federation captain was waffling about at this late stage.
"I see. Thank you, Baron." St. John-Smythe said. Then he cut the channel. "Evacuate all non-essential personnel, including Amber to the surface of Caractalla. Mr. Carpenter, you have until they're off the ship to design your battle plans. We will attack the formation of dreadnoughts as soon as we are set for battle."
The crew of the Ezekiel moved quickly into action.
"Oh, and by the way," St. John-Smythe added "Yellow alert."
-*-
It took thirty minutes for the science and support crew of the Ezekiel to complete beaming down. During that time word spread that the Ezekiel was preparing to enter battle.
"Captain. We're being hailed." Ensign Ashby said.
"On screen."
Kogarn Teran appeared. "I hear that you're going on the attack." He said, grinning.
"Quite right. The Baron poses a clear danger, you know." St. John-Smythe said. He was just sorry that he hadn't made his decision sooner.
"Well, escort group 300 is with you. Give the word." Teran said.
"Very good, stand by for a briefing from my Tactical Officer." St. John-Smythe said.
Over the next fifteen minutes word came from all over. The Confederate fleet was going to join the Ezekiel in the attack.
-*-
"The Federation starship is moving, Sire." A bridge officer reported.
"Are they going to run?" The Baron fully expected such a response from the Ezekiel. That St. John-Smythe person struck him more as the captain of a cruise ship than of a warship. He'd teach the Federation to put a civilian in command.
"No, Sire, they are heading for us." The Officer nervously reported.
"Let me see that." The Baron pushed the officer aside and peered at his screen. The Confederate fleet was launching a counter attack. Here was the climactic battle the Baron was looking for. The single wild card was the Federation starship. She was heading for his fleet, and out running everything else in the system.
"Hmmm." Vontoer said. "Hmmmm."
-*-
The Ezekiel approached weapons range of the Tallamatrix dreadnoughts.
"Weapons range in ten minutes." Carpenter reported calmly. St. John-Smythe was pleased. Carpenter may be somewhat difficult to get along with, but in battle situations he really snapped to and pulled his weight. No one could see the hard, glittering light in Carpenter's eyes. There were times when he really enjoyed his work.
"Very, Good. Battle stations. Mr. Carpenter, fight the ship." St. John-Smythe said. The red alert sirens began to howl.
"Raise shields, begin arming weapons." Commander Barr said.
-*-
"Enemy now at extreme range." The Bridge officer of the Destiny reported.
"Hold fire until he's at optimum range." Vontoer said.
"He's firing missiles."
"What?" It was odd to fire missiles at such long range unless there were extenuating circumstances. "Clear point defense batteries for free fire." That meant that the gunnery crews had permission to fire at any enemy missiles that they could see.
The dreadnoughts began to fire at the photon torpedoes that the Ezekiel fired at them.
Of four torpedoes fired, one was hit and disabled. The remaining three photon torpedoes struck the lead dreadnought and detonated.
"Report!" Vontoer shouted.
"The Admiral Kivas is hit, they're reporting severe damage, shields down, main power off line!"
"All missile batteries, return fire!" Vontoer had a bad feeling. The Federation ship carried some hellish missiles. He hoped he could over come them without loosing too many men or ships.
"All batteries firing." The report came back. "Missiles away."
Four of the dreadnoughts fired a huge barrage of missiles at the Ezekiel. The Admiral Kivas even managed to launch a few.
-*-
"Missiles incoming. Permission to fire in point defense?" Carpenter said.
"Fire at your discretion, Mr. Carpenter." St. John-Smythe said.
The Ezekiel fired her main phasers. Usually the main phasers of the Ezekiel were a study in concentrated, overwhelming firepower. Given enough time they could crack a planet open.
Now, they fired, but their incredible energy was divided into small, discrete packages. Each discrete package was aimed by the computer for maximum effect against the oncoming wave of missiles.
As the surviving missiles got closer, the Ezekiel reached out with her tractor beams, over powering the missiles engines and pushing them into each other.
At the last moment, the sensors of the Ezekiel joined in, scanning the missile warheads with full power, burning out delicate electronics and blinding the missile guidance systems.
A few missiles survived to strike the Ezekiel.
-*-
"Direct hits!" Osric reported. "Five hits!"
"Only five?" Vontoer asked, shocked. The dreadnoughts had launched over one hundred fusion missiles. "Damage?" Even five fusion bombs would rattle a big ship like the Ezekiel.
"Their shield are..." Osric rechecked his display "Weakened, but holding. Light damage to the enemy."
Vontoer looked grim. The crew of the Destiny exchanged glances. What kind of monster were they fighting?
-*-
"Report?" St. John-Smythe asked. They had been rocked by the missile hits.
"Forward shields at eighty percent. Light damage reported on deck six. No injuries." Lee Barr reported.
"Return fire at your discretion, Mr. Carpenter." St. John-Smythe said. Carpenter knew his job.
-*-
The Admiral Kivas died in a blinding flash.
"Evasive maneuvers!" Vontoer roared. "Close! Close with them!"
-*-
"That will be enough of that, Mr. Carpenter. Fire to disable, not to destroy."
"Aye, Sir." Carpenter said in an odd tone.
-*-
Another exchange of missiles for photon torpedoes occurred. Fewer missiles struck the Ezekiel. Another dreadnought was damaged.
"Report!" Vontoer shouted.
"They have more light damage. Their forward shields are still strong, Sire." Osric reported "Two, maybe three more salvos required to break them."
"Close! Close dammit! We don't have two or three more dreadnoughts to spend!" Vontoer roared.
The four survivors flung them selves at the Ezekiel. One was much slower than the others.
-*-
The Ezekiel matched their charge. Photon Torpedoes flew and the phasers fired their full destructive force into a dreadnought as they passed each other.
Missiles and particle beam cannons answered the charge, coruscating off the Ezekiel's shields.
-*-
"Report." Growled Vontoer. He knew that the news wouldn't be good. He could see on his screen one dreadnought adrift and two others damaged.
"Medium damage to our port side, Sire. Weapons systems off-line and power is out to many areas along that side. We still have main power and full maneuverability. The enemy is firing some sort of phased energy beam. It's very powerful."
"How about the rest of the fleet?"
"About the same, Sire."
Vontoer Rolf thought for a moment and then came to a grim conclusion.
"Order the remaining dreadnoughts to press the attack. We must take down that monster ship. Osric, don't take the Destiny too close."
Osric saw what Vontoer had in mind. "Yes, Sire." He said.
-*-
"Damage report." St. John-Smythe said. It was the roughest ride he had ever taken in the Ezekiel.
"Shield number four is down. Others are compensating. We're leaking plasma. Moderate damage to sections thirty-four and thirty-five on decks six and seven." Lee Barr reported. "Sickbay is reporting injuries but no details, yet."
"Engineering to Bridge."
"Go ahead Mr. Mancuso."
"We've got a radiation leak in Engineering. I've got it tied down for now, but soon we'll have to shut down and evacuate."
"Understood. We'll be done here, soon." St. John-Smythe said. "Mr. Carpenter, wrap it up so we can get those people out, all right?"
"Aye, Sir." Carpenter said grimly. "Coming about."
-*-
As the big ships lined up for a second pass, the Confederate fleet met the Tallamatrix
fleet. All over the battle was fierce. Deprived of their flagships, the Tallamatrix
forces were less organized than usual, The tide began to turn against them.
-*-
As the Ezekiel moved in on the big ships, two of the dreadnoughts moved in for another direct confrontation.
The big Federation ship made a direct approach to one of the dreadnoughts, exchanging beams and missiles as she went. The other dreadnought swung around to get a good firing position.
-*-
A panel exploded, injuring Ensign Ashby. The Ezekiel shuddered as missiles exploded against her shields.
"Starboard shields weakening! Minor damage from all decks!" Barr shouted over the racket.
With a flourish, Carpenter finished entering the firing pattern into the computer. With a beep the computer ran the program. The phasers of the Ezekiel reached out and with careful precision cut the Spirit of Tallamatrix to bits.
As the noise died down, St. John-Smythe called Engineering. "Mr. Mancuso, I need one second of warp power. Can you oblige?"
"Yes, sir, but too much more than that, and we'll lose it down here!" Mancuso warned.
St. John-Smythe nimbly leapt down to the helm console and reset it. "In ten seconds, then." He said. He began to enter commands.
Starships use large anti-gravity generators to grab hold of a bubble of space around them, partially dislocating the space from its surroundings. The Ezekiel had several such generators lined up in sequence along her warp nacelles. Power generated by her warp core would flow through plasma conduits and be switched in sequence from the forward generator or warp coil to each one in line afterward. In this way, the spatial distortion would caterpillar through space.
Captain St. John-Smythe told the computer to switch the flow from the rear warp coil in sequence towards the front. The Ezekiel would be going faster than light in reverse.
-*-
"Keep the lock on!" Darnoss shouted.
"They've disappeared, Sir!" The weapons officer cried.
"None of your damned excuses! Find them!"
-*-
After a full second at warp one the Ezekiel was three hundred thousand kilometers away. Captain St. John-Smythe shut down the warp engines and said "Mr. Carpenter, Can you disable the two surviving dreadnoughts with photon torpedoes?"
"Yes, Sir."
"Very good. Mr. Mancuso, You may take the warp core off line and begin your evacuation."
"Yes, Sir!"
"Firing photon torpedoes." Carpenter reported.
-*-
"I have them- uh oh." The weapons officer said.
"What in the hell are you whining about now!?" Darnoss shouted. The weapons officer put the display up on the dreadnought's main screen.
Darnoss saw the Ezekiel serenely cruising an impossible distance away, while a spread of photon torpedoes streaked towards him.
"EEEEEEE!" Screamed Darnoss.
-*-
The photon torpedoes struck the dreadnought which blossomed into a beautiful fireball.
-*-
"That was a neat trick." Vontoer said.
"Sire, groups 203 and 112 report taking heavy casualties. They are being forced to withdraw. Groups 78 and 219 report that they can hold their positions until Confederate reinforcements arrive. All other groups have begun to splinter as command and control has been lost."
"Sound the retreat." Vontoer said. "Fall back to our secret base."
Osric looked stricken. "Have we lost, Sire?"
"Yes. Osric." Vontoer was wry. "We'll be lucky to escape this with our heads on."
Osric read his screen and said. "The Federation monster ship is heading this way, Sire."
"That's it, then. Let's get the hell out of here."
-*-
The victory party was being held in the assembly chambers on Caractalla. Following the defeat of Vontoer's fleet at Caractalla, the Confederate fleet had regrouped and was now pursuing the tattered remains of Vontoer's fleet across space.
"Isn't it great, Captain?" Quitala laughed. "Just today one of Vontoer's officers gave us the location of Vontoer's secret base! Tallamatrix will never grab for power in the Great Spiral again!"
"Ah, yes, well." St. John-Smythe said. He was disturbed by the irony. Vontoer must have felt the same exhilaration when it looked as though the Confederacy was going to fall.
"Have you given up on your crash plan to join the Federation, then?" St. John-Smythe asked.
"Good heavens, no! What better way to insure that my planet remains ruled by itself? Confederate politics have always been unstable. The thought of a single planet ruling the Great Spiral has tempted many. With power over the Great Spiral resident in the Federation Council, the gamesmanship over power will move there. It will stabilize the Great Spiral as nothing ever has." Quitala said happily. "I'll be able to concentrate on keeping things running at home rather than fighting the predators in the Confederacy."
"Yes, well, I'm glad things are working out so well for you." St. John-Smythe said. He had to wonder. Had he done the Federation a favor? It was a difficult question.
-*-
Later:
The Phoenix Sector was so named because it was bordered on one side by a huge nebula, which from the center of the sector looked like a large glowing phoenix.
It was impressive and beautiful, a stellar land mark for class M worlds in the sector.
Enlas-Dhu was a primitive world in the sector. The humanoid people of Enlas-Dhu had gotten as far as agriculture and steel tools when the dreadnought Destiny led her rag-tag refugee fleet into orbit.
The conquest of Enlas-Dhu didn't take Vontoer or his people long. The rich Earth-like planet became theirs within the first few weeks. They landed in the biggest, wealthiest city and executed the ruling class wholesale. They were helped in the early going by the fact that they had the ridges on their noses while the hapless natives of Enlas-Dhu did not.
There were a couple of Federation planets in the sector, but Vontoer Rolf didn't want to risk provoking a battle fleet, when a single Federation cruiser had demolished his fleet in the Great Spiral sector, so he left them alone.
-*-
"We have sacrificed much." Vontoer said. "I myself have had to leave behind family, lands, wealth and power. But we will survive. We will grow until one day we are powerful enough to take back what is rightly ours. Until then we will make new homes and new empires right here in the shadow of the great phoenix. We have a rich world and weak slaves all for the taking. Our future begins today. I hereby declare the beginning of the Phoenix Domain. Urk!"
Vontoer looked surprised at the end of his speech. Then he slid slowly to the ground.
Osric wiped the blood off of his dagger. "And I declare myself the first ruler of it."
-End-
Disclaimer: Paramount owns all things Trek. I claim original characters and situations in this story for me.