Multi-Faceted Rifts

Posted on Mon Sep 12th, 2016 @ 12:36am by Captain Li Hawke & Lieutenant Seren Hawke & Vic & Niro & Lieutenant Commander Michael Darwin & Lieutenant Commander T'Rowl N'Riss C.Phil & Lieutenant Janus Heyerdahl

Mission: Further Challenges
Location: IKS cha'Do / EFS Kohana

* The cha’Do *

Following Rick’s reprimand, he departed Li’s cabin and went to his own. Li felt the urge for some coffee and went the opposite direction, down the stairs into the galley. Darwin was due to come off shift and El was taking over, which meant she had the place to herself for now. She ordered a mug of raktajino and settled on a stool at the counter in the middle of the galley. The adrenaline churned up during her visit to the Borg ship was still riding her, and the intense conversation with Rick had done little to ease it. The jolt from the raktajino likely wouldn’t help either, she realized. Still, the warmth was good, as was the silence.

She took another sip and the silence was suddenly broken by the sound of heavy footsteps descending in her direction. She knew those footsteps very well. She also knew he’d have some things to say and it was best to get it over with now, she decided. Calmly she set her mug down and looked back over her shoulder.

“Hi Darwin.”

“We’re lucky you’re here to say hi,” he said, coming into the galley and opening some of the cabinets. He found what he was looking for and started mixing the ingredients. He was concentrating on the task, trying to block out Li’s turbulence, but he wasn’t yet skilled enough to do that. Sighing, he set his dish down and turned towards her. “You know that was an Oz trick: going off and tempting fate to kill you. Twisting a knife in your own side. I expect it from her, being impulsive and not a small degree stupid, but I don’t from you.”

Li pursed her lips for a moment. “I can understand why Oz does it, but it’s never without provocation. You know why I had to go, Dar.” She sighed softly. “You’re right though, it was twisting a knife in my own side. It...he….he wasn’t in there. It was him but not him.” She shrugged and reached for her mug.

Darwin knew that that’s how Borg drones were: there but not there. Except for Ignatius. “Li, if we can, we’ll bring him back. Don’t plan on it, though,” his tone was a little harsh.

His tone got a curious look. “I don’t think there’s anything there to bring back. Rick said the same as you but it’s only so we can let Sakkath go peacefully. Why does this bother you? What is it?”

“It just seems very masochistic, Li. I see enough people doing bad things to themselves.” He didn’t add that it seemed mostly the women around him were the ones doing that. “Anyway. I could tell you wanted to have that discussion. Ice cream?”

“Sure, thanks. I don’t know. How can I just leave him there?” She caught his thought about the women close to him and smiled. “Maybe that’s your lot in life Darwin, to try and talk sense into impulsive women. To be the voice of reason, the realist.”

“It’s easier when I can just bed them; keep them entertained that way,” he said. He cleared his throat, realizing he was talking about Li as well.

She nodded, understanding his meaning. “I was finally at peace you know? This….this is because of an old problem, a tit for tat you might say. I think she won.” Reaching out she took the bowl of ice cream from Darwin. “When does it end?”

“Grief never ends. It never goes away. You just learn to manage it.” He sat with her, eating ice cream. “She - the Borg Queen? She hasn’t won. We weren’t in competition with her.”

“Long story.” Li took another bite, then wiped a drop from her chin. “For another time. I think she will behave for now. She needs us. I know you hate the idea and so do I but what we face is worse than they are.”

“Yeah, time traveling lunatics. They could go back and prevent humans from ever evolving. Or any other species. Imagine Betazoids with no mental abilities. Vulcans without logic.”

“It starts here. If they get that sphere, we are all dead in the water.” She shivered and laid down her spoon. “I know this trip is not your idea of a good time, but I’m glad you’re here. It means a lot to the Admiral and to me. Maybe in very different ways but still.”

“This gives us time to work on my head, too. Speaking of, I couldn’t block you when you came in. Is that because we’re... ah... close or because of the strength of your emotions?”

“A little of both. I know Sokar fixed that link but I think you'll always be more in tune with me than anyone else.” She flashed a rueful smile. “Sorry. But what you have in your head now came from me so...yeah.”

“Yeah. Don’t tell Ed.” He chuckled. “She knows but... she’s not happy about all of this. She’s...” He rolled his shoulders. “I’ll have a chat with her when we get back.”

“Can you keep me out of it? Please? I don’t want to be a wedge, Dar. You know that. It’s complicated enough as it is without sharing that you still have this mental ‘thing’ with me.”

“You’re not a wedge,” Darwin said. “And you’re not in the middle of anything. There isn’t anything to be in the middle of.”

Li snorted laughter. “If you believe that, I have a cube to sell you --” She was interrupted by the proximity alarm and lowered her cup and hopped off the stool. “It may be the ship.”

He frowned at her as they left the galley; he was ahead of her as they headed for the bridge.

* EFS Kohana *

Janus did one last check on the engines and tapped his comm badge. “All set to go down here. The last message I got from Reva had coordinates and a frequency for the beam that should pry open that rift. I’ll re-route auxiliary power once we reach it. Janus out.”

Seren turned to N’Riss as the transmission finished up on the bridge. “We’ll reach the rift in two minutes. The Korenna is in sensor range and should be here within ten.”

“Mmrm. Good. We will wait for them befurr crossing over,” N’Riss grumbled, rubbing his chin with a paw. “Seren, do we have a formula furr breaching the Korenna’s shields?”

“We are counting on the fact that the Korenna’s transformation is still in progress,” Seren answered, “And therefore won’t be at full power.”

“We got a message that Reva and Six were attempting to slow things down for that reason,” Vic added. “But nothing since. I’m hoping that once they reach us, Reva will have some failsafe in place to give us some help.”

“You give her quite a bit of credit. Let us hope she warrants it,” the Caitian said, sighing in a way that sounded like a hiss.

Several minutes passed in silence as the men worked to prepare for opening or widening the rift and facing the Korenna. When the coordinates were mere thousands of meters away, Vic spoke up: “The remnants of the rift are there. I’ll begin expanding it.”

“I’m monitoring from down here,” Janus informed them over the comm. “Power rerouted, so let ‘er rip.”

Seren adjusted the sensors and began a careful watch as Vic got to work. “It’s widened by ten meters,” Seren reported. “The Korenna is in visual range. Incoming transmission,” he informed N’Riss.

“On screen,” N’Riss answered.

Niro appeared on the viewer and smiled. “I see you made your way back here. Your captain sends her regards.” He glanced in Vic’s direction. “As does Six. She and Reva were most cooperative. How long until the rift is completely open?”

“Mmrph, two minutes,” N’Riss said. “You will lower your shields and we will beam them over just before entering the rift.”

Niro considered it and shook his head. “We will both go through, then you can have them. Six has already threatened to assimilate all of us so good riddance.” It was a lie but he covered it with a smile. “Then we’ll be gone and out of your fur, if you’ll pardon the expression Caitian.”

“You have no need to enter the rift, Nirro,” N’Riss shook his head. “Lower your shields.” This second time, the order came out closer to a roar.

Vic interrupted, “Rift is open, Sir. We’re ready.”

“There you have it,” Niro answered. “Gentlemen, after you.”

N’Riss started to dig in but backed off slightly. He touched a control on his chair and glanced at Vic and Seren, “Be ready with weapons, gentlemen.” Thumbing the control again, he addressed Niro, “We have no reason to trust you but the rift is unstable.” He motioned for them to proceed into the rift.

Seren nodded, widening the sensor range as they started through. Suddenly he cursed aloud. “Picking up the cha’Do on the other side and...a Borg cube. Both ships are stationary, no damage to either. Four life signs on the cha’Do.” He turned to face N’Riss. “They aren’t firing on each other or anything.”

“Open a channel to the cha’Do,” N’Riss said.

“Open,” Vic answered.

“cha’Do, this is Lt. Commander N’Riss. Report on your status,” the Caitian said.

“Good to see you Commander,” Li’s voice answered, and her relief was obvious. “All good here. I know you’re wondering about that cube but it’s on our side for now regarding our bigger problem. Are you all alright?”

“We’re split at the moment, Captain. Cmdr. O’Donnell, Lt. Carter, Ensign Madhava and Six are on the Korenna. Those of us on the Kohana are fine, though.”

“Why are they there?” Li’s tone had grown sharper.

The Caitian looked down, submissively, before answering, “Niro transported them over and demanded that Six alter his ship the way this one has been altered. He has the delusion that we will allow him to cross over and stay in our universe.”

“I see,” was Li’s answer. “Get through and we’ll disable his ship and return them to you. We can be no help until you are through the rift, though.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” N’Riss nodded at Vic, who directed the ship through rift.

“Clearance is tight,” Vic reported as the ship eased into its rightful universe.

On the ship behind them, Reva was monitoring things from Engineering. “The Kohana is through, Six. We’re next. This is crazy. There’s a Borg cube over there, along with the cha’Do... isn’t that the Admiral’s?”

“It’s a spare ship they take for unofficial missions,” Six answered, “but definitely for Fleet use.” She stopped then, realizing what Reva had said. “A cube….the Queen….” Even as she said it, the whisper of thousands of voices reached her. “She is….working with them? How can that be?”

“The Krenim. Enemy of my enemy is my friend, for a while, at least,” Reva answered. “Hey... the pilot isn’t taking us through,” she said, straightening up to pay more attention to the console. “Six! They’re firing on the rift-- it’s closing!” She tapped at the console frantically.

“No!” Six dashed towards a panel and reached out, embedding the tubules from her hand in the panel.

Up on the bridge, Niro sat watching the viewer and gave the order again. “Fire, this time on the Kohana. Full spread. I want that ship screwed completely, got that? Keep firing until they blow or the rift closes.”

On the Kohana, a shower of sparks rose from a rear station. “They’re firing again!” Seren shouted.

“Shields are down!” Vic added. “And the rift is closing - the Korenna is on the far side still.”

N’Riss, barely holding his seat, asked, “Can we make it back through?” Another shot answered that for him.

“Engines are offline,” Vic reported.

“The port nacelle has taken damage,” Janus reported from engineering. “We’re not going anywhere for the next couple of hours.”

“There’s a hull breach on deck 2,” Seren reported. “It’s sealed itself off.”

One more shot came through the rift, shaking the ship and slamming Vic into his console. He slumped to the floor, bleeding from a gash in his forehead.

The last shot knocked N’Riss to the floor. By the time he regained his seat, the rift was closed. He opened a channel to the cha’Do, “Captain... we’re dead in the water.”

**************
Captain Li Hawke
Lt. Commander Michael Darwin
Lt. Commander T’Rowl N’Riss
Lt. Seren Hawke
Vic (Lt.)
Lt. Janus Heyerdahl
Niro (Alt)