Gateway-Part 22

"Gateway"

By Quills

Contact: the_quill_pen@yahoo.com
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Paramount owns Star trek and I derive no financial gain from this story.
Codes: A, T/Tu, Ma, S, R, P angst, drama, romance, humor, action/adventure
Summary: Captain Archer is relieved of command for a secret mission into the 24th Century. To find and stop the Suliban renegade Silik. While he is gone, a Vulcan Starfleet Captain from the future is given temporary command of the Enterprise NX-01 with his own orders to investigate the 'Temporal Cold War'.

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Part 22

Chapter Forty-Six

The lights flickered as the auxiliary power kicked in and the emergency lights illuminated the smoke filled bridge of the 'Kirk'. Crewed by Suliban terrorists and led by the renegade Suliban Commander from the future, Silik, the 'Kirk' had just finished firing a salvo of phaser fire and torpedoes as the 'Enterprise' crossed her path. Only moments before, the two ships had collided in the sensor deprived realm of the M262 nebulae cloud, causing extensive hull damage and structural integrity failure in key sections on both ships. The 'Kirk' had only managed to open fire on the 'Enterprise' because her commander had vengeance in his eyes and he didn't care how much blood he had to spill to get it. It also didn't matter if that blood was Suliban.

"Sir!" yelled Mbek, the Suliban manning the ship's science station. "The enemy vessel is moving off."

Silik stood from his chair and snapped an order. "Pursuit course!"

"Commander," said Silik's second in command looking up from the damage control panel. "We must stabilize the damage to the starboard hull. The engine's containment vessel has been seriously compromised. If it is not repaired the ship's engines will reach critical threshold."

Silik gritted his teeth at this new information. He would not be denied his revenge. He would have Archer's ship and then he would have Archer, but only after he hanged the Vulcan half breed up by his pointed ears.

"Tell the men in engineering to stabilize the containment," ordered Silik. “But we ARE still going after the 'Enterprise'."

Silik's second in command stared at the Suliban commander as he gave new orders to the helmsman. *This madman will be the death of us all,* he thought.

"Set a pursuit course for the 'Enterprise's' last position," said Silik as he turned away from his second in command. "Scan for any anomalous readings...I want to know about them no matter how trivial."

"Yes, Commander," acknowledged Mbek. The man turned to his instruments and saw a warning light. Tapping his console he shuddered as he saw the readout on his viewer.

"Commander!" said Mbek in alarm.

"The Enterprise?" asked Silik almost enthusiastically.

"N-No Commander," answered Mbek. The tremor of fear in his voice was plain. He did not want to report what his instruments were telling him. Such a report would surely bring Silik's anger down on him, but so would not reporting the finding. "Sensors detected an energy signature. It formed just as the 'Enterprise' passed us. There was a momentary energy transmission from their vessel."

Silik glared at the science officer. "Where was it directed?"

"I cannot be certain," he replied nervously. "Somewhere in the aft section of the ship."

"What type of transmission?"

Hesitating for a moment for fear of Silik's reaction the man finally answered. "It was a transporter signal, sir."

______________________________________

Soma and Reed crouched down in the small Jeffries Access Compartment. They had managed to avoid any Suliban soldiers as they made their way along the lower decks of the 'Kirk', but now they were faced with the fact that the upper decks were manned with armed Suliban; they needed a plan.

"Captain, I have a plan," said Reed as he propped himself up against the adjacent wall.

"Speak up Mr. Reed, we're desperate."

"I looked over the specs you were able to supply us with on this ship's design," explained the Lt. "Technology aside....it’s not radically different from our own. It still has primary operating systems running through EPS conduits. If we can disable their EPS then their primary systems will shut down...they'll be dead in space."

"Mr. Reed, that's in main engineering," sighed Soma shaking his head. "The EPS manifold is one of the most heavily shielded systems on the ship. We'd never be able to cut through it....not even with phase rifles."

"I was thinking of something a bit more direct sir," said Reed as he produced two small palm size cylinders from his chest pocket. "Cobalt grenades...a smaller version of the ones the Andorians we're dropping on as back at 'Gateway'. My security detail found them on one the Andorians we took prisoner."

A smile played across the Vulcan's lips. "Remind me to put you in for a
commendation Malcolm...if we get out of this alive."

"I'll settle for getting out of this alive, sir."

"We have to find out what deck engineering is on," said Soma.

Reed pulled out his scanner and keyed in a scan search. After several moments he frowned looking up at Soma. "The scanner is having the same difficulties as the ship's sensors had. This bloody nebulae is interfering with the readings. There's a high concentration of ionized particles inside the ship."

"Probably from the hull breach the 'Kirk' received when the
ships collided," said Soma. "Particulates from the nebulae
must have flooded several of the decks in this section
of the ship."

Reed raised his scanner up and passed in front of him several times. "I'm detecting high energy particle readings above us and forward but I can't pin point exactly where."

"What about life signs?" asked Soma.

Reed shook his head in exasperation. "I can't even pick us up."

"That's going to make getting there that much harder."

"I guess we're going to have to feel our way there," replied Reed.

"We may not have to," said Soma. "Did you see the conduit at the end of this corridor?"

"Yes, it was adjacent to what looked like a computer terminal."

"That's a ship's computer interface," explained Soma. "Newer starships have them built in to tap directly into the ship's sensor net. It's possible the 'Kirk's' internal sensors might be strong enough to cut through the ionized particles from the nebulae."

"But won't the system be keyed to some kind of command code authorization?"

Soma shook his head. "Yes, but if we request non vital information..."

"Such as directions and personnel location," finished Reed.

Soma shook his head. They had a chance; slim as it was. However, slim was better than none. Soma motioned Reed to stand to the side of the opening as he cracked open the Jeffries Access hatch. Phase pistol in hand, he peered out the small opening for any sign of Sulibans. After a moment, he pushed the hatchway open and stepped out signaling Lt. Reed to follow as he laid the hatch on the ground. Once Reed was out, Soma put the hatch back into place and they started for the computer interface.

The two men walked slowly down the empty corridor, glancing from one end to the other as they each gripped their phase weapon. As they approached the interface terminal, Soma directed Reed to take up a position of cover. Reed nodded and slipped behind a nearby bulkhead piling, readying his phase rifle to cover his Captain. Soma approached the interface and tapped the computer console, which came alive with a schematic of the 'Kirk'.

"Computer, disable voice response and direct all answers to inquiries on data screen readout," instructed Soma.

Soma tapped his quarry out on the interface pad. "Give ship schematic location,
this terminal in relation to ship decks."

The computer screen changed almost instantly to show a diagrammatic cutaway of the 'Kirks' deck layout. Soma looked at the viewer and saw the blinking marker signaling their location.

"Interpolate...fastest available route to Engineering without accessing a turbo lift?" typed the Captain. He knew a turbo lift would be ideally quicker, but they could not afford to take a chance on alerting anyone or getting pinned down in one.

The viewer changed again, this time displaying a close up of the deck they
were on along with the adjacent decks above. A thin red marker line showed
the fastest route to the engineering deck.

Soma tapped the panel once again with an information quarry. “Display All life-sign energy signatures along previously displayed route.”

The computer readjusted the schematic to show several points where Bio signatures registered. Soma studied the layout for a moment and then was about to tap the close function and stopped. He had to make sure. “Number of Starfleet personnel aboard this ship?”

He waited for the answer almost dreading what he was already certain would come.

*No Starfleet bio signs*

Soma let out a sigh and tapped the console closing down the interface. Glancing over at Reed he motioned the Lt. to his side.

"The computer showed me the best route to take to engineering," said Soma relaying his discovery. "It's three decks up and two sections forward."

"Shouldn't we make a copy of the layout Captain?" asked Reed holding up his scanner.

"I did," replied Soma. "I memorized the schematic."

Reed furrowed his brow and gave his Captain a questioning look.

"There are benefits to being Vulcan, Lt.," smiled Soma.

"Any luck locating life signs on those decks?" asked Reed.

"Between here and engineering there were only three and four on the engineering deck itself. They have themselves stretched pretty thin. With any luck we'll make it to engineering without attracting any attention."

"And if we're not so lucky?" asked Reed.

Soma looked at Reed with a scowl. "You know Lt., its optimists like
you that cause all the problems in the galaxy."

__________________________________________

Sub-Commander T'Pol rounded the command chair and tapped the comm button for engineering. "Mr. Tucker, status report."

T'Pol listened to the static crackle that came over the comm. system. After a pause, she repeated her request and was greeted by a break in the noise.

"T'Pol?" replied the familiar voice of Trip Tucker. "Where's the Cap'n?"

T'Pol arched her brow in relief. Not only because the engineer had survived but that there still was an engine room for him to be in. However, her relief was only momentary as she reasserted herself and addressed Tucker. "The Captain and Lt. Reed have transported aboard the 'Kirk'."

"What?!" came a frantic exclamation over from Tucker. "What happened
to the security detail..."

"The security detail was killed when we collided with the 'Kirk'," explained the Vulcan as she cut him off. "Captain Soma decided to continue with his original plan with a slight modification. He instructed the transporter chief to perform a site to site transport from the bridge to the 'Kirk'. We cannot currently raise the Captain or we will alert the Suliban aboard the 'Kirk' to his and Mr. Reed's presence. Now, you have been updated on our current situation, I would appreciate you updating me on yours."

A crackling hiss came through the speaker followed by the voice of Commander Tucker. "...give us a minute, we're pickin’ up the pieces down here."

Though she couldn't hear it, she sensed the exasperated sigh she knew the engineer was making. "With utmost haste Commander, I require a system status," ordered the Vulcan. "I have to know what resources are at our disposal."

"The engines are still in fair shape, but eighty percent of the modifications we hooked up are fried." explained Tucker. "Ya got about forty percent maneuverability and half impulse power."

"What about weapons?"

"We still have a connection to the port cannon," said Tucker. "Fifty percent power. The other connection is fried like the rest."

"Torpedoes are still on line Sub Commander," added Lt. Wang. "Hull plating is
holding at twenty percent."

"Can you restore any of the modifications or increase power to present systems?" asked T'pol.

"Negative," replied Tucker. "The best we can do is hold her together for ya Sub commander...I'm sorry I can't do more."

She raised her brow at his last comment. He took the operation of the ship as his personal responsibility. "Then I will make use of you holding her together for me for as long as you can, T'Pol out."

T'Pol turned to the officer who was manning her science station. "Any sensor contacts Mr. Delgado?"

"Negative, Sub Commander, the ionization in this region is too heavy. We might have better luck in a less dense region."

T'Pol turned to the helm. "Ensign, adjust our heading, lay in a course out of this section of the cloud. Mr. Wang, ready photon torpedoes and the starboard phase canon."

Continue to Part 23 (Chapter 47)

Return to Part 21 (Chapter 45)

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Three people have made comments

Great action. I just get too impatient waiting for subsequent chapters. This is easily one of the more exciting and action-packed stories that I have has the pleasure to read.

I was so happy to see another chapter added to this story! I just love it, it's got such a great plot, enough drama, a dash of comedy with action to boot! Just a great mix to keep us all wanting more. Please, continue it!

Yup! Finally a new and wonderful chapter. But I must admit too, the long in-between is killing me!