Star Trek: Ascension -Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Lt. Commander Levelle stands at the center of the bridge looking to Torak at the tactical station, behind him the view screen displays the Titan drifting in space.

"Romulan warbirds," the Vulcan reports.

Levelle turns and looks at the view screen despite the warbirds being out of visual range. "How many?"

"Twelve, uncloaked," Torak answers.

"Hail them," Levelle orders, "for all the good it'll do."

Torak complies and a moment later his brows are raised with an expression echoing the commander's incredulity. "No response."

Levelle turns again to Torak. His face is tight, but resolute, and after sharing an instant of trepidation with his friend he takes the command chair. "Red alert! Get me Commander La Forge."

*

Geordi stands over B4, disconnecting the cables running from his positronic brain to the machine, severing him from the matrix. Behind him a team of engineers enter main engineering with an antigravity pallet and portable tractor emitters.

"Acknowledge, commander," La Forge calls as he pieces B4's scalp back together. "How much time do we have?"

*

Ten decks above, on the Titan's bridge all the stations are empty. The command crew lay unconscious on the floor except for Dupree. She sits in the command chair watching for the approaching Romulan garrison on the view screen and listening to the exchange on an open com link.

"ETA four minutes," Torak's voice reports.

"We're loading the device onto an antigrav unit now," La Forge replies on the commlink, "but we're not going to get it to the Enterprise before the Romulans get here. If they're not answering hails it's a good bet we're in for a fight. We'll need the Enterprise to cover us."

Dupree stands and steps over the bodies of the command crew to the tactical station.

Levelle's voice follows, "Acknowledge, commander. You can count on us."

She runs her fingers over the controls and the cargo and shuttle bay command protocols appear on the station monitor. With another entry by Dupree "ALL BAY DOORS LOCKED" overlays the controls.

"Worf to Doctor Crusher," resounds on the open channel .

"Crusher, here."

"Commander La Forge is transporting the device to the Enterprise and is recalling all personnel back to the ship," Worf reports as Dupree listens with a distant stare.

"I'm on my way Worf. Crusher to Ogowa."

"Go ahead, doctor."

"I'm returning to the Enterprise and need you to coordinate the medical staff to prepare cargo bay three for a triage center."

"We're already doing so, doctor. We'll see you soon, Ogowa out."

Dupree closes her eyes and her form liquefies into the cohesive amber gel that is the hallmark of a transfiguring Changling, in this instance into a replica of Captain Riker. She walks to the bridge's engineering station and speaks in Riker's voice. "Computer, activate auto destruct sequence. Authorization Riker omega thirteen zero one alpha."

"Auto destruct sequence activated, awaiting first officer's confirmation."

La Forge's urgent tone emanates from the open commlink at the tactical station, "Reg, the shuttle bay doors have been locked and I can't gain access. What's the problem?"

The imposter of Riker begins to transform again, changing back into Commander Dupree.

*

Alden's ring of fire has become an infernal fortification in the hope of keeping Moriarty at bay. Despite Alden's attempts, however, Moriarty strides through the flames unscathed his cold eyes never wavering from Picard. Above them the smoke from the fiery ring billows into the black storm wrought by wrath of Moriarty, bringing a hellish quality to the scene. Moriarty gestures to the flames. "Ironically appropriate, don't you think, captain?"

"I have had enough of your interference, professor!" Alden barks, stepping toward him.

Moriarty turns to Alden, assessing him with icy indifference. "Interference? It is you who are the invader. This… facsimile was created for me. I cannot fathom why you find it so appealing! Nevertheless, you must go. My task is with Picard."

Picard takes a cautious step toward Moriarty, "Professor…"

Alden stares back at Moriarty defiantly, his lip curled in contempt. "I'm not the one who is going!"

"Spare me your ignorance!" Moriarty ridicules. "You've not learned a fraction of what I, myself, know of controlling the figments of this prison!"

Alden's lip curls into a sinister and defiant sneer and he raises his hands into the air, his fingers gnarled like wicked trees. Picard can feel the build up of static on his skin as the lieutenant draws energy to himself like a deep breath. In the momentary stillness, Picard begins to back away from the two. Moriarty recoils and pulls with him the searing vapors of the churning billows overhead like a black sheet drawn from a night sky.

"Depart now, while you are still able," Moriarty commands malevolently.

Alden stands ready, facing him in a standoff fit for nightmares.

Moriarty shoves a pyroclastic wall of burning blackness across the plain. Picard is already running, for unlike the two super-gamers, he has no control or defense against their manifest malevolence. He hits the floor as the kinetic caldron engulfs Alden and pushes him into the flames.

A cavity forms in the aphotic churning where the flames of Alden's ring create a hellish reflection nebula that showcases his silhouette. He draws in his outstretched hands methodically and pulls in Moriarty's black sheet around him. Points appear in the billowing pitch around which the vapors condense at to spearheads under Alden's will. Each stretching into long, solid spikes that launch with mortal intent.

Moriarty transmutes into a swirl of black smoke, rending the assault futile as it twists into the clouds.

High into the darkness, hidden in the churning clouds he peers down on Alden.

The floor beneath Alden's feet contorts suddenly, spinning into a vortex that sucks Alden’s ring of fire from its margins.

While Alden struggles to counter Moriarty's machinations, Picard presses his body to the floor to prevent being pulled in as the flames fly over him into the expanding whirlpool. Little by little he begins to slip.

Above him the two adversaries are projecting their strange forces against each other. The energy masses between the opponents like a newborn star nursing off their power.

Picard struggles against the draw to no avail. His foot slips and he is dragged across the floor to the edge of the fiery vortex.

At the same instant, the growing mass of energy implodes, creating a concussion wave that extinguishes the fiery maelstrom and the crepuscular storm overhead as it races into the entire matrix.

The gigantic wall of annihilation rushes towards the Enterprise D. The great vessel changes its vector and darts to warp to no avail. The wave overtakes the Enterprise easily, blasting its hull into shards as it spread unimpeded.

The great collection of alpha quadrant starships fleeing the degradation scatter in a mass panic as the cosmic tsunami races toward them. Ships careen into each other, grinding their hulls into shrapnel as the entire armada falls into the final torturous frenzy of terror before being overcome and consumed with the stars and the entire holographic fiction.

At ground zero Picard lies scorched and face down on a black surface with yellow grids that stretch into an infinite horizon. A hundred feet away Alden and Moriarty face off.

"The slate is wiped clean," Alden announces venomously. "Now I will build a universe to my liking without any further interference!"

Picard rolls onto his back and pulls himself to his feet while trying to shake off the effects of the blast. He surveys the new surroundings and finds that Alden is drawing his power once again.

"Arch," Picard calls with a weakened voice, "computer, delete Alden."

To Moriarty’s astonishment and Picard’s relief, Alden vanishes with a snap.

*

A Dominion symbol in the biological archive appears next to the suspended Captain Riker glows and the ray of light beneath it swells and retreats depositing Alden in the space previously occupied by Picard. Seething with rage he struggles against the pattern stasis process.

*

In the region of space outside the Zendalen Ardis asteroid belt the Enterprise E rests abeam of a listing Titan. In the distance the encroaching twelve Romulan warbirds menace the vacuum of space. The warbird formation disperses to strategically position each vessel outside of the Enterprise's firing range but are countered by the Defiant and Gorr decloaking between them and their quarry.

Worf sits in his command chair watching the warbirds on the view screen with an eager glower. The yellow alert displays flash through the ship and the Defiant's bridge crew ready themselves.

"Open a channel to the lead warbird," Worf growls.

At the tactical station Nog acknowledges. "Channel open, sir."

"Romulan warbird, state your intentions!" Worf demands, watching the ships on the screen for a response. He looks to Nog who shakes his head slowly. "Romulan warbird, the advance of your vessels constitutes a hostile act. Reply!"

Worf's warning is met only with silence. He glares at the view screen, digging his fingers into the armrest of the command chair. "Red alert!"

*

In the Titan's shuttle bay Geordi and Gomez sit in the cockpit of a runabout preparing to leave with Dr. Bashir standing behind them. The cockpit windows overlook the deck of the bay and the yellow navigation lines running to the shuttle bay doors.

"Rather claustrophobic, isn't it?" Dr. Bashir observes.

La Forge looks back at Bashir with a trace of annoyance but holds his tongue. He glances at Gomez and then presses the communications link on the helm controls. "Reg, we're ready to go! What's the problem?"

The heightened anxiety in Barclay's voice issuing from the com-system is a clear prelude to a bigger problem. "Um, the lock out came from the command functions -and we still don't have access to them. But -but don't worry, we're working on it."

"Why do I get the feeling that it is indeed a good time to worry?" the doctor quips.

La Forge clenches his jaw and tries to ignore him, "Reg, you've got to find a way to get us out of here, those warbirds are going to be here any minute."

"Things have, uh, gotten a lot worse than being locked in, commander," Barclay replies over the commlink, his anxiousness reflected in his voice.

"Now what?" La Forge sighs, matching a troubled countenance with Gomez.

*

On the Enterprise bridge, all eyes are fixed on the view screen and the Romulan warbirds beyond the Defiant and Gorr as the red alert siren sounds.

"Commander," Torak announces curiously from his station, "I am reading a build up in the Titan's WARP core. It would appear that the self-destruct sequence has been activated. Detonation will take place in thirteen minutes, thirty-three seconds, on my mark. Mark."

Levelle falls into the captain's chair and runs his hand over his face. He can feel the eyes of the command crew and stiffens his countenance. Standing again, he pans the bridge from officer to officer, setting out his orders. "Tactical, contact the Defiant and the Gorr. Notify them of the situation.

"Engineering, whatever we have to do will need to be done during battle so transfer WARP power to the defensive systems.

"Ops, inform the transporter chief to have all systems on stand-by .

"Get me Commander Barclay."

*

Without warning the Romulan ships begin to move, spreading out in an offensive posture around the three Starfleet ships and the Gorr. On the bridge of the Klingon battle cruiser Captain Kordor sits upright in his seat studying the Romulan movements on the view screen. His bridge crew is drooling eagerly at their posts with the anticipation of glory written on their faces.

"It is time,” Kordor announces. “Send the signal." He stands and looks to the view screen with his fist raised triumphantly. "To battle!"

Above the Enterprise, Titan, Defiant, and the Gorr fourteen Klingon battle cruisers uncloak and spread out above and below the four ships. The Romulans maintain their position and counterpoint the Klingons with the decloaking of twelve Romulan raptors encompassing the entire field of ships.

*

On the Titan, main engineering is littered with the panels and equipment as Barclay and his team try to regain control of the ship. At one station an ensign watches the activities of the ships outside on a monitor. His face is pale and drawn with dread and sweat. "This is going to be really bad."

Despite his gentle nature, a waft of anger flashes across Barclay's face and he runs to the ensign's side, deactivating the monitor curtly. "To work ensign! We still have shields, but it won't do us any good if we can't stop the auto-destruct sequence!"

"Sorry, sir," the ensign blurts quickly.

Barclay gives him a reassuring smile and pats him on the shoulder. Across the deck and open wall panel showers the elbow deep engineers in a fountain of sparks. "Don't waste time on that right now! Try by-passing the command protocols with the prefix code!"

*

Picard faces off with Moriarty in the center of the vast holo-grid feeling as if a weight has been lifted. He knows that the deletion of Alden has only bought him, time at best, as the degeneration has already sealed their doom.

"We've got to find a way into the Dominion's device without getting sent to the biological archive where you will cease to exist," Picard begins, looking at the professor with earnest. "Any suggestions?"

"You don't really expect me to help you, do you?" Moriarty retorts indignantly.

"Professor," Picard states impatiently, "this isn't the time."

"I beg to differ, captain," Moriarty trumpets in a calculating tone. "Just as Alden had, I've got you precisely where I want you; helpless to suffer the same fate as myself. What sweeter revenge could there be?"

"There may be a way of getting us both out of this," the captain insists, despite recognizing his credibility with Moriarty is justifiably lacking. "I am certain my crew is working on it as we speak."

"Spare me, Picard!" Moriarty reviles incredulously. "Do you really expect me to believe that I, a being of fiction could exist in your world? I know now, all too well, the impossibility of that. I have come to understand and accept my fate…"

The professor's eyes drift to a far away place as a recollection carries him to a seaside cabin on Risa. There, he and the countess sat on a suns washed patio at an elegant table setting. She was lovely in her laughter.

"…The fate that my beloved suffered because of your ineptness."

Like a light bulb flickering in the throws of demise, so did the Risian suns. Far and wide people took pause and then shared a collective gasp that rose like a tempest as the suns went black, washing planet in darkness. It was the end of that world and, in its destruction, he realized what Picard had done.

Moriarty and the countess rushed to each other but before he could reach her, to his ultimate devastation, the countess began to scream. Her skin withered to gray ash then was eaten away by a degeneration that stripped her to the bone before his very eyes. Her screaming his name echoed in his horrified consciousness as she was consumed.

Moriarty is jolted back to the moment by his anguish and turns his back on Picard, gazing grimly into the infinite grid. "It is time that you accept this fate as well, captain."