DUE TO SOME GRAPHIC VIOLENCE, PARENTAL GUIDANCE IS SUGGESTED!!
Previously;
Kirk stood between I’lanti and the brig cell which contained Laas on the other side of an energy barrier.
“Step out of the way Kirk,” I’lanti demanded, as he slowly raised a hand phaser and aimed it at James T Kirk.
“You know that I can’t let you do this,” Kirk said to I’lanti.
“You may get lucky and kill Laas,” Odo said, who was too many feet away to stop I’lanti. “If you do, I will make sure you pay with your life. Letting him go is the only option here. I give you my word that I will hunt him down, and make him pay for what he has done to Earth.”
“I’lanti,” Kirk further pled, “we are heading into areas of the galaxy where we will need help from beings like Odo here. He and his people are friends, and they have offered our people a new beginning. Let’s not go down this path of violence. Let Odo take Laas back to his home world to face their justice.”
“No,” I’lanti said, still aiming the phaser at Kirk, “you must destroy I’lanti, or both of them if you must, or I will!”
“Put the weapon down,” Kirk ordered I’lanti.
“Earth, and its people, are now part of my existence too, Kirk,” I’lanti said, “If you wont do what must be done to protect our posterity, our very civilization, then I will, even if it costs me my life!”
At that second, Kirk saw someone else entering the far end of the brig, and Kirk had to blink twice. What he saw was impossible; the person entering was another I’lanti!!!
Kirk’s mind went into automatic and upon returning to reality *, he quickly deduced what was happening, and that the I’lanti entering the brig was another shape-shifter. In one swift movement and before I’lanti could react, Kirk stepped toward I’lanti and threw an uppercut at the Romulan’s chin.
(* It was in that instant of a second, when Kirk met with Sisko two segments ago in #174)
At that same moment, Sulu ** manipulated the force field controls on the bridge that operated the energy barriers in the brig, the barrier that kept Laas contained was deactivated.
(** During the “Voyage Home” plot, sometime back, Sulu was assimilated by the Borg in episode #68. They were from the same Borg vessel that, turned out later, Laas had created with future tech. Apparently Sulu isn’t completely disconnected from the Borg as believed)
As I’lanti was falling to the ground, stunned by Kirk’s uppercut, Kirk snatched the phaser from I’lanti’s hand just as Laas, who had morphed into an Odianian Dragon-bat, swooped over Kirk’s head. As a determined Kirk flipped the phaser around, and aimed it at the second I’lanti, who was now morphing as well, the Drag-bat’s tail, from overhead, reached down and encircled Kirk’s waist, and threw him into the far wall.
The other I’lanti was now a Dragon-bat as well. Then the Laas Dragon-bat came about, bared its teeth, and with the intent of attacking Kirk, the Laas Dragon-bat swooped down.
But before the Dragon-bat could dig its gnarly teeth into Kirk, a third Dragon-bat, Odo, attacked the Laas Dragon-bat. Both shape-shifters morphed back into their hominoid shapes.
“What did you do that for!?” Laas demanded, as they landed on the ground, but several feet apart. “That solid tried to kill Laynia!”
“And how is it she is aboard this ship?” Odo asked.
The Dragon-bat, which seconds before had been the other I’lanti, morphed into its hominoid shape as well; Laynia.
“How can you be alive?” I’lanti demanded, as Odo had, as he rose from the ground.
“I was able to escape your from your ship,” Laynia told Ilanti, “and during the confusion just before the subspace wave destroyed Earth, I escaped your ship, and came aboard when the last of the Enterprise’s shuttles came into the shuttle bay of this ship.”
“My son was on that ship!” I’lanti yelled.
“I know, and I killed him, Laynia said, cold, and without any remorse. Laas had taught her well. “Soon you will join him, solid!” Laynia said with a confident grin.
Kirk, who was in obvious pain, leaned up against the wall he had just been smashed into, and pushed himself up onto his feet, still holding the phaser, he set the weapon to full power. And without any thought on the matter, he fired the phaser, striking Laas in the process.
As Laas fell to the ground, Laynia morphed back into the Dragon-bat and swooped Laas up, and flew out of the brig. Kirk, Odo and I’lanti gave chase.
“Why did you shoot him?” Odo asked Kirk as they both ran out of the main brig.
“Why not,” Kirk quickly replied with, “it was time to stop talking loudly, and use the God Damn stick,” Kirk said, as he grasped his left side, which was in pain, as they chased the bat.
Down the hall they could see the bat smashing through one of the other compartment doors, and then watched as the bat morphed into a spherical shape, with Laas somewhere inside of it.
“Kirk to bridge!” Kirk yelled, “Spock, can you hear me? We need some help down here!”
As Kirk, Odo and I’lanti nearly reached the smashed in door, Odo, who realized what Laynia was now doing. Instantly Odo morphed into liquid/metal barrier, blocking Kirk and I’lanti from entering the room.
“Odo’s helping them escape” I’lanti said to Kirk.
“What the hell are you doing!?” Kirk demanded.
The metallic barrier, which Odo had become, suddenly morphed a mouth near the top of the ceiling.
“BRACE YOURSELVES!” Odo yelled.
Suddenly, in the room that the Laynia Dragon-bat had escaped into, the spherical object Laynia had now morphed into, the size of a large wrecking ball, smashed through the observation window and into the darkness of space, causing a sudden loss of pressure. Odo’s metallic, wall like shape, strained to maintain its place as the vacuum of space began to suck the atmosphere out of the ship. Three Enterprise crewmen, on the other side of Odo’s barrier, and unprotected, were instantly sucked out into space, and died instantly. The sound of the loss of pressure was an extremely loud, screeching sound.
“Doesn’t this ship have a redundant shield system!?” I’lanti yelled to Kirk, who could barely hear him over the sound.
“Yes!” Kirk replied, “It’s not working for some reason!” Kirk yelled back, “Something, or someone, must have disengaged it!”
“By the way; you could have warned me about the other shape-shifter before you punched me, Kirk!” I’lanti yelled with anger.
“There was no time!!” Kirk yelled back himself. “Besides, you would have done the same!”
“I owe you one,” I’lanti said with anger, but Kirk could see a tinge of humor in I’lanti’s eyes.
--
Seconds ago, on the bridge;
““I gave you a direct order, Spock; fire on Khan’s God Damn ship! NOW!!” Pike demanded.
Spock arched an eyebrow.
“I will not take this ship into battle, and risk the death of the passengers, and most importantly, the Emissary,” Spock said. “Those are the direct orders of Captain Kirk. In some cases, such as this one, the needs of the many…”
“So, the Vulcan is a coward,” Khan interrupted with a chuckle. “If you wish to die without firing a shot, then that is what will be.”
“I would advise against it,” Spock told Khan, “this Enterprise has shielding technology beyond anything in this universe. Your weapons will not penetrate the shields.”
Suddenly, and without warning, the Enterprise was rocked with an explosion, at the same instant Sulu’s fingers danced across his panel, ordering the shields to fail.
“What was that?” Pike asked.
Scotty, at the engineering post on the bridge, shook his head.
“I don’t know sir!” Scotty said, “The shields dropped and now there’s been some kind’a explosion near the brig,” Scotty said.
“FIRE” Khan roared from the screen of the Enterprise.
--
Khan’s ship; the Alcatraz…
Joachim, who was manning the weapons, looked to Khan.
“I am targeting an object ejecting from the Enterprise,” Joachim said quickly.
“Then target both, and fire, and hurry Joachim , before they get their shields up!” Khan ordered.
--
Outside Space and time;
The center of a very bright universe of near blinding white light, Q was sitting in a recliner, with his feet propped up, with a bag of popcorn in one hand, and a can of Diet Pepsi in the other. A large 55inch Samsung plasma TV was positioned on a simple TV stand, and a remote control was on the arm of the chair Q was sitting in.
“I just love these space battles,” Q said to himself.
But he wasn’t just a viewer of what was transpiring; he had a stake in the eventual outcome. Q knew that Khan’s attack would not have normally destroyed the Enterprise from the other universe. But without shields, the supped up Enterprise would be destroyed, and Q could not let that happen. He needed his “plant” aboard the Enterprise to make into the wormhole, so that the Q could once and for all usurp the enigmatic beings that existed inside of it. So, to that end, Q minutely adjusted the strength of the Khan’s weapons, but not so much as to cause any suspicion.
--
At that instant, the spherical object containing Laynia and Laas attempted to streak into deep space, but the Alcatraz’s weapons were too swift, and a volley of photon torpedoes, and streaks of phaser fire, leaped away from the Alcatraz. Two of the three torpedoes struck the spherical object, utterly blasting into oblivion, destroying both of the shape-shifters instantly.
The third torpedo struck the Enterprise near the smashed out bulk head where the spherical object had escaped the Enterprise, causing an explosion on the outside, and slightly inside the ship as well.
At that instant, the Enterprise’s weapons went to action, on Spock’s orders, and several phaser streaks lashed out at the Alcatraz, causing serious damage to her structure as well.
“Fire!” Khan repeated, as the lights aboard the Alcatraz began to dim, off and on.
“Sir,” Joachim said quickly, “I’m registering several warp fields coming in our direction.”
“Set an evasive course, but wait for my order.” Khan ordered. Then he pressed a button on his chair’s communication’s panel that put him into direct contact with the Transporter room of the Alcatraz.. “Do it,” Khan ordered into the intercom, “NOW!”
At that instant, the Alcatraz activated its transporter machine, and then seconds later, it went into warp, just as several Romulan warbirds and Starfleet vessels came out of warp.
--
Chekov opened her eyes; she was no longer on the bridge of the Enterprise. It was almost as if she was on the transporter deck of the old Enterprise (SAVVY readers will recall the United Space Agency version from Star Trek: Phase One). Then she realized what had happened, she had been beamed off of the Enterprise, and on to Khan’s ship.
The door to the transporter room swished opened and then she saw him enter; Khan, with Joachim right behind him.
“Hello Nadya,” Khan said as he came into the room, and walked over to where she was, on the ground, on the transporter pad. “I think we have some unfinished business, you and I.”
“Don’t touch me!” Chekov said with (please continue by following this
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