Star Trek: Ascension - Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The Dominion device sits on the deck of main engineering with the Titan's WARP core pulsating behind it in a deep soothing tempo. Protruding from its side is the metallic box containing Moriarty's holographic matrix, which has been haphazardly integrated into the machine's casing. Three cords from a bundle spilling out of the machine run pass through the box, then along the floor to the virtual reality helmet once again worn by Alden, who stands in front of the device's targeting array.

"I'm ready," Alden says with one last inhalation of trepidation.

Beams burst from the machine and sweep over his body. In an instant he is gone and the helmet falls to the floor where the engineering crew lays strewn across the deck.

*

"Suggestions," Captain Picard solicits from the head of the briefing room table. La Forge and Dr. Crusher sit on either side of the captain and next to the doctor sits an officer with graying dark hair and exceptionally dark eyes. She is Helani Faw, the new ship's counselor who took on the position after Deanna Riker left with her husband to command the Titan. Lt. Commander Gomez sits opposite her while Levelle and Torak round out the end of the table. The command crew exchange glances as they ponder the situation before Gomez provides her offering.

"If we can get someone over there and have them set the Titan's shield modulation to match ours, the computer should be able to get a transporter signal through."

"According to the design specifications of the class, the Titan does not share the Enterprise's ability to transport through her own shields," Lt. Torak counters from the other side of the table.

"That's a tight ship," Levelle interjects.

"She doesn't have to," La Forge interjects, looking to the captain. "If the modulation is the same the computer won't see the difference."

"Communications will also be a problem," Torak persists. "The Titan's shields have the ability to block communications. It is logical to assume that they have exploited that ability."

Picard turns to Helani Faw, "Counselor, is there any way you can communicate our intentions to Deanna Riker on the Titan?"

She returns the captain's gaze with a pessimistic guesture. "Unfortunately, not. Even between full Betazeds, our telepathic abilities are limited by proximity."

"I think I've got something that will allow us to communicate between ships, if we can get someone over there," La Forge proffers.

"So all we've got to do is get someone on board the Titan," Levelle sighs, looking around the table.

"How?" Faw asks simply, bringing them back around to their original dilemma.

"The hard way," Dr. Crusher announces, her eyes meeting Picard's.

*

A Jeffries tube access panel falls to the floor of the Titan's bridge out of which Dupree crawls followed by a stiff and cranky Dr. Polaski. They are quickly met by Riker and McDowell who help them to their feet.

"The Jeffries tube not you ideal mode of travel doctor?" Captain Riker teases as she pulls her weight on his hand to stand and face him.

"It wouldn't even be on my list, captain," she groans, "I'm too old to clamor through holes in the ship."

"The doctor insisted on coming to the bridge," Commander Dupree reports, "I have Buathier and Diaz coordinating security teams to assess our status."

"Captain," the doctor addresses quickly, looking to him with eyes laden with concern. "I don't want us to overreact to Moriarty."

"Overreact?" Riker chides. "I needn't remind you, of all people doctor, of our experience with Professor Moriarty."

"He has never harmed anyone," Dr. Polaski argues stridently. "As for me, the worst thing he did was to give me a good scare and stuff me full of tea and crumpets. He is not the Moriarty of the Holmes stories, and I am certain our lives are not at risk."

Not wanting to lay plain their conversation on the bridge, the captain organizes his officers in the briefing room where he focuses on Polaski stridently.

"What's your point doctor?"

"My point is that we are responsible for this man," Dr. Polaski replies, "especially now that he has discovered that we've pulled the wool over his eyes again. His needs haven't changed, and he is dealing with it the only way he knows how."

"Fine, we know what Moriarty's motives are. What about Lt. Alden?" Commander Dupree asks, looking to the doctor. "Why would he do this?"

Counselor Troi takes the question, drawing the attention of the officers. "Lt. Alden suffers from an extreme case of holo-addiction. I've been working with him for several months. I felt a surge of interest in him when we discussed the Dominion device during the mission briefing. At first, I thought it was a compulsory reflex of his addiction. My guess is he wants what he thinks Moriarty has, a universe that he can control."

"We'll need to be careful then," Lt. McDowell states. "He'll have to have had found a way to incapacitate the engineering crew."

"So, you think he's in engineering?" Lt. Rager follows opposite him.

"Engineering is the only place on the ship with the means to reroute all ship functions" the captain answers in place of Lt. McDowell. "He's there all right, and that's where we're going. You have the bridge, commander."

"I'm coming with you," Dr. Polaski insists as the officers rise. "I've done everything I can in sickbay and if the engineering crew has been incapacitated, as the lieutenant suggests, they'll need medical attention."

*

Geordi stands in a Starfleet environmental suite putting on the gloves in the Enterprise's torpedo control room as Crusher and Gomez check the suit's integrated components. Behind them a torpedo shell rests on the launch ramp with the upper casing open. Captain Picard stands at the launch control console next to Lt. Torak monitoring their progress.

"I don't know how I let you talk me into this," La Forge sighs.

"Everyone else took one step back," Gomez says with a nervous smile as she adjusts his ring collar.

"The suite will alleviate most of the pressure you'll feel when you're jettisoned, but you must keep your muscles flexed," Dr. Crusher instructs with a reassuring smile. "The initial G's will only last a second or two."

"Believe me, the last thing I want is to be drifting unconscious next to the Titan. I'll make it."

Finalizing the control inputs, Lt. Torak puts the launch sequence on stand-bye and the yellow warning lights activate under the torpedo shell on the loading tracks. "The torpedo's launch will activate the Titan's sensors. However, as the torpedo's power signature will be negligible, it will take their tactical array approximately two point six zero seconds to lock onto you."

"The decoy will buy you more time," Picard assures.

"The diagnostic tricorder will be able to identify the modulation as soon as you make contact with the shields," Gomez reiterates anxiously. "I've programmed it to automatically activate the suite's shield envelope to match."

"I hope it works. I don't want to be waiting at the gate while there's a firefight going on over my head," Geordi checks apprehensively.

"Don't worry, it'll work," she offers quickly.

Picard moves to La Forge's side, putting his hand on Geordi's arm reassuringly. "You're certain that you'll be able to gain entry?"

"Yeah. There's a utility port just below engineering. I shouldn't have a problem accessing the airlock manually," Geordi responds, his confidence reinforcing Picard's resolve.

"Good luck, Geordi," the captain says finally, looking him in the eyes.

Geordi gives a slight nod of acknowledgement and puts on his helmet, seals, and pressurizes the suite, and then is helped by Torak, Gomez and Crusher into the torpedo as Picard looks on like a father over a favored son.

"Here goes nothing," Geordi quips, his voice processed and electronic through the environmental suite's com system.

Once La Forge is lying comfortably, Sonya taps the faceplate of his helmet and gives him the thumbs up. He manages a smile and returns the gesture. Gomez and Torak then close and seal the torpedo casing.

Sealed inside, La Forge lays waiting in the dark for the set of green lights on the inside of the torpedo casing just above his face begin to sequentially turn red. Even though he has no fear of enclosed spaces, the thought of being entombed in a torpedo is still unsettling. The seconds pass like minutes and he distracts his anxiety by reviewing the mission specifics in his mind but is soon interrupted by change of the green lights. Thunder fills the torpedo as the last light in the sequence turns red. Geordi shouts through clenched teeth as the g-forces try to crush his resolve.

The torpedo shoots out of the firing bay just as the Defiant decloaks over the Titan and opens fire. The Enterprise moves to join the rouse as the gray torpedo rockets through the space between starships. As anticipated, the Titan focuses a counterattack the Defiant as the torpedo shell splits, sending Geordi sailing unanchored between tides of phaser fire. He misses being vaporized by only meters, flinching as a section of the torpedo casing is destroyed as it falls away.

Geordi crashes into the Titan's shields with a microsecond of crackling energy, but the diagnostic tricorder works perfectly in matching the modulation and sends him through the shield boundary before any damage can be done to his environmental suite. Relieved to be past the second stage, he activates the thrusters on his magnetic boots to slow his approach and position himself.

Geordi hits the Titan's hull feet first and falls to his hands and knees from the momentum of his trek across open space. With the fire fight overhead, he scrambles to his feet and runs along the hull to the underside of the ship. He dives, magnetizing his gloves to hug the hull as phasers stream just a few meters above.

The Defiant dodges the Titan's phasers and swings low behind the renegade starship. The Titan's shields flare above La Forge with every hit while he crawls along the hull towards the underside of the ship. Finally coming upon the airlock, he opens an access panel next to the hatch which reveals the manual release bar. With a pull of the bar the airlock doors open, and he enters the Titan's utility port like a diver through a hole in the ice.