Star Trek: New Frontier

Chapter 10

The Juneau rocked a bit under the sustained fire their new enemy was putting out—no less than five minutes after it entered extreme sensor range.

"Mean little bugger," Bailey said with pursed lips—even as his fellow crewmate and Tactical Officer said something else in her native Antian language of the stars—before pressing the right pad buttons for the phaser arrays and torpedo launchers in an aggregated sequence.

The Resolution-class starship heeled about on a new course sharply—while bearing down on the persistent fighter-class vessel that had literally ran circles around them at will—during regular thirty second intervals.

Making it all but impossible for anyone to gain a bead on it and dispatch the problem with all haste.

"Can we initiate the Multi-Vector Assault Mode?" Teri wanted to know as the ship shuddered from another close-in proximity strike.

"Those shots...hurt!"

Bailey nodded. "I'm already reading strong fluctuations in the secondary shield matrix. Something's causing the onboard generators to resonance like a tuning fork—before going into overload."

"Can you correct for the problem?" Terri wanted to know—before the enemy fighter craft turned around on a dime and aimed itself right at the main view screen.

"Someone kill that thing before—!" Ashley Underwood yelled out in fear—before a lancet of pure phaser energy ripped right through the middle of the fighter craft and split it into two perfect halves—each exploding mercilessly in the cold vacuum of space itself.

Terri blinked not once—but twice—as her vision sought to refocus on the millions of flaming pieces which ruined things for not only her but everyone else on the Bridge.

Archie stepped away from the Tactical Station after that—his long fingers having finished executing a series of rapid fire sequences—which effectively annihilated the enemy craft.

"Sorry, Lieutenant-Commander. But our adversary would have crippled us—if I hadn't stepped in at the last possible second." The holographic representative offered as a soft apology to the Antian l'daen—before returning to his station.

"Care to explain how you knew about our enemy—but no one else did—before you killed it cold?" Terri Ferguson complained bitterly. "Under Starfleet regulations—every Federation vessel is required to lend assistance or offer a sound alternative when defeat of an adversary is imminent."

Archie leaned back in his assigned seat; nodding in full agreement.

"Normally? That would be the case, Captain. But we're not dealing with an amicable foe here. I just reviewed the subspace message which Voyager-Alpha sent as it was under assault by this...alliance and it's not good news—to say the least."

"How can you so damned sure?"

Archie smiled briefly. "I am a science and communications specialist—among other things, Captain—networked into the system. So some things were bound to catch my undivided attention."

Terri nodded finally—satisfied with the representative's explanation at hand.

"Well, the very next time you are harboring special skills or secret abilities...? Please let me know—okay? That way...I can give you an Officer's commission right on the spot—per Starfleet regulations."

"I can't make any promises, ma'am." The rep said with confidence. "I'm only programmed to meet certain operational guidelines and qualifications while onboard ship. Nothing less. Nothing more."

John Bailey stuck his hand out in the span of a second.

"I don't suppose you can drive—can you?"

"You mean...pilot this slipstream cruiser?" Archie continued to smile. "Now that would be telling, Lieutenant..."