The Sands of Time (A Star Trek: The Next Generation Fan Fiction)

Chapter Fifteen

I steadied the phaser and Picard and the Sandorian captain were down before they could focus on us. The two other Sandorians were out cold by the time I flicked up the power level and blasted the door to the captain's ready room, melting the metal after a few seconds.

"Don't ask questions," I spat out at Otten and the others as their stunned gazes met mine. "We're taking the Enterprise back. Computer, set a course to Sandor, warp one." I lurched a little as I felt the ship turn and then steady out. I took a seat in the captain's chair.

"Tasha, what the hell are you doing?" Otten demanded, coming to a stop directly above me.

"We're going back to Sandor. We're getting the prime minister and Dominic and we're putting an end to this thing."

"Are you insane?" Sam demanded from behind Otten. "They'll kill everyone."

"In ten minutes? How often was their captain checking in, Otten?"

"Every ten minutes or so."

"Good. We're done running. And hiding. Riker and Picard weren't going to let them use the Enterprise to hurt anyone and then we would be stuck here and they wouldn't do a thing to help us. This is the only way."

"How can you be sure?" Otten demanded. "They were helping us."

"They were helping us because we showed up on their bridge begging them to!" I snapped. I staggered to my feet and pointed at Picard's unconscious body. "He would like to help, I know that, but if it's a choice between us and orders and duty he will always choose duty. I can't change that. But with the Enterprise, we can actually do something for once!"

Otten didn't answer for a second, he just stood and surveyed me with a calm gaze. "You're going to get someone killed."

"Maybe! But what else can we do? This is our only chance to help any of them. Riker said we can apply for asylum, the seven of us. But what does that even matter against the thousand people down there?"

Otten took a slow survey of the room, his gaze fixing on the faces of each of our five companions before coming back to me.

"You're right." He slipped to my right and took a seat in Riker's chair. "What's the plan?"

I took a deep breath. "We go to Sandor and give Grey an ultimatum. He can let go all the shapeshifters or we start shooting. Starting with him."

I noted Jasper and Jaime sharing a look but no one said anything, much to my surprise. I took that to mean they agreed.

"You four keep an eye on the turbolifts. No one should know that anything's changed but we can't be too careful. Computer, viewscreen on Sandor as soon as it's in range."

Immediately the blue-green planet popped up on the viewscreen, growing steadily closer.

"Five minutes to arrival," the computer volunteered.

"I hope to god you have a plan, Tasha," Otten said.

"It's more of an outline... We need to get to Grey."

Five minutes later the Enterprise soared into orbit. Watching the plant move beneath us, I didn't feel any of the sick dread that had swamped me a few days earlier on seeing the same sight. Instead, I felt only hot resolve.

"Computer, did you record the trajectory of the Sandorian ship that we arrived on?"

"Affirmative."

"Put us above that spot and bring it up onscreen."

The ship accelerated of its own accord and a space station popped up on the viewscreen.

"That's just a spaceport," Dean spluttered from his post behind us.