Prologue
Jaenera Targaryen
Well-known member
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek it belongs to ViacomCBS.
AD 2378
Annika scrunched up her eyes at the insistent beeping from her bedside terminal, until she finally couldn’t resist waking up anymore. Blinking her eyes in the darkness of her cabin, it only took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the minimal light available, and simultaneously rolling to one side on an elbow while pushing back her sheets, punched at the glowing icon on her terminal.
“Annika, here.” She said, rubbing at her eyes as the holographic display lit up, though at audio-only to preserve her dignity.
“Sorry to disturb your sleep, captain.” The voice of her XO came through the channel. “But we’re picking up a subspace distress signal not far from where we are now.”
“How far?” Annika asked, already getting up from bed and stretching her limbs to shake the remaining sleepiness off.
“Approximately fifteen parsecs,” the XO answered. “But that number increases with every second. It looks like whoever's sending the distress signal is travelling at warp.”
Annika hummed at that, heading to her cabin’s toilet to freshen up. It wouldn’t do to go on the bridge all haggard, even if she was in uniform. Fortunately, there was also a terminal built into the wall next to the sink, so she could continue the conversation while washing up.
“Anything on sensors?” Annika asked.
“We’re scanning as we speak,” the XO continued while she washed her face. “But we’re still too far, and like I said, whoever is sending the signal is travelling at warp.”
“…go to yellow alert.” Annika immediately ordered before wiping her face with a towel. “Put us on intercept course, Warp 2. I’ll be up on the bridge as soon as I can.”
“Yes, captain.”
Annika sighed as the channel closed, and then filled a glass with water to rinse her mouth with. “So much for a quiet border patrol,” she thought while rinsing her mouth. “Then again, Breen space is only some parsecs away. Damn coldblooded bastards…not even ten years after the end of the war, and they’re already pushing our buttons.”
Spitting out the water in her mouth, Annika wiped at her mouth with a towel before taking a brush to straighten out her hair. Leaving the toilet afterwards, she grabbed her uniform jacket and trousers off a ready rack, pulling the latter on first before putting on her boots, and then left her cabin while pulling on her jacket and pinning it in place.
“Now then,” she thought as she proceeded at a quick pace down the corridor, and waving off crewmembers saluting her as she passed. “Time to be heroes.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Captain on the bridge!” the yeoman on duty shouted as Annika stepped off the turbolift, and proceeded to the command chair in the middle of the bridge.
“At ease.” Annika said while taking her seat. “Jut, what’s the situation?”
“We’re closing in as we speak.” Commander Jut Ganac, Annika’s XO, replied while turning his seat at the front of the bridge to address her directly. “But while we’re still too far to get detailed readings from our sensors, though as we close in we’re getting more details from the distress signal.”
Annika blinked at that, and then narrowed her eyes. “Someone’s trying to jam the signal?” she asked.
“Afraid so, captain.” Jut said with a nod. “As for the details…it’s a freighter by the name of the Yoshiko Maru, and they claim to be carrying refugees from a colony in the Bajoran DMZ. Also, the ones attacking them…? It’s the Dominion.”
“How the hell…?” Annika asked in surprise. “This far from the DMZ…? And why now?”
“I don’t know, captain.” Jut said with a shrug. “But we’ll only be able to figure it out once we get there and see for ourselves.”
“Well said,” Annika said with a nod. “Red alert: shields up, all hands to general quarters, and standby on phasers and quantum torpedoes.”
Immediately the bridge lights dropped to battle settings, and sirens rang across the ship to sound the crew to general quarters. The bridge crew were already in their safety harnesses, and moments later, the tactical officer spoke up.
“Captain,” Lieutenant Morgan Melendez began. “All sections report general quarters.”
“Understood,” Annika said with a nod. “Vasror, bring us to Warp 5. Put us right on top of those Jem’Hadar bastards!”
“Aye, captain.” Lieutenant Vasror said. “Bringing is up to Warp 5.”
“Captain,” the sensor officer, Lieutenant Benjamin Saul, warned. “I’m reading the Yoshiko Maru and the pursuing Dominion vessels have dropped out of warp.”
“The Jem’Hadar must have knocked out the Yoshiko Maru’s engines.” Jut said. “They’re probably being boarded by now!”
“Vasror!” Annika barked, but the helmsman was already on it, piloting the Seoul to the battlefield. It took just over a minute, and then the Seoul was dropping out of warp. Annika’s eyes were immediately drawn to the stricken freighter-turned-refugee ship in the middle of a trio of Dominion vessels, plasma venting in streams from molten gashes cut into the ship’s rear, its engines dark and lifeless.
Then her eyes turned to the three Dominion vessels, which she immediately recognized as Jem’Hadar Battlecruisers. “Hail them.” Annika ordered even as the three battlecruisers broke formation and moved to swarm her ship.
“Captain, they’re moving to surround us.” Jut warned.
“Vasror,” Annika ordered. “Take evasive action. Zhessesi, anything?”
Ensign Zhessesi turned from the communications console. “No response,” she said. “But I’ve got a channel open.”
“Dominion vessels,” Annika said loudly and firmly. “This is Captain Annika von Kreutzer of the Federation Cruiser Seoul. You are trespassing and committing hostile action in Federation space in violation of the Treaty of Bajor. Stand down, and prepare to be…”
Annika broke off as the Seoul shook, Dominion polaron beams hammering at her shields. “Taking evasive pattern Delta-Nine.” Vasror reported from the helm.
“…so it’s a fight they want.” Annika growled. “Return fire with phasers, and find me the enemy’s shield modulations!”
The Seoul rolled and banked across the battlefield, polaron beams and disruptor rounds flashing through space to either splatter against her shields or fly harmlessly into the void. Then orange light lanced through space as the Seoul returned fire, splattering against the Dominion vessels’ shields.
Torpedoes flashed through space in response, and the Seoul’s point-defense guns came to life, burst phasers sending orange pulses stitching across space. Explosions tore through space as the Dominion torpedoes were shot down, but the Seoul shook as the energy surges hammered at her shields.
“Shields holding at eight-three per cent!” Melendez warned, only for the ship to shake again at another hit. “Correction: shields at seventy-seven per cent!”
“Fire a torpedo spread!” Annika barked. “Give them something to worry about! Targeting pattern, Echo-Five!”
Blue light flashed through space as the Seoul let loose a volley of quantum torpedoes, the Dominion vessels nimbly attempting to evade, but more than half still struck true. The shields of two battlecruisers held, but the shields on the third ship weren’t so sturdy, and phaser strikes sheared one of her wings off.
It returned fire with torpedoes, but the Seoul evaded nimbly. Then she returned fire, and taking out the Dominion vessel’s main engines.
“Fire a tricobalt device.” Annika spat.
Melendez complied, and though the crippled battlecruiser tried to evade, her mobility was shot to hell by the damage already taken. The tricobalt device smashed into her primary hull before detonating, and reducing the battlecruiser to superheated debris flying through space.
The remaining battlecruisers doubled their efforts, firing volleys of torpedoes at the Seoul. Again, the Federation dodged or shot down most of them, but several met their mark, and causing the ship to shake and the holographic displays in the bridge to briefly flicker. “Shields down to sixty-seven per cent!” Melendez warned.
“How’s it going on those shield modulations?” Jut demanded.
“I’m still working on it.” Saul replied. “I need more time…give me a minute, two at most.”
“Torpedoes, fire!” Annika ordered in reply.
Again, quantum torpedoes lashed out, the Dominion ships desperately evading, finally remembering the toll those weapons had reaped of their forces during the war. No doubt, the crews were fresh, green, and untried, which would explain why only three battlecruisers were on a raiding mission.
Still…
…that left too many questions unanswered, not least of which was the sheer distance this area of space was from the Bajoran Wormhole.
“I have it!” Saul shouted in triumph. “Their shields are operating at a modulation of 273.9!”
“Adjust our torpedo and phaser frequencies to match!” Annika ordered as the Seoul shook again. “Target their primary reactors: fire when ready!”
Melendez adjusted the Seoul’s weapon modulations, and then fired. This time, phaser beams carved through the battlecruisers’ shields as though they weren’t even there, and sending molten metal and superheated debris flying into space. Then quantum torpedoes lashed out, and despite the Dominion’s desperate efforts to evade, much like with the Seoul’s phasers, the Dominion shields didn’t even flicker as torpedoes flew through them and smashed into the battlecruisers’ hulls.
Blinding light flashed through space…
…and the Dominion was gone.
“We did it!” Jut triumphantly said, and matching exclamations went up from the rest of the bridge crew. For the most part: Annika just sighed, and then drew herself up.
“Don’t relax just yet.” She chided. “We still have a disabled refugee ship on our hands. Vasror, bring us in to optimum transporter range, but not so close that we’ll be at risk if that ship’s warp core goes off. Saul, anything?”
“Their engines are toast, captain.” Saul said. “Warp and impulse both…they still have maneuvering thrusters, though. Not that that’s going to be of much use.”
“Communications are down.” Zhessesi chimed in. “Most likely as a result of enemy fire.”
“I’m reading one hundred and forty-seven life signs aboard.” Saul added. “Mostly Human, Betazoid, and Andorian…but I’m also reading thirty-six Jem’Hadar.”
“Can you get a transporter lock on them?” Jut asked.
“Yes, sir.” Saul replied.
“Captain,” Jut began. “We should transport them into one of our cargo bays, and reduce the oxygen levels to just below their atmospheric tolerance levels. That should keep them out of trouble until we can get them somewhere secure.’
“And we can get some answers as to how and why they’re here.” Annika said with a nod. “Good idea, commander. Get in touch with life support, and get it done. Saul?”
“I have transporter locks.” Saul said. “Transferring to transporter control.”
Annika brought up her command interface, and pressed an icon on the holographic display. “Transporter control,” she said. “Report.”
“We have them locked in.” the reply came. “Standing by for the commander’s orders.”
“Jut?”
“We’re reducing oxygen levels now…” Jut said, on the line with life support. “…there. They should start passing out the moment they’re in the room.”
“Transporter control,” Annika began. “Energize.”
“Energizing…transport complete.”
“Well done.” Annika said with a nod.
“Major H’au,” Jut said to the commander of the Seoul’s marine complement. “I want a platoon of marines on guard around that cargo bay at all times. Heavy weapons authorized: keep them in that room, and if you can’t, well, that’s just too bad.”
“Understood, commander.”
Jut looked back at Annika, who nodded approvingly at him before looking back at Saul. “The refugees?” she asked.
“…I have locks on all of them.” Saul replied. “But I’m reading thirty of them having faint life signs.”
“Have transporter control send those thirty to medical.” Annika ordered. “Inform Doctor Pel that we’ve got injured coming in.”
“Aye, captain.” Saul said with a nod. “Should I have transporter control send the remaining refugees to another bay? At a safe distance from the Jem’Hadar, of course.”
“Yes, that sounds good, lieutenant.” Annika said with a nod. “I’ll head over there myself, reassure the refugees. Commander, you have the bridge.”
“Understood, captain.” Jut said.
Annika nodded, and getting off her seat, proceeded towards the turbolift.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Major.”
“Captain.”
Accompanied by a squad of Federation Marines in full powered armor, Annika stepped into the cargo bay where the refugees had been transported into. Here and there, she could see members of her crew, mostly enlisted, but including a couple of officers directing efforts to assist the refugees. Some were providing first aid, others were handing out towels and spare clothes, and others more were distributing food and drink.
As their sensors had earlier indicated, the refugees were an eclectic mix of species, Human (or Betazoid, hard to tell by sight without getting close) mostly, though Andorians could be seen here and there. A ripple of apprehension went through the refugees at her arrival, and Annika gestured for the marines to wait outside the room. They stomped out, but for Major H’au, who nevertheless holstered his heavy disruptor rifle before removing his helmet.
“Who’s in charge here?” the Caitian rumbled loudly.
“I am.” A matronly woman approached, and Annika quickly noticed the dark irises of a Betazoid background. “My name is Dammexe Hal. I represent the refugees of…well, formerly of the Yoshiko Maru.”
“Miss Hal,” Annika said with a nod and a reassuring smile. “I am Captain Annika von Kreutzer of the Federation Cruiser Seoul. Rest assured, Miss Hal. As of this moment, you and your people are under the protection of the UFP Navy. I’m still not sure how and why you were forced to flee your homes, but I’m certain it has something to do with those Dominion ships that were attacking your ship.”
“…y-yes.” Hal hesitantly replied, and the captain tilted her head curiously.
“Is something the matter?” she asked.
“You…you’re from Starfleet, yes?” Hal asked back. “And this ship…it’s a Starfleet vessel? A Federation vessel?”
Annika briefly looked confused. “Yes,” she said. “This ship is a vessel belonging to the United Federation of Planets. As for Starfleet…well, I assume you refer to the Federation Navy, so yes, I am an officer of the Starfleet, and the commanding officer of this ship.”
“I…I see.”
Annika raised an eyebrow, even more so at the troubled expression on the woman’s face. And that of the other refugees now that she thought about it. A chirp drew her attention though, and she nodded once at the Betazoid woman. “Excuse me.” Annika said, before walking away a polite distance. “Doctor Pel? You have something for me?”
“Yes, captain.” The doctor replied. “I’ve been treating the injured from the Yoshiko Maru, and that was when I noticed something…unusual.”
“Oh?”
“Captain…if these readings I’m getting from blood work are right,” the Vulcan said. “These refugees – or rather the Human ones – are Naturals.”
“And that’s a problem, why?”
“Captain…there are no known Natural Human settlements in the DMZ.” Pel said. “Something is not right here, one way or another.”
“…what?”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N
Just a pure Star Trek story. An olive branch, you could say, after the last one.
Two Worlds
Prologue
Prologue
AD 2378
Annika scrunched up her eyes at the insistent beeping from her bedside terminal, until she finally couldn’t resist waking up anymore. Blinking her eyes in the darkness of her cabin, it only took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the minimal light available, and simultaneously rolling to one side on an elbow while pushing back her sheets, punched at the glowing icon on her terminal.
“Annika, here.” She said, rubbing at her eyes as the holographic display lit up, though at audio-only to preserve her dignity.
“Sorry to disturb your sleep, captain.” The voice of her XO came through the channel. “But we’re picking up a subspace distress signal not far from where we are now.”
“How far?” Annika asked, already getting up from bed and stretching her limbs to shake the remaining sleepiness off.
“Approximately fifteen parsecs,” the XO answered. “But that number increases with every second. It looks like whoever's sending the distress signal is travelling at warp.”
Annika hummed at that, heading to her cabin’s toilet to freshen up. It wouldn’t do to go on the bridge all haggard, even if she was in uniform. Fortunately, there was also a terminal built into the wall next to the sink, so she could continue the conversation while washing up.
“Anything on sensors?” Annika asked.
“We’re scanning as we speak,” the XO continued while she washed her face. “But we’re still too far, and like I said, whoever is sending the signal is travelling at warp.”
“…go to yellow alert.” Annika immediately ordered before wiping her face with a towel. “Put us on intercept course, Warp 2. I’ll be up on the bridge as soon as I can.”
“Yes, captain.”
Annika sighed as the channel closed, and then filled a glass with water to rinse her mouth with. “So much for a quiet border patrol,” she thought while rinsing her mouth. “Then again, Breen space is only some parsecs away. Damn coldblooded bastards…not even ten years after the end of the war, and they’re already pushing our buttons.”
Spitting out the water in her mouth, Annika wiped at her mouth with a towel before taking a brush to straighten out her hair. Leaving the toilet afterwards, she grabbed her uniform jacket and trousers off a ready rack, pulling the latter on first before putting on her boots, and then left her cabin while pulling on her jacket and pinning it in place.
“Now then,” she thought as she proceeded at a quick pace down the corridor, and waving off crewmembers saluting her as she passed. “Time to be heroes.”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Captain on the bridge!” the yeoman on duty shouted as Annika stepped off the turbolift, and proceeded to the command chair in the middle of the bridge.
“At ease.” Annika said while taking her seat. “Jut, what’s the situation?”
“We’re closing in as we speak.” Commander Jut Ganac, Annika’s XO, replied while turning his seat at the front of the bridge to address her directly. “But while we’re still too far to get detailed readings from our sensors, though as we close in we’re getting more details from the distress signal.”
Annika blinked at that, and then narrowed her eyes. “Someone’s trying to jam the signal?” she asked.
“Afraid so, captain.” Jut said with a nod. “As for the details…it’s a freighter by the name of the Yoshiko Maru, and they claim to be carrying refugees from a colony in the Bajoran DMZ. Also, the ones attacking them…? It’s the Dominion.”
“How the hell…?” Annika asked in surprise. “This far from the DMZ…? And why now?”
“I don’t know, captain.” Jut said with a shrug. “But we’ll only be able to figure it out once we get there and see for ourselves.”
“Well said,” Annika said with a nod. “Red alert: shields up, all hands to general quarters, and standby on phasers and quantum torpedoes.”
Immediately the bridge lights dropped to battle settings, and sirens rang across the ship to sound the crew to general quarters. The bridge crew were already in their safety harnesses, and moments later, the tactical officer spoke up.
“Captain,” Lieutenant Morgan Melendez began. “All sections report general quarters.”
“Understood,” Annika said with a nod. “Vasror, bring us to Warp 5. Put us right on top of those Jem’Hadar bastards!”
“Aye, captain.” Lieutenant Vasror said. “Bringing is up to Warp 5.”
“Captain,” the sensor officer, Lieutenant Benjamin Saul, warned. “I’m reading the Yoshiko Maru and the pursuing Dominion vessels have dropped out of warp.”
“The Jem’Hadar must have knocked out the Yoshiko Maru’s engines.” Jut said. “They’re probably being boarded by now!”
“Vasror!” Annika barked, but the helmsman was already on it, piloting the Seoul to the battlefield. It took just over a minute, and then the Seoul was dropping out of warp. Annika’s eyes were immediately drawn to the stricken freighter-turned-refugee ship in the middle of a trio of Dominion vessels, plasma venting in streams from molten gashes cut into the ship’s rear, its engines dark and lifeless.
Then her eyes turned to the three Dominion vessels, which she immediately recognized as Jem’Hadar Battlecruisers. “Hail them.” Annika ordered even as the three battlecruisers broke formation and moved to swarm her ship.
“Captain, they’re moving to surround us.” Jut warned.
“Vasror,” Annika ordered. “Take evasive action. Zhessesi, anything?”
Ensign Zhessesi turned from the communications console. “No response,” she said. “But I’ve got a channel open.”
“Dominion vessels,” Annika said loudly and firmly. “This is Captain Annika von Kreutzer of the Federation Cruiser Seoul. You are trespassing and committing hostile action in Federation space in violation of the Treaty of Bajor. Stand down, and prepare to be…”
Annika broke off as the Seoul shook, Dominion polaron beams hammering at her shields. “Taking evasive pattern Delta-Nine.” Vasror reported from the helm.
“…so it’s a fight they want.” Annika growled. “Return fire with phasers, and find me the enemy’s shield modulations!”
The Seoul rolled and banked across the battlefield, polaron beams and disruptor rounds flashing through space to either splatter against her shields or fly harmlessly into the void. Then orange light lanced through space as the Seoul returned fire, splattering against the Dominion vessels’ shields.
Torpedoes flashed through space in response, and the Seoul’s point-defense guns came to life, burst phasers sending orange pulses stitching across space. Explosions tore through space as the Dominion torpedoes were shot down, but the Seoul shook as the energy surges hammered at her shields.
“Shields holding at eight-three per cent!” Melendez warned, only for the ship to shake again at another hit. “Correction: shields at seventy-seven per cent!”
“Fire a torpedo spread!” Annika barked. “Give them something to worry about! Targeting pattern, Echo-Five!”
Blue light flashed through space as the Seoul let loose a volley of quantum torpedoes, the Dominion vessels nimbly attempting to evade, but more than half still struck true. The shields of two battlecruisers held, but the shields on the third ship weren’t so sturdy, and phaser strikes sheared one of her wings off.
It returned fire with torpedoes, but the Seoul evaded nimbly. Then she returned fire, and taking out the Dominion vessel’s main engines.
“Fire a tricobalt device.” Annika spat.
Melendez complied, and though the crippled battlecruiser tried to evade, her mobility was shot to hell by the damage already taken. The tricobalt device smashed into her primary hull before detonating, and reducing the battlecruiser to superheated debris flying through space.
The remaining battlecruisers doubled their efforts, firing volleys of torpedoes at the Seoul. Again, the Federation dodged or shot down most of them, but several met their mark, and causing the ship to shake and the holographic displays in the bridge to briefly flicker. “Shields down to sixty-seven per cent!” Melendez warned.
“How’s it going on those shield modulations?” Jut demanded.
“I’m still working on it.” Saul replied. “I need more time…give me a minute, two at most.”
“Torpedoes, fire!” Annika ordered in reply.
Again, quantum torpedoes lashed out, the Dominion ships desperately evading, finally remembering the toll those weapons had reaped of their forces during the war. No doubt, the crews were fresh, green, and untried, which would explain why only three battlecruisers were on a raiding mission.
Still…
…that left too many questions unanswered, not least of which was the sheer distance this area of space was from the Bajoran Wormhole.
“I have it!” Saul shouted in triumph. “Their shields are operating at a modulation of 273.9!”
“Adjust our torpedo and phaser frequencies to match!” Annika ordered as the Seoul shook again. “Target their primary reactors: fire when ready!”
Melendez adjusted the Seoul’s weapon modulations, and then fired. This time, phaser beams carved through the battlecruisers’ shields as though they weren’t even there, and sending molten metal and superheated debris flying into space. Then quantum torpedoes lashed out, and despite the Dominion’s desperate efforts to evade, much like with the Seoul’s phasers, the Dominion shields didn’t even flicker as torpedoes flew through them and smashed into the battlecruisers’ hulls.
Blinding light flashed through space…
…and the Dominion was gone.
“We did it!” Jut triumphantly said, and matching exclamations went up from the rest of the bridge crew. For the most part: Annika just sighed, and then drew herself up.
“Don’t relax just yet.” She chided. “We still have a disabled refugee ship on our hands. Vasror, bring us in to optimum transporter range, but not so close that we’ll be at risk if that ship’s warp core goes off. Saul, anything?”
“Their engines are toast, captain.” Saul said. “Warp and impulse both…they still have maneuvering thrusters, though. Not that that’s going to be of much use.”
“Communications are down.” Zhessesi chimed in. “Most likely as a result of enemy fire.”
“I’m reading one hundred and forty-seven life signs aboard.” Saul added. “Mostly Human, Betazoid, and Andorian…but I’m also reading thirty-six Jem’Hadar.”
“Can you get a transporter lock on them?” Jut asked.
“Yes, sir.” Saul replied.
“Captain,” Jut began. “We should transport them into one of our cargo bays, and reduce the oxygen levels to just below their atmospheric tolerance levels. That should keep them out of trouble until we can get them somewhere secure.’
“And we can get some answers as to how and why they’re here.” Annika said with a nod. “Good idea, commander. Get in touch with life support, and get it done. Saul?”
“I have transporter locks.” Saul said. “Transferring to transporter control.”
Annika brought up her command interface, and pressed an icon on the holographic display. “Transporter control,” she said. “Report.”
“We have them locked in.” the reply came. “Standing by for the commander’s orders.”
“Jut?”
“We’re reducing oxygen levels now…” Jut said, on the line with life support. “…there. They should start passing out the moment they’re in the room.”
“Transporter control,” Annika began. “Energize.”
“Energizing…transport complete.”
“Well done.” Annika said with a nod.
“Major H’au,” Jut said to the commander of the Seoul’s marine complement. “I want a platoon of marines on guard around that cargo bay at all times. Heavy weapons authorized: keep them in that room, and if you can’t, well, that’s just too bad.”
“Understood, commander.”
Jut looked back at Annika, who nodded approvingly at him before looking back at Saul. “The refugees?” she asked.
“…I have locks on all of them.” Saul replied. “But I’m reading thirty of them having faint life signs.”
“Have transporter control send those thirty to medical.” Annika ordered. “Inform Doctor Pel that we’ve got injured coming in.”
“Aye, captain.” Saul said with a nod. “Should I have transporter control send the remaining refugees to another bay? At a safe distance from the Jem’Hadar, of course.”
“Yes, that sounds good, lieutenant.” Annika said with a nod. “I’ll head over there myself, reassure the refugees. Commander, you have the bridge.”
“Understood, captain.” Jut said.
Annika nodded, and getting off her seat, proceeded towards the turbolift.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
“Major.”
“Captain.”
Accompanied by a squad of Federation Marines in full powered armor, Annika stepped into the cargo bay where the refugees had been transported into. Here and there, she could see members of her crew, mostly enlisted, but including a couple of officers directing efforts to assist the refugees. Some were providing first aid, others were handing out towels and spare clothes, and others more were distributing food and drink.
As their sensors had earlier indicated, the refugees were an eclectic mix of species, Human (or Betazoid, hard to tell by sight without getting close) mostly, though Andorians could be seen here and there. A ripple of apprehension went through the refugees at her arrival, and Annika gestured for the marines to wait outside the room. They stomped out, but for Major H’au, who nevertheless holstered his heavy disruptor rifle before removing his helmet.
“Who’s in charge here?” the Caitian rumbled loudly.
“I am.” A matronly woman approached, and Annika quickly noticed the dark irises of a Betazoid background. “My name is Dammexe Hal. I represent the refugees of…well, formerly of the Yoshiko Maru.”
“Miss Hal,” Annika said with a nod and a reassuring smile. “I am Captain Annika von Kreutzer of the Federation Cruiser Seoul. Rest assured, Miss Hal. As of this moment, you and your people are under the protection of the UFP Navy. I’m still not sure how and why you were forced to flee your homes, but I’m certain it has something to do with those Dominion ships that were attacking your ship.”
“…y-yes.” Hal hesitantly replied, and the captain tilted her head curiously.
“Is something the matter?” she asked.
“You…you’re from Starfleet, yes?” Hal asked back. “And this ship…it’s a Starfleet vessel? A Federation vessel?”
Annika briefly looked confused. “Yes,” she said. “This ship is a vessel belonging to the United Federation of Planets. As for Starfleet…well, I assume you refer to the Federation Navy, so yes, I am an officer of the Starfleet, and the commanding officer of this ship.”
“I…I see.”
Annika raised an eyebrow, even more so at the troubled expression on the woman’s face. And that of the other refugees now that she thought about it. A chirp drew her attention though, and she nodded once at the Betazoid woman. “Excuse me.” Annika said, before walking away a polite distance. “Doctor Pel? You have something for me?”
“Yes, captain.” The doctor replied. “I’ve been treating the injured from the Yoshiko Maru, and that was when I noticed something…unusual.”
“Oh?”
“Captain…if these readings I’m getting from blood work are right,” the Vulcan said. “These refugees – or rather the Human ones – are Naturals.”
“And that’s a problem, why?”
“Captain…there are no known Natural Human settlements in the DMZ.” Pel said. “Something is not right here, one way or another.”
“…what?”
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A/N
Just a pure Star Trek story. An olive branch, you could say, after the last one.