CHAPTER
SEVEN:
Species 8472
Captain's Log, Stardate 57039.1
Today we face another enemy. Species 8472 has entered our galaxy once again and they appear to be trying to destroy both the Ocampa and the Kazon. Though we are loathed to help the Kazon, Seven of Nine tells me that Species 8472 must be stopped at all costs. I have reviewed data on the war between the Borg and Species 8472 and we have entered the battle. Seven of Nine, Icheb and The Doctor are currently working on modified nanobites as described in the computer's database. I can only hope that we will be successful.
"Captain, another bio-ship is approaching," said Telsia as the ship was rocked by a blast from the first bio-ship.
"Deploy armor," JR said. "We have to cloak."
"Cloaking initiator is off line," replied Telsia. "Armor deployed."
The ship was rocked yet again, and the console at the Science Station exploded. JR wished The Doctor would hurry. If they didn't have that weapon online soon Lexus would be destroyed. He was sure of that. Axum and the others from the Borg Cube were giving tactical advice but so far it wasn't helping.
"Fire transphasic torpedoes," said JR. "Full spread."
"Aye, Captain," said Telsia.
JR watched the main view screen as six of the torpedoes were launched. They struck a bio-ship in six places and had very little effect. The biggest effect that could be seen was that the bio-ship spun out of control. That lasted only moments before it was back on course and firing at Lexus again.
"Seven of Nine to Captain Kirk," came Seven's voice.
"Go ahead, Seven," JR said quickly.
"We have the nanobites, Captain," she said.
"Take them to Engineering," JR responded. "Kirk to Chang."
"Chang here, Captain," replied Austin Chang.
"Austin, Seven is on her way to Engineering with the modified nanobites," he said. "How soon can you adapt the torpedoes?"
"I'll need one hour, Captain," replied Austin.
"We don't have an hour, Lieutenant," JR said quickly.
"Understood, Sir," said Austin.
"Telsia, fire hyperphasers," said JR. "Attack pattern Janeway Alpha One."
"Aye, Captain," replied Telsia, and JR watched as his order was carried out.
The effect was not what he expected. The first bio-ship seemed to shimmer in space for a few seconds before it recovered. However when it fired on Lexus again its weapon had no effect. JR ordered Telsia to fire the same attack pattern at the other three bio-ships. JR was satisfied that the threat had been neutralized. He was happy because he wasn't sure that the modified nanobites were going to be effective if Species 8472 had adapted. He learned in the computer database that Janeway had given them the nanobites to convince them that humanity was no threat to them.
"Captain, I'm in telepathic contact with Species 8472," said Juliet. "They say they will leave our space if we surrender the Borg on our ship."
"Tell them that we have no Borg on our ship," JR said quickly. "Try to explain that they have been severed from the collective and mean them no harm."
He was wondering just how they knew about the former drones on his ship. Had they been monitoring them since they'd returned to the galaxy? If so did that mean that there were members of their species still in the Delta Quadrant? There were too many possibilities to think of in that instant. He wanted them defeated as quickly as possible.
"Captain," said Seven when she got off the turbo lift on the bridge. "The nanobites that we created are different from the ones that were developed on Voyager."
"How so?" he asked.
"The Doctor took into account that they may have adapted to the nanobites," she said. "So he added several pathogens to this batch. We are uncertain as to what effect they will have on Species 8472."
"Thank you, Seven," he replied. "We'll find out when Mr. Chang is finished."
"Understood," she said, taking her place at the burned out Science Station.
"More ships have come through the singularity, Captain," said Telsia. "I count seven of them, Sir."
"Bridge to Engineering," he said. "I need those torpedoes. Status?"
"Captain, I have four of them ready now," said Austin. "We're still working on the modifications for more of them. It's hard working with replicated torpedoes, Sir."
"Load the four you have finished and keep working," said JR.
"Aye, Captain," said Austin.
"Fire the same attack pattern at the new ships," he said to Telsia. "If necessary we'll disable every ship that comes through the singularity. Seven, is there a way to close the singularity from our side?"
"Yes, Captain," she said, moving to stand beside Telsia. "I'm attempting to close it now."
As he watched the singularity closed, but the seven ships that had come through already were dodging the phasers. He needed those torpedoes. He just hoped they worked. If they didn't then Species 8472 would end up destroying all of them. There had to be a way for Chang to work faster.
"Captain, the four modified torpedoes are online," said Telsia.
"Target the main ship and fire," he said quickly.
The ship exploded in space. He was happy to see it happen. Now if only Chang had more of those torpedoes. The way was clear. Seconds later both the Ocampa and the Kazon were hailing the ship. He chose to ignore them for the time being. There was no way he was handing over that technology to either of them.
"Captain, the aliens are saying that we are a formidable opponent," said Juliet. "They still want us to surrender the Borg."
"How do we make them see that we have no Borg?" he asked. "All of the drones have been changed. There has to be a way to make them understand that they are no longer a part of the collective."
"I've sent that message twice, Captain," she said. "They aren't accepting it."
"Tell them that we will destroy them if they don't return to their own space," he said as the ship rocked from phaser fire.
"Captain, the Kazon are firing on us," said Telsia.
"Open a channel to the lead Kazon ship," he said quickly. Jal Culluh appeared on the main viewer seconds later. "Why are you firing on us?"
"You must destroy those alien ships before we are all destroyed, Captain Kirk," Jal Culluh said.
"I assure you we are working on it," replied JR. "Let me point out that there are things more important than your feud with the Ocampa."
"We are in agreement with the Ocampa for once," said Jal Culluh. "They want the aliens destroyed as well."
"Fine," said JR. "Once my Chief Engineer is finished creating the weapon that will destroy them I'll want to sit down with you and a representative from the Ocampan government to negotiate a settlement of this feud. Kirk out."
The battle waged on as more and more of the Kazon ships were destroyed along with Ocampan ships. Austin Chang was still working on the modified torpedoes and Seven was talking with the newly liberated Borg drones about ways to defeat Species 8472. Juliet assured JR that the aliens had not contacted her since their last demand for the Borg drones.
Lexus continued to dodge the alien attacks, but JR wondered just how much longer he would be able to out maneuver the aliens. He knew that the armor would eventually break down and they would be destroyed if they didn't figure out a way to stop the attack on them. It angered him that the Kazon and Ocampa would be fighting with each other when there was a much bigger threat to be dealt with. They should have been working together to bring the aliens down. Instead they were taking cheep shots at each other between firing on the bio-ships.
There were also periods of time when the battle stalled. No one fired on anyone for short periods of time. JR wanted to believe that the Kazon and Ocampa were at least talking during these short reprieves. He knew better than to hope however. They went back to firing on each other as soon as the aliens resumed their attack.
"Chang to Captain Kirk," came Austin's voice, breaking into JR's thoughts of the Kazon and Ocampa.
"Go ahead, Mr. Chang," JR said.
"Could you come to Engineering, Captain?" Austin asked. "I have something to show you."
"On my way," replied JR. "You have the bridge, Number One."
Once he reached Deck Eleven, he thought he saw a someone out of the corner of his eye. He turned to look but found nothing. He stopped to search the corridor for a second. Having been with Chad and Lieutenant Kendricks when each holo character was created he knew each member of the crew. The person he'd seen out of the corner of his eye was not a member of the crew. He'd seen a Starfleet uniform on the young man. His mind had to be playing tricks on him.
"Captain, I may have found a way to destroy Species 8472 without the modified torpedoes," said Chang when JR entered Engineering. "I've been working on a way to modify the tricobalt devices. With all we know about our enemy I think I may have found a way to remodulate the devices to tear through their bio-ships and destroy them."
He showed JR computer simulations of what he was talking about. In the simulations the tricobalt devices ripped through the bio-ships and destroyed them quickly. JR could only hope that it would work. He was running out of options. He and Chang decided to fire one tricobalt device with the new modifications as well as the modified torpedoes as soon as Chang could have the modification of the tricobalt device ready.
As he was about to leave Engineering, he saw the young man again. He was standing on the other side of the warp core. JR could see him clearly now and he was wearing a Starfleet uniform. There were no pips on his collar, so he wasn't a commissioned officer. He appeared to be around the age of seventeen with light brown hair that seemed unruly but tamed. He looked right at JR for a split second before he disappeared again.
JR was sure he was seeing things. He didn't want to alert anyone on the staff until he was sure that there really was a presence on the ship. Instead he returned to the bridge and demanded a report on what was happening with the bio-ships and the Kazon and Ocampa. Nothing serious had happened. Four more Kazon ships had been destroyed, but the Ocampa ships had not been fired on by the aliens.
"Captain, they're getting into formation to use their primary weapon," said Telsia as JR saw the bio-ships moving into place on the viewer. "Their targeting us."
"Captain, I have the modifications online," came Austin's voice.
JR knew that if they fired their primary weapon at Lexus the ship would be destroyed. He could only hope that Chang's simulations would become reality once he fired the tricobalt device along with the modified torpedoes. There was only one way to find out. He sat up straighter in his chair and hoped for the best.
"Target the center ship," he said as the light from each of the bio-ships fused with it. "Fire!"
JR watched as the torpedoes and tricobalt blast soared the distance between Lexus and the five bio-ships. He tensed as he saw them fire their primary weapon. Seconds later the two collided. He watched as the bio-ships were destroyed, but then a shockwave rocked them. The main viewer went dark and several small explosions occurred on the bridge. The ship tilted and JR was thrown from his chair as darkness claimed him.
Captain's Log, supplemental
I was told that the shockwave caused by the destruction of the bio-ships also destroyed several of the Kazon and Ocampa ships. Lexus has sustained minor damage as well. Our shields are off-line and our armor generators were all damaged. Lieutenant Chang assures me that the repairs will not take long. I am eager to get under way again. I can only hope that this latest development will show the Kazon and Ocampa that their feud is pointless.
I woke up in Sickbay this morning. The Doctor told me that I suffered a severe concussion but I am fine now and have been deemed fit for duty. A check on our guests in the brig settled my mind when I saw that they were both fine and still angry with me. If they had been killed in the aftermath I wouldn't have been able to assuage my guilt.
"Those dangerous battles we were discussing the other day seem to be popping up everywhere we go now, JR," said Chad as he and JR sat in JR's private dining room having breakfast the morning after The Doctor released JR from sickbay. "I can't tell you how scared I was while we were fighting Species 8472. Then there was the shockwave and you were hurt again."
"I was terrified," admitted JR. "Chad, I know that we'll make it back to Earth. I don't know how or why I know it, but I do know it."
"Right now we're sitting in space," said Chad. "How long will the repairs to the hull take?"
"Austin assures me that we'll be able to resume course in a matter of days," he replied. "They're also working on repairing the armor generators. The technology is alien and very advanced, so that may take a while."
"This was so much simpler when we were on the holodeck," said Chad with a sigh.
"It certainly was," said JR. "With safety protocols in place to protect us it was only a game."
"This is reality," Chad pointed out. "We could both be killed at any time."
"I'm aware of that, Chad," JR said. "This is was every member of Starfleet faces every single day."
"Then I don't want to be a member of Starfleet," said Chad. "I just want to go home and stay on Earth. I don't care if I ever see space again."
"We're going to make it home, Chad," JR said forcefully. "I promise you that."
THE LEXUS CHRONICLES