AfterLife

Posted on Mon Jun 9th, 2025 @ 2:40am by Lieutenant Commander Riavria & Commodore Wilkan Targaryen & Commander Zhora zh'Roothi & Lieutenant Commander Ash Randall & Lieutenant Commander Patricia Montgomery M.D. & Lieutenant Commander Sevek & Lieutenant Commander Kuzos

3,664 words; about a 18 minute read

Mission: InQuiry
Location: Main Bridge, U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-G
Timeline: 2435-07-24, 19:45

Q had lied to them.

When they had begun their exercise aboard the Odyssey during first contact with the Dominion, Q had told them all that it was to be the final test. When it was over the Commodore had felt as if they'd passed the test, or at least it seemed as if they had, but Q apparently had felt otherwise. Now they were apparently beginning another mission, and he wasn't exactly sure how this one would go either. Especially because this ship needed no introduction to him. He commanded it for years. This was the story of the Starship Enterprise, NCC-1701-G.

Originally built as the Starship Titan-A, the Enterprise-G had been a frontline exploration vessel from the moment that it was launched. When he took over for Captain Seven of Nine in the 2430s, Wilkan had the opportunity to lead the ship on its last five-year mission. The Bridge was exactly as he had remembered it. Nearly twice the size of a Galaxy Class ship's Bridge, the Enterprise-G's Bridge had the same layout characteristic of all Starfleet vessels in the early 25th Century. The design was somewhat militaristic in that it had polished, obsidian-colored floors and stark gray walls. Located in the center of the Bridge, three command chairs with retractable workstations were available for the senior officers. Down a small set of stairs, the Flight Controller sat on the starboard side while Tactical functions were managed from the port. Two freestanding workstations flanked the viewscreen and looked inward toward the center of the room, holographic displays providing detailed information on the ship's status. The port and starboard walls maintained their own wall mounted consoles, with the Science Station on the starboard side and Engineering on the port. Twin turbolifts provided entry and exit, while the door to the Conference Room was located centrally. These doors were separated by independent terminals.

Taking a breath, Wilkan could already feel in his bones what was happening because this was the mission that changed his life. This was the mission where he lost the Enterprise. Rising from his Captain's Chair, Wilkan watched as Q brought the crew together amidst a bathing flash of light. Tugging on his uniform tunic, the Captain of the Enterprise addressed his crew.

"We're not out of the woods yet," he explained as he looked around the Bridge. "Some of you were here with me for this mission, some of you were not, but this was one of the most important battles in Federation history. This is the Battle of the Foundry, where Enterprise led an attack against Vaadwaur forces that had invaded the Alpha Quadrant. I'm not going to mince words; this battle didn't go well. We were significantly outnumbered in this assault, Enterprise led a squadron consisting of four ships and all of them were lost, but not before I crashed this ship against the Foundry itself in a suicide run." He conveniently left out some parts.

"I need you to take your stations," Wilkan continued, "and be ready for anything." He looked at the Science Station, knowing that Lieutenant Esrad had been killed, and was surprised to see a face from the past there, Lieutenant Commander Sevek was at Sciences. Wilkan sighed, "Apparently, this really isn't a game."

At his words Commander zh'Roothi followed his gaze over to the science station and frowned at the unfamiliar face. She'd expected to see Esrad's bright blue face etched with concern at the Commodore's re-account of history. Instead, it was replaced with stern faced Vulcan she did not recognise. Based on her own experience on the Odyssey sustaining a wound to her left shoulder zh'Roothi was aware Q had so far followed up on his threat of their lives being in genuine peril. The bloody stain on her uniform had remained throughout the transition along with the half-healed wound having been whipped away before the medical team had completed their treatment.

The Andorian XO had many questions; however, she knew this wasn't the time to ask them as soon Q would engage them in another fight for their lives. She did however look over toward Ash to gauge the Engineers reaction to their new situation recalling that she'd served with Targaryen previously and wondered if she could recall the events similarly.

The Vulcan male sat at his station reviewing the most recent sensor scans. Looking towards the Captain. Raising an eyebrow, "A game, sir? This would not be the logical time for a game." He started to recognize the confusion on some of the crew's faces. Taking a mental note about it, he went back to his duties.

"I have to agree with you, Mister Sevek," Wilkan said, recalling his Chief Science Officer from back when he commanded this Enterprise. As he surveyed his Bridge, he was a bit melancholy about the whole situation they were in. This was the last time he'd seen the Bridge of this starship, the last time that he'd truly felt at home aboard a ship.

"Begin scans of the area please," the Captain requested. "Let me know anything of value."

Ash glanced the direction of the Commodore then eyed the engineering station she was standing in front of and knew, immediately, where she was and had a good idea when. This was the Enterprise-G and, if Ash was not mistaken, this was its last mission. The Engineer closed her eyes for a few seconds and reached out to the shared consciousness of her people, the Tuansee, to see if she was, literally, in two places at the same time and sighed, audibly, to find she was a stranger to them but welcome, none the less. "Are you expecting to find something, Captain?" She asked, glancing, again in his direction.

"Same as always, Ash, death, murder, and mayhem are probably waiting for us dead ahead," he answered knowingly.

"Once more into the breach..." Ash replied, paraphrasing Henry V and took a moment to look around the bridge at the assembled personnel her eyes, finally, coming to rest on the XO for a few seconds, it being clear in those few seconds of eye contact that Ash knew something and was keeping it, largely, to herself. Ash was an excellent poker player with a practiced poker face and not prone to tells. That she conveyed anything in that momentary look was unusual, at the very least.

zh'Roothi felt her pulse quicken and the fresh wound throb anew as Ash exchanged glances that filled the XO with a sense of renewed dread. Mutely she sat trying to unpack the engineer's gaze and anticipate the events that were about to transpire.

Seated alongside the command crew, Patricia was still trying to get her bearings. A familiar ache in her leg kept her grounded as she listened to the conversations between Captain and crew. This situation felt more familiar as she began to follow reactions and words, analyzing and processing.

Confusion mirror across her features as she tried to process the mention of Foundry, trying to tap into her memories as bells rang. Everyone across the quadrant knew if the battle, where Targaryen risked the lives aboard his ship to save the many; a risk that had paid off but at what expense.

The counselor's gaze lingered on Targaryen as she watched his reactions knowing none of this could be easy.

Wilkan looked at the Vorta Administrator, still impressed by how he handled himself during the Odyssey scenario. He wondered how difficult it had been for him to fire on his own people, to destroy two of their ships. It certainly wouldn't have been easy for the Commodore, and he knew that about himself.

"Administrator, please help with Tactical."

Kuzos gave a shot nod, his thoughts on his actions in the last scenario and the choice he made. He moved to the tactical station, studying the data it displayed. After a few moments he spoke. "Commodore, I am detecting an extremely large object dead ahead. We should be coming into viewing range."

At the announcement from Kuzos, Ash brought up a munitions catalog and began filtering through the available configurations for the Quantum Torpedo inventory and nodded to herself as she started to type away on the ordinance interface to configure a specialized quantum torpedo.

Sitting in his old chair, the former Captain nodded at the announcement. As much as he dreaded it, he knew what he had to do, "On screen."

In less than a blink of an eye the viewscreen awoke with an image of beautiful terror. The massive, metallic obelisk hovered ominously as it drew energy and matter into itself from the nearby star to produce a near endless supply weapons of war. The station itself was extraordinary, so large in fact that ships could easily move between gaps in its superstructure, but there were no visible docks, or construction slips that one would expect from such a station. The mirrored surface of the structure was deceiving in its simplicity, hiding the true terror deep inside. The Commodore knew from experience that the Foundry possessed very little defensive weaponry but rather depended on its massive production capability as a means to defend itself.

"Helm," the Commodore called, "ahead one-third. Standby for evasive patterns." Turning toward Science, "Sevek, run a detailed scan of that station and the surrounding area. I want to know what weaknesses it has."

"Aye sir." The Vulcan ran his fingers over the console controls in front of him. The sensor scans appeared in front of hm. Keeping face emotionless, he ran several other scans to be sure. Seeing that the scans came up with nothing. "Sir, it seems that the Foundry is resistant to our scans. I have tried several types of scans and the results have been the same. A surface scan has shown some advanced form of cipher writing. The computer is analyzing it now, sir."

"Let me know the minute you have a translation, Commander," the Commodore answered. "Hopefully it can be of value."

The Captain turned toward the Counselor, "We're going to be at significant risk in this mission. Please keep an eye on the crew and their readiness reports. Chase," the Commodore spoke next to the Security Chief, "prepare a boarding party. Our best security people."

As the Enterprise and its support craft started to close in closer to the alien construction facility, alarms began to blare throughout the Bridge. Consoles began to flicker, and the lights started to dim. Wilkan had forgot this part and it was no less frightening now than before.

"Zhora," he looked at his XO, "work with Ash to get the power systems back online. We haven't got much time."

"Yes," the Andorian woman nodded and moved to assist Ash to counteract the effects of the Foundry on the Enterprise systems before they became compromised.

The small engineer bobbled her ears in 'greeting' to zh'Roothi as she approached but didn't look her direction, her attention, instead, focused on the engineering screen, her fingers almost a blur as she tapped and typed away. "I am isolating the frequencies of the damping field and then will attempt to set up a counter using hull polarization. To be, truly, effective, we'll have to set up a sympathetic counter frequency in our shields so we can adjust and modulate for damping field changes." Ash explained, quietly. "If we had enough power it'd be possible to overload the damping field using the main deflector but we'd run the risk of a power overload and some, catastrophic, results on our part." She added, not mentioning some other options that, though they would be effective, would be impractical in this situation.

"Let's try to avoid the catastrophic part if we can," the XO replied. "I'm rather keen to avoid additional injuries," the Andorian added stepping closer. "Alright, you want a hand with those frequencies? We could split the workload or I could look into something else?"

"Help me isolate then we'll split the task of polarizing the hull and setting up the complementary frequency in the shields." Ash suggested, sliding over a bit so the XO could go to work as well.

Wilkan looked at the Administrator, "I want you and Sevek to work together to try to reach our support ships to ascertain their status."

Kuzos spoke again from the tactical station, "Starships, Republic, Nomad and Curiosity are also reporting power fluctuations in many systems along with a complete loss of power in some of the secondary systems."

"Work with them to overcome the dampening field," the Commodore added.

"Yes sir." Sevek said looking at the sensor readouts of the dampening field. The computer showed an analysis of the field. "We may be able to disrupt the field by modulating our shields. That would require us determining the exact frequency of the field.

"Working on it." Kuzos muttered his head down , focusing on finding the frequency of the dampening field.

From his chair, Wilkan listened to the two groups as they worked on the problem before them. The risk to the Enterprise and the support ships was too great, and the chances for failure were already high. He'd lost too many already on these scenarios Q insisted on subjecting them to, and he wasn't about to lose any more.

"Folks," he interrupted, "belay my last orders. I'm too busy focusing on what we did last time that I haven't tried to go another route. I want all of you to work on getting our systems back first, then we'll relay that solution to the other ships. Time is of the essence though. In less than two minutes we'll crash. Any ideas?"

Looking around the bridge, Kuzos spoke first. "Could we not try something in reverse? What I mean is set up a barrier of modulating frequencies that protect our systems from the effects of the field? Perhaps a dampening field of our own?" He proposed.

Hearing no other suggestions, the Commodore nodded, "Proceed."

It took perilously long for the changes to be made to the Enterprise's systems to meet their needs, but they were accomplished thanks to the benefits of the Neo-Constitution Class. Ships of the Constitution III were designed to be rugged ships that were built for service on the deepest frontiers of the galaxy, which did give them a lot of opportunity to adapt and keep the Enterprise running. The moment the changes were in place, the Captain gave the order to engage the modifications.

They were just in the nick of time. On the viewscreen they appeared like jackals about to swarm their prey, a dozen Vaadwaur combat ships ready for battle. Wilkan approached the viewscreen, "All ahead full. Get a target lock on those ships and open fire at any target of opportunity."

"I have locks on multiple ships." Kuzos announced.

"Fire at will."

The ship rocked from the impact of the Vaadwaur weaponry, "All power to shields! Sevek, start looking for any target opportunity that we can use to help out tactical. Exec, help him."

With a stagger in her stride following impact zh'Roothi crossed towards the more familiar science station alongside Commander Sevek. She felt herself wince at the data before them and the true scale of the battle that was unfolding around them along with the disruption caused by the Foundry. Targaryen had painted the scenario to be grim before but this was more than she'd expected.

"Ash," the Enterprise's Captain walked toward the oversized Engineering console, "Any ideas?"

The Chief Engineer glanced up at the Commodore for half a second and then back to her Engineering station. "We drop a trilithium warhead into that star and run like hell." She stated, quietly. "One will be available in our inventory in less than a minute." She added, her hands a blur moving cross the interface of the workstation. "Barring that, throw sand in their eyes with a 'flashbulb' torp as part of a full spread and, while their sensors are blind, coordinate fire from all ships on one vessel. They're bunched up so, one core breach may destroy 3 or 4 additional and severely damage the rest. Only take a few seconds to coordinate and implement." Ash suggested, quietly.

Standing near to the Engineering workstation, Wilkan looked at the information on the Chief Engineer's display. When the battle happened the last time, Enterprise crashed into the Foundry as a method to breach the structure and allow them a chance to take the station from the Vaadwaur. He didn't destroy it, actually he was amazed at how resilient the structure actually was, but it did do some damage to the other craft. Destroying the central star would be the opposite of that. Destruction of the star would produce a level 12 shockwave, minimum, that would tear through everything in this system. It would be definitive, but if the Enterprise didn't get out in time they'd be lost too.

He knew that the Enterprise's Warp Drive produced Trilithium resin, but he also didn't know if they'd have enough to do significant damage to the star. He looked at his Engineer as the Enterprise rocked from an impact, "Finish preparations on your torpedo."

"Fabrication will be complete in 30 seconds." The engineer replied. "The fabrication order went in several minutes ago." She added, while she continued to work away at a series of calculations. Ash saw it as her job to anticipate the need before the captain knows he needs it. "If we deprive the Foundry of its power source it may be possible to transport onto it. If we hit the right spot on this star with an intense enough, focused, EM Pulse, we can initiate a sunspot that will cover the entire surface and prompt it to emit a coronal mass ejection from its poles." Ash advised the Captain. "It works...the mass ejections can be aimed, if you're of a mind to, but not a useful feature in our circumstance." She elaborated.

It was different than before but was certainly an edge that they could use to their advantage. If they wanted to. Did they choose to destroy the entire system and everything in it, permanently altering the history, or did they try a different option and go another way? Last time he used the Enterprise as a giant battering ram and infiltrated the outpost through the scuttled ship, but this time did he try such a drastic method? Or was that the test? Did Q want to see if they could grow or did he just want carnage?

"Thank you, Commander," Wilkan retreated from the wall mounted console and went to the center seat. As the ship rocked from the impact of a Vaadwaur torpedo, its defenses pushed to the limit, the Captain of this Enterprise sat in his chair and let it wash over him for a moment. He let out a long breath, knowing what he needed to do.

From his chair, "Send out a general hail to all ships." When he received the confirmation that the channel was open, he finally left his chair and stood at the apex of the stairs leading to the command seating. "Vaadwaur vessels, this is Wilkan Targaryen of the Federation Starship Enterprise speaking to you on a general frequency. We seek to negotiate terms of surrender."

It took only a moment for the transmission to receive a bite from the enemy. The viewscreen shifted from a scene of carnage involving the starships to the image of the Vaadwaur Military Overseer, Vaul, standing within his command center surrounded by his soldiers. They were in uncharted territory now and Wilkan didn't know how this part would go. The alien commander crossed his arms, "I order you to surrender your vessel. No terms."

"You misunderstand me. I have no intention of surrendering my vessel, instead I want to give you a chance to withdraw from this conflict with your existing resources and return to your territory," Wilkan countered the terms with his own. "We'll drop the charges against you and your people, and you'll be free to go."

"I won't rest until you and your people are destroyed, Starfleet," Vaul challenged. "We reject your terms."

"I urge you to reconsider for the safety of you and your crew," Targaryen replied smugly.

The Vaadwaur laughed, "My forces outnumber yours and my vessels are far superior. Why would you ever think we would surrender to you?"

"Simple. This ship has been outfitted with specialized technology that can destroy this star system with a single shot. If you don't believe me please feel free to scan this vessel," Wilkan proposed from the center seat.

The Vaawaur looked over toward one of his subordinates before returning his attention to the Captain of the Enterprise, "This is a trick."

"I assure you that it's not," Wilkan answered. "If you are willing to lose your entire crew, your ships, and your life please feel free to test my resolve."

Vaul stood silently for a moment, watching the other commander carefully. Wilkan never got this far in the real world, the Vaadwaur never having answered the call. He didn't know how this would go, but he knew their plan was a sound one.

"We shall stand down. Cease fire. Order our ships in Federation territory to halt their advance and return to the underspace. I do not intend to lose all that we have gained." He looked dead at the recorder, "But the Vaadwaur Supremacy will remember what has happened here. Your people have shown their weakness in battle and we shall not forget. We will return, Captain, and next time we will not be as forgiving."

On the viewscreen the image of the Vaadwaur Commander was replaced by a view of the enemy fleet turning about to flee the scene of the fighting. In the distance small craft could be seen departing from the Foundry and entering into subspace, escaping the Federation advance. It was over. They had won.

A voice interrupted the jubilance, "Bravo."

 

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