Villain

Posted on Fri Jan 10th, 2025 @ 9:27am by Captain Nycolas Temple

Mission: The Only Thing Left Was Hope
Location: Khonsu Sector
Timeline: After "Volatile Situation"

ON:

"Captain's Log, Classified.

I have remained in the Khonsu region to monitor the effects of the anomaly on the asteroid belt for almost a week now. The asteroids have slowly regained their regular orbital pattern and returned to their prior formation. Thankfully the anomaly had not permanently damaged the belt's natural alignment, and it is returning to normal.

The same cannot be said for the Khonsu Science Station, however. The remnants of the station have continued to break off and deteriorate as its structural integrity fails. The station is being slowly consumed into the asteroid belt, where it is crushed and destroyed piece by piece. Only the main Bridge deck remains mostly intact at this stage, but it is only a matter of time before it too will be lost into the asteroid field.

Starfleet has attempted two salvage operations over the last week. I have managed to observe from a distance, undetected by their ships, as they have tried and failed to rescue the Khonsu station from its fate. Both attempts have only hastened the station's demise as it continues to collapse. Protocol dictates that they will ensure the station is now destroyed, to prevent anyone else from attempting to salvage its computer core.

That is precisely what I intend on doing.

I need the station's readings on the anomaly and so I must exercise the core from the Bridge deck before it is destroyed. Right now, I'm just waiting for when it is safe to do so, though I'm aware that my window is quickly closing.

Unfortunately, I must remain hidden from Starfleet. It is still unclear who is behind the disappearance of the Pandora, and the creation of the anomaly, and I don't know who in Starfleet I can trust - except for the Pandora crew. The mysterious Protector warned me that there were forces at work here, villains waiting in the shadows. So, I remain in the shadows too; my disappearance being the only advantage I have over those working against us.

But that doesn't make it any easier. I feel so alone out here, without my crew and my family. I took an oath to serve Starfleet, not to hide from them. I constantly have doubts over whether I am doing the right thing. It doesn't help that I can't tell the good guys from the bad anymore. I try to remain hopeful that I am working for the good guys, despite how conflicted it feels.

End Log.”

****

Nyx had maneuvered the S.S. Prime to orbit on the northern edge of the Khonsu asteroid belt, the strong forces hiding the shuttle's warp signature for now. He stood in the cabin and retrieved the Velocity Suit from its cabinet and pulled it over his body. The helmet went on last, giving a slight hiss as the air was decompressed in preparation for space walking.

Not far from the shuttle, the remains of the Khonsu Station's bridge floated silently next to the asteroid belt. The deck had been slowly ripped away piece by piece, with the ceiling and starboard wall already gone, exposing the remains to the vacuum of space. Those pieces continued to peel away and drift into the asteroid belt, where they were crushed by the great hulking rocks within. Debris littered the area, as parts of the station drifted quietly by, awaiting their turn to be dragged into the asteroid field.

Using the control panel on his left arm, Nyx plugged in the coordinates of the Bridge and when his suit gave the all-clear, he hit the "Jump" button. In a flash of light, he had travelled out of the Prime and found himself appearing in the remains of the station. Debris scattered in the wake of his arrival, pushed by the force of his transport into the surrounding space.

Looking around, Nyx tried to steady his breath, as the rush of jumping through space gave way to the realization that he was now drifting untethered and alone. A collision with any of the debris, even the smallest cut in his suit, would cause his immediate death. No one would know what had happened, or where he was. He felt unsafe and afraid.

Trying to push through the fear within, Nyx focused on finding the computer core. Thankfully the gravitational pull of the asteroid belt was peeling away the station piece by piece and had managed to expose the core in the center of the Bridge. Nyx silently floated over to the compartment, a shield door still intact protecting the core within. Nyx got to work attempting to manually release the door.

[USS Marigold]

Captain April Qui of the USS Marigold was on her first assignment in her new ship, the USS Marigold. A new Miranda class ship on its shakedown mission, the Marigold's first task was to ensure the destruction of the Khonsu Station's remains. The order had been given to scuttle the wreckage before anyone else attempted to salvage it for parts or information. The cause of its initial destruction had not been widely revealed, merely described as an accident involving the adjacent asteroid field that the station had been sent to investigate.

Sitting on the Bridge of the Marigold, the captain was relaxed as the ship approached their target.

"Crushed by their own curiosity." April Qui quipped as the Khonsu came into viewing range. "An ironic tragedy."

First Officer T'Vara raised an eyebrow, "It is unlikely that Starfleet officers willingly caused the station's destruction out of... curiosity, Captain."

April shrugged a little from her chair, appreciating T'Vara's deadpan honesty, "I agree, Commander. But that is the reason we have been given."

"Starfleet Science has provided little explanation for the accident, Captain." T'Vara remarked, looking at the viewscreen. "Now we are to destroy what remains. What is the protocol should we discover any evidence contrary to Starfleet's official explanation of the accident?"

The captain frowned for a moment, as she too looked at the viewer. Finally, she shook her head. "We have our orders, Commander. We scuttle the station."

"Understood." T'Vara nodded.

The Marigold drew closer to the asteroid belt and the debris field in front of it.

"We'll be using the tractor beam to push the remnants into the asteroid field." Captain Qui stated, "Unfortunately, the remains are too deep into the gravitational pull of the belt to safely retrieve them. Prior attempts have only caused the station to break apart even further. So, we will slowly push the rest of the station into the field and hasten its destruction."

The crew around the Bridge watched on silently, nodding in agreement with the captain's plan. As soon as they were close enough, the Operations officer gave the word they were ready to proceed.

With a sense of satisfaction, April pulled down the front of her uniform, as she announced, "On my mark, engage the tractor beam. Three... Two.. - "

"Captain!" T'Vara suddenly interjected, pausing the countdown. "Sensors are indicating a life sign amongst the debris."

"Impossible!" The Captain scoffed, standing up from her chair. "The station was evacuated."

"There is an unknown person in the Bridge section of the debris." T'Vara confirmed, looking at her readings once more to be sure.

"On screen." April ordered as she stepped forwards.

The viewer changed to a zoomed-in display of the Khonsu station. Sure enough, there was a figure in a black space suit, opening up a floor compartment of the bridge remains, right in front of their eyes.

"By my estimation, the individual is attempting to retrieve the computer core." T'Vara warned.

"Broadcast on all hailing frequencies." April nodded to Ops. "This is Captain Qui of the USS Marigold. You are trespassing on Federation property and appear to be attempting to steal Starfleet property. Cease your activities and surrender immediately."

The man in the suit could be seen trying to pull the compartment door from within its casing, ignoring the orders of the captain.

"I repeat!" April shouted. "Cease your activities and surrender or we will be forced to take lethal measures."

"Captain?" T'Vara said in a hushed voice. "We don't have permission to engage in hostilities - "

"I know, Commander." April sighed, "But they are clearly attempting to steal the core and protocol takes precedence now. We must defend Starfleet property."

T'Vara replied, "Firing so close to the asteroid field could have severe detrimental effects, to them and to our ship."

"Perhaps we can try transporting them?" April suggested, looking about to Ops.

Operations officer Grigorian shook his head, "Too much interference from the asteroid belt and the debris field. I can't get a lock."

"Power up phasers," April ordered, "At least make it look like we're serious. And perform a system-wide scan for other ships. They can't be alone out here."

"Aye, sir." Grigorian replied.

"We could continue with our original mission." T'Vara suggested. "Start to push the debris into the asteroid field. The individual will be forced to disengage or be destroyed."

Captain Qui considered this for a moment. "Do it." She said emphatically, "But, slowly. Let them feel the danger they have placed themselves within."

The USS Marigold's tractor beam illuminated out from underneath the forward hull, sweeping slowly towards the debris field.

From his position on the Khonsu's Bridge section, Nyx could see the debris washing him past him and into the asteroid field. He looked to see the tractor beam getting closer and closer to his location. It wouldn't be long before the Bridge would be caught up in the beam and pushed into the asteroids too.

Working quickly, he used the control panel on his arm to engage a small phaser. He started cutting around the compartment door with the phaser.

"Impact on the subject in 30 seconds." T'Vara reported.

"Come on, you stubborn son of a bitch." April growled under her breath. "Give it up."

"I have a lock on a possible ship." Grigorian reported, "It's parked nearby the asteroid field, hiding." He leaned into his screen, frowning. "It's a Starfleet shuttle, sir. The S.S. Prime."

At this news, April's eyes widened. "Stop the tractor beam!" She ordered.

The crew looked to the view screen as the tractor beam cut out just as it was starting to pass over the Khonsu's destroyed bridge section. The structure lurched and moved, still caught up in the riptide of force the tractor beam had created. Other pieces of the station struck the bridge, causing it to shake and lurch forwards. The figure floating outside was forced to hold onto the section for dear life as it shuddered and swayed. More pieces broke away, the entire portside wall now tearing off from the structure and heading towards its doom in the asteroid field.

Nyx employed thrusters in his boots to stabilize himself and prevent the core compartment he was working on to stop moving for now. But he was painfully aware that they had moved closer to the pull of the belt, and his window was rapidly closing. He would have to make the call soon to abandon his mission, or risk getting crushed himself.

"Captain, we have no record of an additional Starfleet vessel assigned to the Khonsu station." T'Vara reported, "Only the Marigold was sent to destroy her."

"Are you sure that is Starfleet, Lieutenant?" The Captain asked her Operations officer. "It's not just using a cloned signature?"

"The readings are fuzzy from interference," Grigorian shrugged, "But the signature is clear. It is the S.S. Prime. And from what I can see on visual, the ship out there mostly matches the physical parameters of the S.S. Prime from the Starfleet database. Though, it has been altered. It's showing an entirely different engine layout than the original schematic we have on file."

April furrowed her brow, unsure of what to do. The person had not responded to hails, had not identified themselves, or appeared to have authorization for being in this region. Starfleet would have surely told her if they had sent the S.S. Prime to retrieve the computer core from the Khonsu and would not have risked an individual performing an untethered spacewalk to do so. And yet, the possibility that this individual was Starfleet personnel meant she would have to proceed with caution.

"The Prime is the captain's yacht belonging to the USS Pandora." T'Vara added, "The Pandora is currently stationed at the Luna Shipyards undergoing extensive repairs."

"So, is it possible someone has taken the captain's yacht?" April asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Unlikely. Only the assigned Captain would be able to retrieve the yacht," T'Vara said flatly, "The Pandora currently has no captain while it is in repairs. Her last commanding officer, Captain Nycolas Temple, remains on leave from duty."

"Well somehow that shuttle is out here." April complained, pointing to the viewscreen. "And whomever has it, is using it to steal the computer core from the Khonsu wreckage."

"They have it." Grigorian reported gravely.

Nyx had managed to overcome the moving debris field and finished cutting off the compartment door. He had reached in and with a twist of the handle, unlocked the computer core from its casing and slid it out. The section started to break away, heading towards the asteroid field. He had recovered the core just in time to prevent its destruction, but now he had to get back to the Prime intact.

"They won't be able to transport." T'Vara reported, "The same interference preventing us from locking on will make it even more difficult for them to do. I propose they will attempt to cross the distance themselves, or the shuttle will come collect them."

"Either way, we just need to wait for him to try to escape, then we can grab him." April nodded, a smile forming on her face now. She addressed the man on the screen with a little bit of glee. "Well come on now, my friend, you got yourself into this mess now try - "

In a flash, the figure disappeared.

"WHAT!" The Captain cried out.

"They're gone... No, they're on the Prime." Grigorian raised up his arms, "Some kind of instantaneous transport?"

"Curious." T'Vara remarked. She was watching the replay on her screen.

"The Prime is powering engines." Grigorian reported.

"Wait until it is clear of the asteroid belt and fire." Captain Qui ordered, as she returned to her seat. "We can't let them escape with that technology."

[S.S. Prime]

On the shuttle, Nyx placed the computer core down on the spare co-pilot seat as he made his way to the flight deck, removing his helmet as he did. His heart was racing knowing the Marigold was waiting for him to depart. Instead, once the engines were ready, he began to slowly skim across the top of the asteroid belt, deliberately staying within its volatile forces as a means of staying covered. The Marigold appeared unwilling to engage while it remained near the asteroids, giving him the opportunity to escape.

As the Prime continued to fly across the asteroids, ducking and weaving as the giant rocks swirled and moved along their gravitational pull, the USS Marigold followed close by on a pursuit course. Nyx was attempting to keep an eye on the Starfleet vessel while also taking evasive maneuvers to avoid getting crushed by the asteroids. He was also aware that his shields, already drained by trying to protect him from the Khonsu belt's ionic energy field, were starting to run low.

Retrieving the computer core had taken longer than he had anticipated, due to the deterioration of the wreckage and dangerous debris field it was floating within. Those precious minutes lost now meant he had been exposed to Starfleet, and they were determined not to lose their computer core. He wished he could stop and communicate his reason for needing the core, but he could not. He had no idea if the Marigold would be on his side, or if they were working for the Pandora's enemies.

"Now or never." He commented to himself.

With his shields running low, Nyx had no choice but to plot an escape course out of the asteroid field. In a risky maneuver, he waited until a particularly large asteroid was in front of him. As he ducked to the starboard side of the asteroid, he cut the engines of the shuttle, causing it to halt in its position and using the asteroid as cover.

The Marigold continued forwards, searching for the Prime. In the time it took them to attempt to find the shuttle again, Nyx had turned the craft around and exited the asteroid belt in the opposite direction. He punched in his coordinates and hit Warp 9 as soon as he could. The Prime disappeared from view.

As the stars flashed by him within the warp bubble, Nyx sighed a little. But he couldn't relax just yet; he knew the Marigold wouldn't be far behind tracing his warp signature. He had some tricks up his sleeve to try to evade their detection, hopefully he had bought himself enough time and space to deploy his tactics and escape their pursuit.

[USS Marigold]

"Lay in a course to follow the warp trail." Captain April Qui commanded. "They won't get far."

"Captain," T'Vara spoke, peeling her eyes away from her console screen. "When the Prime was engaging warp, its shields were low enough for us to get a reading inside the vessel."

"And?" April asked, knowing something was coming.

"According to the sensors, the thief *was* Captain Nycolas Temple." T'Vara answered gravely.

"Impossible." April breathed out, shaking her head.

"It is confirmed, sir." Grigorian stated from his own station. "Captain Temple was piloting that vessel. He stole the computer core."

A look of concern and conflict passed over April's face. She couldn't fathom why a Starfleet captain would take a yacht from shipyards and steal a data core from a destroyed science station. She started to wonder if T'Vara's suspicions over what had really happened to the Khonsu were right; there was something Starfleet had deliberately not told them. It just didn't add up.

The young captain, however, knew the response that Starfleet would require. This was her first assignment, her first tour. She had the rule book still fresh in her mind and whatever doubts she may have about these events, she was determined to follow the law.

"Issue a directive to Starfleet Command." April said as she stood up, "Captain Temple is under suspicion of theft of a Starfleet vessel and theft of Starfleet property. He is considered an evasive flight risk, under suspicion of possessing unauthorized transport technology of unknown origins. He is to be detained under custody of Starfleet Security as soon as possible."

She paused, the sighed, before saying with determination, "Captain Temple should be treated as a potential enemy of the Federation."

The Bridge was silent as the captain gave out her commands. The heavy possibility of the arrest of a Starfleet captain was only outweighed in magnitude by the possibility that a Starfleet captain had committed treason. Either way, Captain Temple was now wanted for questioning, to determine what exactly he was doing.

In this moment, he went from captain to villain.

OFF