Chapter Text
The Star Beagle Adventures
Episode 11: Heart of the Sunrise
Scene 12: Emergence
11.12
Emergence
“Holy lander, heading directly toward us, warp 7.5. We will intersect in 34 minutes,” reported Lt. Cmdr. Senek.
Captain Howard turned toward the starboard bow wall-sized viewer on the U.S.S. Beagle’s triangular bridge. “Sakura, hail Mako, please.”
“Channel open, Skip,” the lovely Japanese woman replied.
Howard had taken a moment to change his nail polish and eye-shadow from turquoise to his more customary glossy black and Bavarian forest green. “Mako, this is the U.S.S. Beagle, Ronald Howard, XIV commanding.”
A moment later, the image of Commodore Yui Song appeared on the screen. She had evidently just walked from her Captain’s lounge onto the bridge of her flagship. “Beagle, this is U.S.S. Mako, Yui Song commanding. I suspect you’re calling about a destroyer headed at flank speed in your direction. They were just here.”
“What’s their mood?” Howard asked.
“They’re in a hurry,” Yui Song replied. “They popped out of nowhere, right about where our beacon signal seems to be emanating, called us idiots and a few other words which, I’m assuming were rarely used expletives since the universal translator couldn’t handle them. They rushed off in your direction at flank speed.”
“Do you think they’re after me?” Howard asked.
“I think if you stay out of their way and give them a wide berth, they’ll ignore you as if you weren’t even there,” Commodore Yui replied. “They might cuss at you.”
“I think we’ll hail them and raise shields if they don’t respond,” Howard replied.
Commodore Yui nodded. “By the book, Skip. By the book.”
“By the book, Song,” Howard confirmed. “Beagle out.”
“See you here in a few hours.” Yui Song’s image vanished from the view screen.
“Sakura, please hail our 9-legged friends.” Captain Howard leaned back and sprawled all over the overly ornate command throne.
“Channel open.”
“Unidentified vessel, this is the U.S.S. Beagle, Ronald Howard, XIV commanding. Our intentions are peaceful and we are making way for you. Please advise your intentions.”
Almost instantly, a garishly decorated female holy lander appeared on the screen. Until that moment, the idea that these oddly ant-like aliens might wear makeup of any sort had never crossed Skip Howard’s mind. Or anyone else’s. They really weren’t quite certain how to interpret the facial expressions of these aliens, but from her body language, she appeared to be quite agitated. An impression that was strengthened by the sound of her voice:
“You zzhokhrlthbattn holtzenszlackten idiots!!! Turn it off!!! Turn it off!!!”
Just as suddenly as she had appeared on the screen, her image vanished.
“Copy that,” Skip Howard said quietly, then: “Sakura, get Mako back.”
Yui Song was sitting in the command chair on her bridge. “What is it, Skip?”
“Song, I think you’d better turn our beacon off. I think our three-eyed friends are about to blow it to smithereens. I don’t know what they’re so terrified of and I’d really rather not find out.”
“I’d rather leave it on until Escort arrives,” Yui replied. “As soon as I see Escort, we’ll shut it off.”
“Understood,” Howard replied. “Although our friends might blow it up first. I’m going to recall the Whisky 1 probe. No sense letting them blow that up as well. We’ll put it on a course that will allow it to keep eyes on the beacon as long as possible.”
“Approved. See you in a few. Mako out.” Yui responded, before vanishing from the screen again.
“Senek…”
The disturbingly beautiful vulcan responded before Howard could finish his thought. “I have instructed Major Carter to retrieve Whisky 1 and program its course to maintain telemetry while keeping distance from the holy lander ships.”
Nearly 4 hours later, the Beagle joined the Mako. Both the U.S.S. Arizona and the U.S.S. Bluebird had been deployed.
“Deploy the Puppy,” Howard ordered. “We may need to defend this space.”
Dean Sakura Nakamura Holland turned to face the captain. “Mako is calling.”
“On screen.”
Commodore Yui Song appeared on the screen again.“Escort’s signal is getting stronger. We may need to defend this space until she arrives. We’re sending you coordinates for the location from which that holy lander destroyer emerged…”
“Captain, on screen,” came Lt. Cmdr. Senek’s voice. “I have focused sensors on the identified location…”
Howard turned his command throne to see a ship emerging from, apparently, nowhere.
“It’s another holy lander destroyer,” Howard said, quite unnecessarily. Everyone could see it.
The alien vessel didn’t pause, but tore off at warp in the direction the Beagle had come from.
“And they’re heading toward the beacon,” Sakura observed.
“Another ship coming through,” Senek announced. “It is the U.S.S. Escort.”
Captain Skip Howard and Dean Sakura Nakamura Holland both stood up slowly, their eyes widening, expressions tightening with mingled concern and wonder...
On the bridge of the U.S.S. Mako, Commander Jason Bates and Commodore Yui Song got to their feet equally slowly. Both veteran officers drew a slow breath.
“Gods below,” said Bates, quietly, his voice husky, almost a whisper, his head slowly shaking:
“What happened to her?"
Heart of the Sunrise