eBook day
Kirok of L'Stok
of Publishing and Media for TrekUnite, a handsome chap but i'd hate to
be married to him, asked if TU would like to host a day of eBooks on
TrekUnited and, after checking with the management, has given the go-
ahead.
What this means is that they will provide the webspace and organise it
FOR ALL COMERS. You don't have to be a TU member to get published this
means it is open to any Star trek fan fiction writer whether they are
independant or a member of a group like alt.startrek.creative or The
Omega Sector.
Basically we'll take a manuscript and ...
- Arrange and host a cover graphic that can also be downloaded as a
mini-poster
- Host a Link to a "Print on Demand" ready pdf in A4 and US Letter (?)
- Host the book in an embedded Issuu browser assuming it can be done
in mambo, so that it will be available on the Issuu network
- Link to pdf available on the Scribd network
- Link to downloadable eBook in Mobipocket format. NB eBooks can be
advertised on the free eBook forums.
- Link to downloadable eBook in eReader format, which makes it
downloadable to the new iPhone.
What I won't do is copy edit the manuscript - we have neither the time
nor the resources to do that - I'll use the Dean Wesley Smith method
of culling: read the first page then split them into second read and
rejection but in my case the only cause for automatic rejection after
first page is gross misuse of spelling and grammar. Rejection after
second read will only be because of gross spelling/grammar mistakes or
it doesn't fit the M - M15+ category. Ideally I will be looking for 7
- 11 novella / novel length works.
Just quickly, the production schedule would be something like this ...
1. Take an existing FanFic, already copy editted and confirm with
the author that he is happy with it
2. Commission a cover (omega section? DeviantArt?)
3. Produce as a POD (Print On Demand), I have MS Publisher, but I
think it could be done in MSWord or Oo - Full bleed graphic cover - so
that if wanted it could be published by a POD firm (Lulu) - Unlikely
it will ever get printed but this will make the best quality PDF for
subsequent steps
4. Produce as a PDF - I have Adobe Acrobat at work, but PDFCreator
(freeware) is nearly as good, certainly good enough for this job (10
minute job)
5. Lodge on Issuu (10 minute job)
6. Lodge on Scribd (10 minute job)
7. Take the WP/DTP Doc and from either MSWord or Oo (I'm using Oo
for this) turn it into a PML (Palm Markup Language) file using
freeware macros - This is not as easy as I thought but just needs some
development work then it should be another 10 minute job
8. Convert the PML into a PDB (Palm Database?) file using DropBook
(freeware) - as above
9. Similar steps to make an eBook using Book Designer & Mobipocket,
again, once I had a procedure worked out it would be a 20 minute job
10. Create the delivery page linked to the TU frontpage
10. Publicise - Particularly on eBook forums and iPhone/iTouch forums
Gotta run! Any comments / suggestions?
Alan / Kirok
SLWatson
depending on the length. As for commissioning, though, that usually
costs money -- best to line up a list of volunteers first. As for
publishing programs, I usually work in Adobe PageMaker 6.5.
abu...@gmail.com
this to you, and find out if it suits for the ebook day.... it is my Shatner
episode for my Enterprise Virtual Season #5....
"August thirteenth, 2155. Friday the thirteenth." Alan Fitzgerald tugged at
the high collar of his uniform. "Erase entry, computer. Start over." He was
alone on the bridge for another few minutes while the morning shift ate
breakfast. "Captain's log. August thirteenth, 2155. Captain Alan Fitzgerald,
UESPA freighter SS Marianas enroute to Sadarin colony for resupply and
recreation. We are approaching the Alpha Seven Echo star desert. Thirty
lightyears of empty space, after which the United Earth Space Probe Agency
will resume its role as Starfleet's poor second cousin by providing low
cost, low profile support to the outer colonies while the warp five fleet
boldly finds new enemies to fight." Fitzgerald looked into the blackness
stretching out in front of him. "Computer, erase everything after 'empty
space'. Log complete." Fitzgerald looked at the mostly black field on the
viewer. They were just minutes away.
"I don't want to talk about last night's poker game," the first officer,
Commander Alexander Krilenko, was saying as the turbolift door opened. "I
won't play poker with you again."
Four more officers entered the bridge behind Krilenko. Among them,
Lieutenant Commander Tessa Joiner, the chief engineer, laughed, and answered
back, "Because you can't beat me. I see through those mad Russian eyes too
easily."
"No. It is because you cheat." Krilenko laughed also, to show he wasn't mad.
"Russians are the best poker players. We invented poker. Anyone who beats
Russian must be cheating." The discussion ended as they took their stations.
"Mister Gallo," Fitzgerald said to the navigator, "take us in." Guiseppe
Gallo fired up the impulse engines, and the SS Marianas entered the Alpha
Seven Echo star desert. "Take us to warp two. I want to finish this."
Several hours later, as the freighter passed the halfway point of the
region, the utter darkness was suddenly lit up. At the same time, the
Marianas dropped out of warp. "What the hell is that?" Fitzgerald stood
quickly. "Report, Alexander."
"Massive gravitational fields. At least a dozen!" Krilenko studied the
sensor station."It's as if a bunch of stars just materialized. The gravity
wells collapsed our warp field."
"It can't be natural," Fitzgerald said. "Tessa, get down to engineering." He
saw that she was already moving. "Get the warp field back up. I've got a bad
feeling about this."
"Captain," Gallo reported, "we've come to a dead stop. Even maneuvering
thrusters won't move us."
"Ship coming in," Krilenko said. "Configuration unknown."
"Lieutenant Nichols, send out a distress signal."
The tall, black communications officer spent a moment working at his
console. Then he stopped. "Too much interference, sir. I can't get through."
"Prepare to launch flight data recorder buoy." It was a last shot. Not to
save them, but to get word out.
"Ready," Krilenko reported.
"Launch." As the unknown ship approached the Marianas, a small cylindrical
object was ejected. But it traveled less than a yard before slowing to a
stop. From the bridge, Fitzgerald saw the buoy stop as the alien closed with
them. Without hesitating, the alien fired a white energy beam at the buoy,
destroying it instantly. Then it opened fire on the Marianas.
"Communication from the surface, Captain." Archer was in a shuttlepod,
inspecting the final repairs to the Enterprise's hull with Commander Tucker
when Hoshi's voice came through the comm panel. "Admiral Gardner."
"Put him through, Ensign," Archer answered. After glancing at Trip, he spoke
again. "What can I do for you, Admiral?"
"Captain Archer, I need you in my office right away. The Enterprise will be
leaving orbit within the hour." The channel was abruptly cut..
"He's a regular ray of sunshine," Trip commented.
Archer smiled. "I don't think he ever really forgave you for the incident
over Vulcan. I wouldn't worry about him, Trip. We'll be out of here soon
enough."
"Aye, sir. Taking her down." The shuttlepod moved gracefully away from the
spacedocked Enterprise and dropped from orbit.
"What's taking him so long?" Admiral Peter Kirk, head of the Earth force's
United Earth Space Probe Agency, paced back and forth in Gardner's office.
UESPA, the predeccesor to Starfleet, existed parallel with the larger, more
modern space fleet in a role not unlike the merchant marines of the
twentieth century. Their uniforms were starkly different, though. Where
Gardner wore a uniform incorporating the Starfleet uniform with a neck tie,
Kirk's uniform was a simple navy blue high-necked tunic with the UESPA
emblem; a five pointed star, with the top point elongated over his heart.
Four solid braids around the cuffs of the sleeves denoted his rank. Black
slacks and boots completed the naval uniform.
"Captain Archer was in a shuttlepod conducting a final inspection of his
ship when I spoke with him," Gardner answered defensively.
"I'm sure he thinks its important that all the paint matches," Kirk
countered, "but I've got people missing out there, and I'd like to see a bit
more urgency from your captain."
"He'll be here any--" He was interrupted by a chirp at the door. "Enter."
Archer entered quickly. "I apologize for the delay, Admiral. There was a bit
of confusion on approach."
"That's got something to do with why you're here. The head of the United
Earth Space Probe Agency is in from Riverside, Iowa." Gardner gestured to
Kirk. "Admiral, this is Captain Jonathon Archer. Captain Archer, Admiral
Peter Kirk."
"Pleased to meet you, Admiral. I've heard a lot about you." Archer reached
forward to shake Kirk's hand.
Kirk gave Archer a quick, bone-crushing handshake. "How soon can you be
underway, Captain?"
"Immediately, Admiral," Archer answered abruptly. "Can I ask where we're
going?"
Gardner stepped between them and led Archer to a wall display. "The UESPA
freighter SS Marianas has disappeared enroute to the Sadarin colony.
Starfleet monitoring stations lost track of the Marianas as it entered the
Alpha Seven Echo star desert. I want you to start looking there."
"I'll be commanding the mission," Kirk stated bluntly.
"Are you sure that's wise, Admiral?" Gardner asked. "UESPA needs you--"
"The Marianas needs me more. We don't abandon part of the family when it
needs help, Admiral."
"With all due respect, Admiral," Archer countered, "you can trust Enterprise
to get the job done. We'll bring them home."
"All the same, Captain," Kirk answered, "the ship is yours. The mission is
mine."
Archer glanced quickly to Gardner, then back to Kirk. "Anything you say,
Admiral."
"Enterprise starlog, August 16th, 2155," Archer glanced toward the turbolift
door. "Enroute to the Alpha Seven Echo star desert, in search of the SS
Marianas. Proceeding at--" he stopped as the door whooshed open. Admiral
Kirk stepped through with an impatient look on his face. "We're proceeding
at warp 4.5, with an ETA of 96 hours." As Kirk stepped around to address
Archer, he leveled a steely, impatient gaze at him. Archer switched the
recorder off abruptly. "Something I can do for you, Admiral?"
"This is Earth's first warp five ship?"
"Yes." Archer struggled to keep the impatience from his voice. "Was there
something I can do for you, Admiral?"
"You can explain to me why you haven't ordered warp five."
Archer glared at Kirk, an angry retort frozen on his tongue. Then he rose
and turned to T'Pol. "You have the bridge, Commander." He turned his back on
Kirk and stepped toward his ready room. "Join me, Admiral." Then he left the
bridge.
Admiral Kirk moved past T'Pol, eyeing the captain's chair, and catching the
gaze of everyone on the bridge. Then he turned on his heel and followed
Archer into the ready room.
"This is my ship," Archer said with quiet fury in the privacy of the ready
room. "You have no right--"
"This is my mission," Kirk countered. "And those are my people out there. If
you won't do what is necessary to get to them, you can be replaced."
"THIS IS MY SHIP!" This time Archer shouted, not caring if the crew heard.
That caught Kirk off guard. Then he continued in a normal tone of voice. "I
don't care if you disagree with me, or question my judgement. But if you
ever do that in front of my crew again, I'll confine you to quarters."
"You wouldn't dare."
"Try me." Archer realized that he was standing nose to nose with Kirk, and
moved to his desk. "You might be an admiral, and you might be in charge of
this mission. But you don't have the right to question me like that in front
of my crew."
Kirk's jaw worked, and his eyes blazed. Then he turned from Archer and
examined the pictures of previous Enterprises on display. "Agreed," he
muttered. Then he turned back to Archer. "Why 4.5?"
"I've done the math, Admiral. That point five difference will get us to
Alpha Seven Echo twelve hours sooner."
"Twelve hours."
".that could save their lives. I know." Archer paused, trying to imagine
what the crew of the Marianas was going through. "I'm concerned about what
we're going to find when we get there. I think someone took the Marianas,
and I want to make sure the Enterprise is ready for whoever we're going to
find."
"What if you're wrong?" This time there was no anger in Kirk's voice. No
accusation.
"Then their blood will be on my hands." Archer looked into Kirk's eyes, but
his thoughts were in the past. Specifically to the innocent Illyrian crew
he'd stranded in the Delphic Expanse in his hunt for the Xindi weapon.
Stealing their warp coil had been one of the most difficult decisions of his
career, despite his desperate need and assertion that he'd do it again if
necessary, and it had haunted him ever since. Then he was back in the
present, and he saw something in Kirk's eyes. Something like the piracy that
he'd carried out. Something that haunted the admiral. Without thinking about
it, he tapped the comm panel. "Travis, make it warp five."
Kirk nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Captain."
"Captain's personal log, supplemental." Archer looked over at Porthos, who
was sleeping on his bunk. Time to go to bed. He saw the stars streaking by
outside, and all he could think of was a small, nervous crew stranded in a
small, helpless ship, not knowing if help was on the way. He wasn't just
thinking about the Marianas. He was also thinking about the crew he'd
attacked in the Expanse. He still believed it had been the right decision,
and he'd do it again if he had to, but that didn't make it easy to live
with. Finally he found the words for his log."I don't spend too much time
revisiting my decisions. Nobody's perfect, but I can't command if I can't
move on from a decision. So why am I pushing my ship to the limit to shave
twelve hours off of our trip? Because for some reason Admiral Kirk needs me
to. And I'm not going to let him or that crew down." After switching the
recorder off, he lay in the dark for twenty minutes waiting for sleep. Then
he gave up and got out of bed. "Archer to engineering."
"Evening, Captain," Tucker answered. "Aren't you up kinda late?"
"I could ask you the same thing."
"I would be asleep, but someone got it into his head all of a sudden to fly
the ship apart. I'm just trying to keep it together." Then Trip chuckled. "I
wasn't sleeping anyway, Captain. I'll see if I can't squeeze a little more
out the engines."
"Thanks Trip. Then get some sleep. Archer out." He smiled, knowing that Trip
was working on it.
"Engineering to Captain Kirk!"
Captain Peter Kirk, commanding the USS Enterprise XCV 330 Warp Testbed, knew
from the worried tone of Chief Kelley's voice that things weren't going
well. But he also knew that from the constant shuddering of the ship under
him. "Go, Kelley."
"I'm having trouble stabilizing the rings. The ion storm--"
Kirk could hear shouting in the background, as well as the monotone of
Vulcans telling them all what to do. "I know. How bad is it?"
"Bad enough, Captain," Kelley answered. "If I can't lock them down, they'll
go."
It was time for a decision. "You've got one minute to stabilize or get out.
Kirk out." He looked around the small dark bridge that lay at the heart of
the command pod. Six UESPA technicians looked to him for answers, just as
six Vulcans seemed to be waiting for him to make mistakes. "Helm, disengage
from the warp engines. Stand by on maximum thrust from the fusion drive."
"Your decision to go through the ion storm was an error," Setal, the chief
Vulcan advisor said.
"I'm aware of that, Advisor," Kirk snapped back. "Unless you have anything
constructive to add, please keep your seat." Then he turned to the
operations officer. "Mack, give me reverse angle on viewer."
What he saw didn't improve his mood. The rings that were attached to the
cylindrical hull were spinning faster than they should, and they had
acquired a noticable wobble. Engineering Chief Kelley would be in that
section of the cylinder, working frantically with a staff of twenty
specialists to stabilize the rings, while Kirk and the command crew in the
small command pod on the forward end of the cylinder waited and watched. The
rings weren't stabilizing. He tapped the comm panel built in to the arm of
his command chair. "Chief Kelley, evacuate engineering. Get out of there."
Get out!! He wanted to shout, but didn't have to. They all knew.
"It's okay, Captain," Kelley answered. "I can--"
An explosion cut Kelley off, and engulfed the warp rings. It would destroy
the entire ship in seconds if he didn't act quickly. "Emergency separation,
Mack! Helm, engage fusion drive!" Kirk watched as the aft half of the
Enterprise fell away in a shower of explosive bolts. The remnants of the
rings broke up, and the cylinder started to drift back into the grasping
tendrils of the ion storm. Twenty-one people would know that they were going
to die as their captain escaped. And with them, he feared, the death of
Earth's warp fleet. Enterprise XCV 300, which had been envisioned and even
named by Zephram Cochrane, had been flying for almost a year, having
launched a short sixty years after First Contact with the Vulcans. It was
the first real fusion of Earth and Vulcan science, and he was watching it
die. The United Earth Space Probe Agency would be a minor footnote, and the
names Kirk and Enterprise would be associated with failure.
Admiral Peter Kirk awoke with a start. That terrible moment, more than
thirty years later, never left him. He suffered through the same dream at
least twice a week every week. He'd gotten off lucky. Enough had been
learned from the warp testbed to lay the groundwork for the NX program, and
they kept moving. And Kirk the hero had ended up running UESPA. But he also
vowed to never abandon another crew.
"Approaching the Alpha Seven Echo star desert," T'Pol announced quietly.
Archer glanced at Kirk, and took a breath. He'd arrived on the bridge an
hour early, only to find Kirk wandering from station to station and
questioning the gamma shift crew. He hadn't made any comments, but the
understanding that they'd reached early in the mission seemed to have
diminished in the last few days as they'd been forced to wait. Now there was
a cold silence between them that Archer felt powerless to broach. So he let
it go. "Warp two, Travis. Intensive scan ahead, T'Pol." After a quick glance
at Kirk, he turned to Reed. "Malcolm, polarize the hull plating." The stars
began to recede as Enterprise slipped into the star desert.
Two hours later, they were still waiting for something to happen. "Nothing,"
Admiral Kirk said as he paced the deck behind Archer. "We should be doing
something. Going faster."
"According to the plasma decay rate of the Marianas' warp trail," T'Pol
said, "the ship was travelling at warp two when it entered the star desert.
If we hope to recreate the circumstances that led to the disappearance of
the Marianas, logic dictates we must do the same."
"What?" Kirk asked.
"She means that--" Archer began.
"I know what she means," Kirk snapped. "This isn't a science experiment,
it's a rescue mission."
"It's an unknown disappearance, Admiral," Archer measured out his words
carefully, to avoid losing his temper. "We might have already lost one ship.
We either do this my way or we don't do it at all." Then he deliberately
turned to T'Pol. "Are you still following their warp trail?"
"The trail has just vanished, Captain." One eyebrow raised meaningfully.
"Unnaturally so."
"What do you think caused it?"
"Impossible to--" T'Pol was interrupted by chaos on the bridge as the ship
was slammed out of warp. At the same time, the viewscreen flared with
brilliant light.
"Tactical alert!" Archer yelled as picked himself up from the deck. Then he
lurned to T'Pol. "Report!"
"Gravitational fields have collapsed our warp field." She seemed glued to
her science station. "Twelve devices materialized in our path."
"Engineering to bridge!" Trip's voice erupted from the speakers.
Archer tapped the comm panel. "Go ahead."
"Warp field collapsed, Captain." Trip sounded busy. "We've got to clear
those gravity wells."
"We're working on it, Trip. Bridge out." Archer cut the channel quickly.
"Reverse course, Travis. Full impulse."
"No response," Mayweather answered. "We're at a dead stop."
"Dampening field in effect, Captain," T'Pol reported as she looked into the
hooded science viewer. "Reading debris ahead." After a moment's silence, she
straighted and turned to Archer. "Polarized duranium hull fragments."
Kirk's face darkened, and he cast an accusing glance at Archer. "We're too
late." Then he turned to T'Pol. "Full scan."
T'Pol glanced quickly at Archer, who nodded. Then she went back to the
viewer. "Insufficient mass to be the Marianas. No bodies. No plasma residue.
It appears to be the outer casing of the ship's flight data recorder."
"Is the black box intact?" Archer asked. A reference to twentieth century
avaiation technology, the black box was the protected memory core of the
ship's sensor data. It was the last chance to get information if all else
was lost.
"Scanning," she answered.
"Ships coming in," Reed reported. "Unknown configuration. They're firing."
White energy beams shot from three ships consisting of twin outrigger hulls,
connected by small pylons. The outriggers glowed yellow with power.
Enterprise rocked under the assault, and the ships sailed past them. "Hull
plating down to eighty percent."
"The black box is intact," T'Pol reported.
"Travis, bring us around," Archer ordered. "Follow them."
"Manuevering thrusters aren't responding, Captain. We're dead in space."
Mayweather sounded frustrated.
"Acknowledged." Archer turned to tactical. "Malcolm, phase cannons. Computer
lock and fire."
"Aye sir," Reed answered crisply. Then he swore softly under his breath.
"Would you like to repeat that, Lieutenant?" Archer asked.
"Sorry, sir," Reed said. "The sensors can't lock on. Too much interference
from those devices."
Archer absorbed this and turned quickly to T'Pol. "What are they?"
After gazing into her viewer for a second, T'Pol answered. "Atomic fusion
generators. Energy output totals the equivalent of a G-type star."
"They're coming around for another pass," Reed reported.
"Stand by on the grappler, Malcolm," Archer ordered. "I think we've got one
shot."
"Standing by, sir." Reed watched, trying to avoid a feeling of helplessness.
Then the alien ship suddenly appeared on a course that would take it in
range of the grappler. "Firing," he said quietly as he fired. In less than a
second, the grappler shot out and attached itself to the other ship.
"Great," Archer said. Then the ship was wrenched from its position, throwing
everyone on the bridge from their seats."Phase cannons." Phase cannons fired
even as the Enterprise was dragged along behind the fleeing enemy. Two quick
flashes of light were seen from the careening bridge.
"Enemy shields at seventy-five percent," T'Pol reported.
"And the others are coming around," Reed reported.
"Photonic torpedoes," Archer snapped. "Maximum yield. Quickly!" Two photonic
torpedoes belched from the forward emitter, catching the struggling enemy as
it squirmed to free itself. "Release the grappler," Archer ordered. But it
was too late. The still-unidentified ship exploded, taking the grappler ends
with it.
Enterprise drifted along on momentum, as the remaining enemies swung around
cautiously. Archer turned to T'Pol. "Scan one of those generators. Can we
destroy it?"
T'Pol took only seconds to find an answer. "If we did, it would set off a
chain reaction that would destroy us and severely disrupt the local
space-time continuum." Then she stood up. "Fortunately, we are not capable
of destroying it."
"Fortunately," Archer repeated, with more than a hint of sarcasm. "Continue
scanning the black box. I want an." As he said that, the bridge rocked from
another attack, and Archer felt the bridge dissolve around him.
". swers." Archer felt angry and helpless, even before he was fully aware of
his surroundings. He'd materialized inside of a large chamber, facing seven
aliens who resembled, more than anything else, bipedal cats. "Who are you?"
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Admiral Kirk standing still with barely
contained fury.
The tallest of the cats opened its mouth to hiss at Archer, showing a
mouthful of sharp teeth and long fangs and speaking to him in a voice that
sounded like a hellish version of a cat his dad had owned when he was a kid.
Then it brandished a long, elegantly deadly rifle at him. Archer glanced at
Kirk, and found himself gaining strength from the ramrod straight legend.
"Where is the crew of the Marianas?" He couldn't help but wonder what was
happening to Enterprise.
The cat snarled at him again, then spoke to the others. Six more of the
rifles were raised, and pointed at Kirk and Archer. The message was
unmistakable. Move along or die here. So he moved along with Kirk, as they
were marched down a corridor that was similar to those on Enterprise, except
that the bulkheads were covered with animal pelts and weapons of infinite
and alien design, suspended in webbing.
They finally found themselves herded into a large cargo bay. There were
numerous cargo cases with the UESPA logo still prominent behind scorch
marks, and a corner of the bay was caged off. Kirk and Archer exchanged
glances, and studied the cargo. "Pirates," Archer whispered.
That was rewarded with the crash of an alien rifle butt on Archer's back. He
stumbled forward, falling against a very low-tech cage. "Admiral Kirk!"
Captain Fitzgerald dragged himself up to attention. His face was haggard,
and showed signs of having been beaten with the same rifle butts.
Seconds later, Kirk and Archer were shoved into the cell with Fitzgerald.
"What happened?" Kirk asked.
Fitzgerald recounted the attack on the Marianas as it traveled through the
Alpha Seven Echo star desert. "They're called 'Lyrans', according to my comm
officer. Dozens of them boarded the ship as soon as we were disabled. Then
they dragged the ship back through a portal of some kind. It wasn't there
before we were stopped." He looked at Kirk, then to Archer.
Archer couldn't help but think of what was probably happening to Enterprise
right now. "What happened to the Marianas?"
"It's still here," Fitzgerald answered. "I saw them moving her into the
middle of a bunch of other ships. Just before they dragged me off of their
bridge." He looked at a far bulkhead, as if looking in the direction of his
ship. "The crew--"
"Where are they?" Kirk as gently as he could.
"They're in the cargo module."
"Are they..." Archer let his words trail off, unwilling to say the word.
Dead.
"I don't know," Fitzgerald answered. "It's pressurized, and with life
support."
"There might be a slave trade," Archer said. "We've run into Orions doing
the same thing."
"We need to get to them," Kirk said bluntly. "And then retake the Marianas."
"First we need to get out of here," Archer said.
The Lyrans boarded Enterprise at the same time that Archer and Kirk were
transported out, taking over the bridge and engineering simultaneously with
surprise and strength of numbers. "Where is Captain Archer?" T'Pol demanded.
One of the aliens raised a rifle and hissed at T'Pol before shrieking in its
own language that reminded her of her pet sehlat. "Ensign?"
Hoshi raised her eyebrows. "It's a little early to tell," she answered. Then
she was surprised to see one of them moving to her station. It manipulated
the universal translator unit briefly, then turned to the other Lyrans and
howled angrily.
"You are prisoners of the Lyran White Fang Duchy," the leader now was able
to tell them. "Resistance will be rewarded with death."
"Where is Captain Archer?" T'Pol repeated.
"Your vessel is being towed to a salvage station," the big cat said.
"Instruct your crew to surrender if you want them to survive."
T'Pol was silent for a moment, as the logic of the situation became
apparent. "Put me on shipwide, Ensign."
"Commander!" Reed objected.
"Ensign..." T'Pol repeated, without taking her eyes off of the head Lyran.
Hoshi gulped, then complied. Then T'Pol continued. "All hands, stand down.
Mister Tucker, take special care with the--" she paused briefly, as her
thoughts raced, "--hoodwink generator."
Tucker managed to keep a straight face as he listened to T'Pol. "You heard
her," he said to the Lyran pointing a rifle at him. "If I don't lock it
down, we'll have a paraborg cascade in the bermanbragganater!"
"What is a bermanbragganater?" The voice, filtered through a universal
translator, sounded too human for Trip to associate it with the cat-like
creature holding an exotic rifle at him.
"Well, that's what keeps the canon from aligning."
"The canon?"
"Yeah," Trip said. "See, the canon fires up the input outflow manifold, and
resequences the fecal ejection through the oscillating blade. If the
bermanbragganator cuts out and lets the canon align, nothing stops the
shi..." He paused, as the Lyran tilted its head in confusion. "Well, you end
up with a hell of a mess in your face."
"What do you have to do?"
"Well, see this here?" He pointed to a manual EPS flow regulator. "Now that
we're moving again, we've got to be real careful it doesn't become--" He
slammed the control open and cowered in mock terror. "Get away from it!"
Explosives danced harmlessly from the warp core to panels along bulkheads
all around them. He tapped a comm panel. "Tucker to bridge! Look out!" Then
he lunged at the guard, who was looking around confused. Seconds later, he
had the rifle and was pointing it at his captor. "Tell 'em to drop their
weapons." He put the barrel against the Lyran's head. "Now!" After a few
snarls that the universal translator failed to interpret, the rest of the
Lyrans in engineering gave up.
The pyrotechnic display reached the bridge in seconds, blowing out the
engineering station but distracting the Lyrans enough for Reed to draw a
phase pistol and stun them.
"Good work, Lieutenant," T'Pol said. Then she tapped a comm panel. "Security
to the bridge." On the viewscreen, they could all see as the Lyran ship was
towing them into a circular device that seemed to have appeared out of
nowhere. "Ensign Mayweather, stand by. If we are able to manuever once we
pass through that device, we'll need to react quickly. Mister Reed, prepare
to target enemy vessels."
As Enterprise passed through the Lyran portal, T'Pol noted that the fusion
generators that had pulled them from warp seemed to vanish. Then she saw the
cylindrical Marianas floating nearby, along with a single cargo module
attached to its aft quarter. It reminded her of the basic design of most
Vulcan starships, as well as the early warp testbed ships that Earth and
Vulcan had built together.
Major Stiles chose that moment to arrive on the bridge, flanked on both
sides by MACO's under his command. "Commander?"
"Take these to the brig," she indicated the Lyrans sprawled on the deck.
"And relieve Commander Tucker of his as well."
"Acknowledged," Stiles answered. Without another word, the officers lifted
the stunned Lyrans and hauled them to the turbolift.
"Scan for lifesigns on the Marianas," T'Pol ordered Reed.
"Scanning," Reed answered. "Thirty lifeforms in the main body of the ship.
All Lyran." He turned to face her. "And we're out of 'hoodwink generators'."
T'Pol raised one eyebrow. "Scan the cargo module." The ship that occupied
her attention, however, was the large twin-hulled catamarran craft towards
the center of the formation. It was easily the size of a Vulcan Selek Class
Heavy Cruiser.
"Scanning beams are being dispersed. There's no way to tell," he answered.
Then he turned the scanner to the large ship. "I've can't scan inside the
cruiser either."
"Discontinue scanning, Mister Reed. If they realize we're--" But it was too
late. Disruptors from the Lyran heavy cruiser slammed into Enterprise.
"Evasive manuevers. Target their weapons."
Archer, Kirk, and Fitzgerald were all thrown backwards as the ship rocked
under them. "It's about time," Kirk said.
At that moment, two Lyran guards approached the makeshift cell with their
rifles drawn. One opened the door while the other covered the prisoners.
"Fitzgerald. Come" While the second kept the group covered, the first
entered the cage and pulled Fitzgerald out by the neck.
Archer tensed on his feet, wanting to take some kind of action while the
door was open, but Kirk stopped him with a hard look and a quick shake of
his head. "Not now," he whispered. They both watched helplessly as
Fitzgerald was dragged away across the rocking deck. When they were alone
again, Kirk spoke softly. "Thanks, Captain, but we would've been killed. Do
you think Enterprise can take these Lyrans?"
"It's a good ship, and the best crew in the fleet," Archer answered. "We've
been in tougher scrapes than this. I also think that they've boarded the
ship, unless they've got their own universal translator. But I'd say--" he
paused as the ship rocked again, "--we took the ship back."
"We need to find a weapon," Kirk said, "and be ready to move when we get the
chance." They both turned to the haphazard piles of equipment littering the
cell.
Captain Fitzgerald found himself transported to the last place he expected.
The bridge of the Marianas. He glared at the Lyran officer that
materialized next to him. "What the hell do you want?"
"Computer codes," it answered. "Command codes."
"Go to hell," he answered.
The Lyran hissed at him and pointed a small tricorder at the viewscreen.
"Your crew." On the viewscreen, Fitzgerald could see his crew packed into
the cargo module. "Release the command codes or we'll destroy them."
Fitzgerald answered by throwing himself headfirst at the Lyran. "Get off my
ship!" It felt like he was attacking a tree trunk with muscles, but
Fitzgerald was happy to be finally fighting back.
"It doesn't matter what you do," the Lyran said as it picked Fitzgerald up
and threw him against the helm console. "We've taken over this ship."
Fitzgerald felt the manual steering yoke dig into his side, and quickly
snapped off the restraining bolt. Then a quick counterclockwise snap freed
it from the console. Finally, as he heard the Lyran stepping towards him, he
whipped it around, catching the big cat on the side of its head. Another
swing under the chin yielded a satisfying 'snap' and a splash of blood. As
the cat shrieked at him, Fitzgerald grabbed it's head and kicked up with one
knee. The Lyran finally slumped, and Fitzgerald dropped it to the deck. "One
at a time," he said.
Then he found himself looking frantically around the bridge for something to
do that would make a difference. He knew there would be at least thirty of
them on the ship, and they would be between him and his crew. He needed
help.
"Maintain fire, Lieutenant. We need to bring those shields down." T'Pol was
standing next to Reed when the comm panel beeped.
"Enterprise! Enterprise!" Hoshi jumped as the voice came out of the
speakers.
"Put it on screen, Ensign." T'Pol turned to the screen. "Captain
Fitzgerald?"
"Enterprise, the Lyrans have cut the connection from my bridge to the cargo
module. I can't disconnect them, and I--"
"Is your crew in the cargo module?"
"Yes," Fitzgerald answered. "You're going to have to use your weapons to
break the module free."
"That will damage the Marianas," T'Pol cautioned him. "Perhaps beyond
repair."
"This isn't about the ship, Commander. It's about my crew."
"Understood, Captain. Do you know where our captain is being held?"
"I can send you coordinates," he said. Just then, an explosion behind him
made him turn around. The turbolift door rattled and came off its track. The
rest of the Lyrans were coming through. He quickly transmitted the
coordinates. "I'm running out of time, but I'll to try to get the Lyran
shield down first." He gave T'Pol a hard look. "Get my crew to safety,
Commander."
"Acknowledged," T'Pol answered. "Enterprise out. Mister Reed, target the
juncture between the Marianas and its cargo module. Minimal power on phase
cannons." Then she tapped the comm panel. "Engineering, what is the status
of the grappler?"
"We've been a little busy down here," Trip answered. "But I found time to
fix it for you."
"Good work," she said. "Bridge out." Then she turned to Reed. "Fire." She
watched as the phase cannon struck the Marianas. There was a small
explosion, and the cargo module began to drift free. "Can you get a lock on
the captain?"
"Negative," Reed answered. "Even if he does bring their shields down, I
might not be able to get a lock. And our hull plating is down to twenty
percent. A few more hits and we're done for."
"I may have a way to get a transporter lock," T'Pol said. "Bridge to
Commander Tucker."
Fitzgerald felt shrapnel from the turbolift door hit him in the neck as
viewscreen showed the Enterprise catching the cargo module with two grappler
lines. "There you go," he muttered. "Get 'em home." Then he activated the
impulse drive, and set a collision course with the Lyran cruiser. "Come on,
baby," he said as he looked around the bridge. "One more job to do." Then he
heard the Lyrans pushing onto the bridge. "This isn't your ship anymore," he
turned to face them. "It's an Earth ship." That was when the Lyran rifles
flared, and he felt his legs cut out from under him. Seconds later, they
were all slammed forward as the Marianas crashed through the Lyran shields.
"Shields are down," Reed announced. "They've stopped firing." Then he tried
to scan for Archer and Kirk. "Still no lock on the captain."
"Transporter room, energize," T'Pol ordered. "Keep a lock on that
transmitter, Mister Reed. It's all we've got."
Kirk and Archer were testing the laser torches they'd found at the bottom of
the pile of equipment when the Lyran ship dipped to one side, and they
suddenly found themselves slammed against the locked gate. "We can cut our
way out," Archer said. "Then find some way to contact the Enterprise."
That was when a Lyran went skidding across the deck, finally catching hold
of the gate. "Stay where you are," it hissed.
"Go to hell," Archer answered. Then he pointed the torch at the Lyran and
fired it up. The Lyran screeched in pain. At that moment, the deck righted
itself, and they all fell again. Archer took advantage of the distraction to
cut the gate open. "Let's go!" He pushed the door open, and started to rush
out when the Lyran guard slammed into him again. This time, claws scrabbled
to get to his face, and he had to struggle furiously to avoid them.
As Kirk saw Archer struggling with the Lyran, he suddenly heard the whine of
a transporter behind him. A communicator with a tricorder attached to it was
on the deck, sliding around as the ship continued to take fire. He ran for
it, and ended up sliding around himself before he managed to get to it.
"Enterprise!"
"Admiral Kirk?" It was T'Pol. "Is Captain Archer with you? We have to beam
you out quickly."
"Stand by," Kirk answered. He noticed that the communicator was jury-rigged
open, and obviously using the tricorder to boost its signal, so he took care
not to close it. Then he ran at the Lyran with his laser torch in front of
him. He hit the Lyran at full speed, just as its claws were cutting across
Archer's face. One quick flash of the laser made the Lyran jump away. Then
Kirk wrapped an arm around Archer and spoke into the communicator.
"Enterprise, beam us up!"
"Transporter room, report!" T'Pol demanded.
"We got 'em, Bridge," Trip answered.
"Is the cargo module secure?" she asked Reed.
"It's attached to the port ventral hard contact point with a magnetic
coupler. As long as we don't shake it around too much--" he answered.
"That is sufficient. Ensign Mayweather, take us through that portal at full
impulse, then go to warp as soon as we're clear."
"Acknowledged." Mayweather started to bring Enterprise around as they built
up speed. "The Lyran is coming around."
"Target its drive system, Mister Reed. Photonic torpedoes." T'Pol watched as
the Enterprise started to pass through the device. Suddenly the bridge
rocked as disruptors slammed into them.
Seconds later, they emerged into the star desert. Without warning, the
fusion generators reappeared, stopping the Enterprise dead in space. "What's
going on?" It was Captain Archer.
T'Pol moved away from the captain's chair quickly. "The Lyrans have
reactivated the fusion generators. There does not appear to be a dampening
field in place."
"Target their warp core, Malcolm," Archer ordered. "Fire all weapons." A
full spread of photonic torpedoes slammed into the Lyran ship, along with
phase cannon beams. In seconds, the huge ship was blown apart, creating a
shock wave that pushed the smaller Enterprise out of the area. At the same
time, a series of explosions tore through all twelve fusion generators. The
result was a colorful nebula that Enterprise was lucky to be tossed out of.
A short time later, Archer and Kirk sat in his office, watching the stars
fly by as they warped back to Earth. "The crew of the Marianas is alive,
Admiral," Archer said as he poured two whiskeys. "Captain Fitzgerald gave
his life to save them and us."
"And that's what's really important," Kirk answered. "You know, I never
thought there'd be a Starfleet. I thought we'd never make it this far."
"We made it," Archer said. "We made it because of people like Captain
Fitzgerald. And because of Captain Peter Kirk."
"You read the logs," Kirk said without bitterness.
"I had to know what was pushing you, Admiral. And you know, you did what was
right. You helped to push us out here. There'd be no warp five engine
without a Captain Kirk to pave the way. No NX program without the first
Enterprise to prove we could do it."
"To the Enterprise," Kirk raised his glass. "To all of them."
Archer touched his glass to Kirk's. "To the Enterprise."
hope you all like it.....
Kapact
Kirok of L'Stok
pile!
I've posted an announcement on the TrekUnited forum, here <http://
www.trekunited.com/community/index.php?showtopic=17805> based on what
we have here. Like I said in my second post ...
"For the purposes of this project, the eBook day, I want to make each
download a significant size - over 40,000 words. However that's not to
say that the volume might not be made up of shorter works.
The only thing I'd stipulate would be that the volume as a whole would
have to have a unified theme or subject, it could be a canon
character, a communally written storyline, episodes of a virtual
season, sorts about a ship, an era or a subject-based theme in the
vein of Starfleet Corps of Engineers or The Captain's Table books."
At 6,500 words what you have here is a little short for a book BUT
three episodes would fit beautifully! You needn't call it a virtual
season if you don't want to continue with it but you might find that
releasing three ep's as a teaser for it could get you interest from
others who might want to help continue it.
A / K
mark abukoff
emailed? And thanks for reading it. I really appreciate that...
Kapact
Kirok of L'Stok
Remember this is a submission and not a guarentee of acceptance. I detest the idea that as the editor of a 'zine (two actually!) and the publisher of the eBooks I'm going to be placed in a situation where i'm going to have to grade works competitively when that goes against the whole idea of fan fiction. However (hopefully) I'm going to be offered more fiction than I can publish and there are some that are definitely more deserving to be read than others!
Actually it'll be the ones who don't make it that I'll be offering more critique to than the ones who do because they're the ones who need it and I'd hate to feel that I'd discouraged someone!
I'd never make it as J. Jonah Jameson!
Alan / Kirok
mark abukoff
also, I'm making good progress on Fantasy Trek. I'm giving myself a deadline of December 1st for a PDF. That'll leave time for any necessary edits. the blogsite fantasytrek.blogspot.com has what updates I've done. I've even added a "Command Course" in the form of weekly "What Are Your Orders, Captan?" 'you make the call-style' tactical exercises. Even with that added fun, it looks good for December 1st....
Cheers
Kapact
Kirok of L'Stok
Ah! I know the version of the Enterprise you mean - appeared as a painting in one of the movies? Actually that would be even better!
Looks like I'm gonna have to call in some of the second strings but It'll still be an entertaining event - not every day has to be a blockbuster download!
Gotta blaze
Alan / Kirok
mark abukoff wrote: