Mission 2: Graveyard Shift

Even in death, the work isn't always done!

Chapter 1: Playing Games

USS da Vinci
3rd January 2402 15:00

Captains Log: 03/01/2402

I’m still having problems getting my head around the implications of Doctor Sunny’s findings.  Even some of his colleagues which he’d liaised with after the autopsies had been left speechless.  The mere thought of what the doctor has suggested has been confounding.  Someone is doing their best to cover things up, and had hoped the bodies would have been destroyed before anyone could examine them.  Armed with the information we now have; we are currently heading for Tartarus II, in the hope of uncovering the truth.

<End Log>

Commander Anacostia-Bolling, turned the Padd idly in her hand.  She’d read the report soon after Doctor Sunny had compiled it, read it again almost immediately and probably a dozen times since then.  She’d worked with him for several years, so knew he was not a man for embellishment or fanciful thinking.  He relied on facts and it was facts that were pointing towards something bizarre and frankly unnerving.

Each of the bodies recovered from the USS Stavanger showed signs of having been fitted with positronic implants; which had clearly been removed by a skilled surgeon, the evidence was microscopic, but it was still there, if you looked close enough.  They all displayed various levels of organ damage or complete failure; and if that wasn’t weird enough, their blood had been replaced by an artificial created substitute.  Everyone was at a loss as to why this had happened to them.

There were other subtle clues; that once all added together had brought them to this place.  At least two of them had been miners, both of them along with several of the others had been inoculated for the same disease within the past year, and one individual had spores from a rare plant lodged in her nasal cavity.  Together those pieces of information, pointed to Tartarus II.

The com-system whistled. “Bridge to Captain.”

“Go ahead Number One.” The Commander replied.

“We are now approaching Tartarus II.” The Trill First Officer announced.

“Ok, I’m on my way.” Anacostia-Bolling , placed the Padd down on her desk and headed for the bridge.

Everyone seemed to calmly go about their duties, the Commander having swiftly done away with the formalities of announcing her arrival.  To Mary it just sounded so pompous and unnecessary, it also seem to act as much as a distraction as it was a warning to ‘look sharp, the boss is here!’

Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley, vacated the Captains seat and gave a brief run-down of the situation.  The most disturbing of which was that the closest of the planetary defense satellites was now currently targeting them.

“Are we in range of that things weapons?” The Commander asked.

“Negative Captain.” Her Tactical Officer replied.  “Another five minutes at our current speed and heading.”

“Helm, bring use to a stop.”  Anacostia-Bolling requested.  “And comms, see if you can raise someone on the surface.  I don’t like having guns pointed at my head.”

She did a quick calculate, using the computer interface linked into her seats right armrest.  As suspected the satellite was keeping them just outside transporter range.  It seemed an age before the face of a middle aged man with short jet black hair, noticeable stubble and tired heavy set eyes; dressed in grubby pale blue overalls appeared on the screen.

“Maintenance Technician Kilcannon.”  The man droned in a thick Irish accent.  “How can I help?”

“You can help by pointing those defence satellites in the other direction.”  The Commander answered firmly.

“Do you have an appointment?” The man enquired; not seeming to notice or possibly care, who it was he was addressing.

Anacostia-Bolling took a deep breath. “What the heck would I need with an appointment?”

“Standard Company procedures miss.” Kilcannon replied.  “Strict security of this facility needs to maintained at all times.”

That sounded like a man reading from the company’s manual; and it was interesting to note, that they thought of this place as a facility and not a planet with living breathing humans on it.  She also considered the idea that if they’d thought more about security in the first place; many lives could have been saved.  “Who’s in charge down there?”

“That would be myself.”

“Then why don’t you disengage your weapons and allow us to get within transporter range?”  The Commander felt it rather odd that a technician would have been left in charge of the place.

“I’ll need to clear that with Head Office first.  I’m not authorised to do that.”

The Commander closed her eyes for a brief moment, contemplating how big an incident it would create if she ordered her crew to open fire and destroy the nearest satellite, but instead reluctantly agreed to hold position and wait.  When the image of the Maintenance Technician disappeared from the main view screen to be replaced by a view of the planet, she leaned back in her chair.  “And you can stop smiling.” The Commander lightheartedly chastised her XO; who from experience she knew was at the back of the bridge, enjoying how frustrated her Captain was getting.

Diplomacy wasn’t one of Anacostia-Bolling’s strong points, she knew that, and she’d picked up a lot of bad habits from her own Captain; whilst she’d been an XO.  Robert Eglin had been a man of few words and charged phaser banks.  It was no wonder then, that he’d spent the majority of his career chasing after criminals and pirates; rather than shaking hands with planetary dignitaries.  No, she may be in command of her own ship now, but Mary had as much to unlearn as she needed to learn, and probably not all that much time to do it in.  Regardless, having to wait was still annoying.

The Trill First Officer carried on her work with a smile. “Our friend down there appears to be the only humanoid life sign I’m registering.”

The Commander turned as far as she could in her chair, looking over the backrest.  “What about the workforce and the civilian population?”

“As far as I’m able to tell.” The Lieutenant-Commander replied.  “Other than a few examples of wildlife, there is no one.”

“Funny they never mentioned that everyone had left when we made enquires.”  The Commander pondered.  “Or that we’d need to jump through hoops just to get down there.”

“What puzzles me.” The XO continued.  “Is the indications of recent activity.”

This was enough to get Anacostia-Bolling out of her chair; and heading over to the Science Station, were her friend and First Officer currently sat.  Leaning on the back of the Trills chair she read through the data presented to her on the screen.

Before they’d arrived in system, things had been happening down on that planet.  Dissipating heat signatures indicated much of the mines surface equipment and machinery had been in operation, up until that point.  Far more than one lone individual could operate, even with a high level of automation.  Now everything was silent and still.  Someone was playing games, and Anacostia-Bolling didn’t like games.

 

Chapter 2: Being Seen

USS da Vinci / Tartarus II
3rd January 2402 16:20

Commander Anacostia-Bolling and Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley; had both headed off to Sickbay, in order to have one final word with Doctor Sunny, before anyone beamed down to the planet.

Doctor Tanzim Sunny, by virtue of being the only doctor currently serving aboard ship was the Chief Medical Officer; he had under him two nurses, an orderly and the ships EMH.  It was their combined role to treat and care for the 77 strong crew of which they were currently part of.  Like the two female officers, he was a veteran of their previous posting.  He had been the doctor who’d been forced to perform the emergency operation that had resulted in Alara receiving the symbiont that had resided inside her late husband.  She may have resented him for that at first, but she knew it had been unavoidable, so the friendship and trust she’d shared with him had soon returned.  Alara was still growing accustomed to her new life as a host and all the thoughts and memories that came with it; however her life was more settled now.

The nurse on duty pointed them in the direction of his office, and they waited outside a moment, before he called them in.  “Ah, Commanders.” He smiled, in a way that indicated so far today he hadn’t had to deal with any crewmembers doing in his view; stupid things, to get themselves injured.  He waved a hand at the two chairs on the opposite side of his desk.  “How can I help?”

They both sat. “Well as I’m sure you’re aware; we’ve reached Tartarus II.” The Commander announced.  “The plan is, once we’ve been cleared, Alara here, will beam down with her party.  Whilst she keeps this Mr Kilcannon busy, you and a couple of others can take a look around the facility.”

“Very sneaky and clandestine.” Sunny commented, folding his hands in his lap.

“What exactly is it you’re hoping to find down there?” The XO enquired.

“A room full of Bio-beds or Regeneration Alcoves.” Was the answer he gave her.

“Are you talking, Borg Regeneration Alcoves here?” The Trill asked with concern.

“Not exactly.” The doctor replied. “I believe someone has been studying the technology and has made an equivalent device.”

“Your basing this on the bodies we recovered?” The Commander chipped in.

“That is my opinion, yes.” Sunny replied.  “Several colleagues have expressed the same thoughts”.

“They’ve been attempting to bring their dead workers, back to life!” Alara gasped. “That’s horrible, but why?”  It was Ley, her symbiont that provided the answer first. ‘A cheap work force who’ll never need paying and that will never complain about the conditions.’

“I believe their brains; have been augmented by cybernetic and positronic equivalent components to replace what was damaged when the Borg severed the link.”

If this genuinely was what the Hana Corporation were doing down on that planet, this was one of the most inhuman acts imaginable, they had to be stopped; and the best way to do that was to gather the proof.

**********

Another hour passed before the defence satellites finally went into standby mode and allowed the da Vinci to get within safe transporter range.  Roughly five minutes later, three figures appeared a few metres from the door at the base of the Control Tower; which was where Maintenance Technician Kilcannon had said he would meet them.  Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley stepped forward and introduced herself; along with her two colleagues; Lieutenant Grav, the Tellarite Security Chief and crewman Niroc who was an engineer with computer programming skills; listed amongst his talents.

Kilcannon seemed a little weary and on edge, as he shock their hands.  He tried to act friendly; but it was clear he didn’t want them there.  It was clear the Company as a whole, didn’t want them there, but had run out of any excuses to prevent them; without making the situation any more conspicuous than was already the case.

As the Maintenance Technician led them into the building; Grav noted and pointed out, discreetly the damage to the outer door.  It had not been caused by the Borg during their attack.  This was a replacement door, yet there were indications one or more heavy objects had been bashed against the outside; creating indentations in the metal surface.  There were also two new looking sturdy padlocks hanging on the inside.  If Kilcannon was the only living person on the planet and there were no large wild animals around; who or what had been trying to force its way in?

As they walked up the central spiral staircase; another thing caught the attention of the eagle-eyed Security Chief on the third floor of the four story building.  Glancing into a room on that level, through a half open door, he could see a bunkbed with covers and pillows on both matrasses.  Was that an indication that at least two people had been sleeping within this building?

The top floor had three rooms the largest of which was the Control Room and took up just over half the space available.  More than half of the computer terminals dotted around the room appeared to be switched off or possibly inoperable.  Along one curved side, large windows gave a birds-eye view of the landing area, main warehouse and other buildings.  The second window from the left had been covered over with a metal plate.  It was the window through which Ramesh, the Flight Controller had made his jump to escape the Borg.

“So what exactly is the reason for Starfleet dropping in?” Kilcannon asked as he took a seat by one of the computers that were currently functioning. “Your Captain didn’t really say much in that regard.”

“What do you know of the Borg attack that took place here, around 7 months ago?” The Lieutenant-Commander asked, grabbing a chair for herself.

“Not much, I wasn’t here.” The man mused. “I know the Company lost a lot.”

There it was again; the constant and recurring reference to those loses made by the Hana Corporation and not the lives lost.  It was as if the company didn’t care about its workforce and the notion had been drumming in so hard, that even the people had stopped caring about each other.

“People died here, Mr Kilcannon!” The Trill exclaimed with frustration, before adding with a softer tone. “Doesn’t that concern you?”

The man’s eyes flitted between the three Starfleet members, spending longer on the gruff looking Tellerate leaning against the doorframe, as if to emphasize; escape was not an option.  For his size, Grav was fairly good at looking intimidating, even when in a good mood.  Climbing all the way up to the top floor of the Control Tower; had not put him in a good mood.  He didn’t consider himself unfit, but that had been an effort.

“As I said, I wasn’t here.” He blurted it out, as if that was somehow meant to make a difference.  He clasped and unclasped his hands several times, his left leg shaking and foot tapping on the hard floor.  The Lieutenant-Commander asked him several questions.   Much like those at the Corporations head office; he didn’t seem to have a clue as to why the bodies of individuals supposedly killed during the Borg attack had somehow ended up on a stolen Federation vessel.  Commenting on the fact they’d had their brains tampered with, made him gulp. But when she mentioned two of them had apparently sustained major injuries, months after being killed; that’s when he visibly jumped.

“What aren’t you or the Company telling us, Mr Kilcannon?” She put to him bluntly.

“I can’t, you don’t understand!” He exclaimed.

“What don’t we understand?”  The Security Chief commented.

“Why don’t you explain it to us?” Alara added.

“Can’t you just leave and tell them everything is fine?” The Maintenance Technician asked nervously.  “It’s nothing more than a mix up, the company will sort everything.”

The rest of the conversation was brought to an abrupt halt, as without warning a klaxon sounded loud and clear, like a screaming banshee; both inside the building and from various speakers dotted around the site.  What colour had been in the cheeks of Kilcannon started to drain rapidly. “You three did come alone?”

The Lieutenant-Commander nodded and gave her reassurance that that was the case; whilst hoping the second team weren’t in any danger.  Lieutenant Grav had two of his best men out there; sneaking around the facility with Doctor Sunny, but such was the level of uncertainty, that even he was concerned by this sudden development.

Chapter 3: And Not Heard

Tartarus II / USS da Vinci
3rd January 2402 17:35

Doctor Sunny had beamed down to the planet’s surface along with Lieutenant Beriev and a pair of security guards; at roughly the same moment as the Lieutenant-Commander and her team had arrived.  This second group had chosen a spot to the rear of the main warehouse, well out of sight of Kilcannon.

It didn’t take them long to locate a door into the building, and whilst the security kept a careful watch, Beriev set about overriding the locking mechanism.  The panel next to the door gave a reassuring little bleep, before a red light changed to green and the metal bars holding the door closed, clicked back into their recesses.  The Saurian science officer pulled gently on the handle of the door and pulled it slowly towards himself.  The room inside was vast and only dimly lit.

One of the two security men insisted on going first, to check it was safe; signalling the rest to follow, only moments later.  Beriev found a light switch; such was the apparent low level of technology in some aspects of the facility.  A number of lights slowly flickered to life, illuminating the warehouse incrementally.

Now they could get a much better look at what was being stored inside the building.  Which at present; didn’t seen much.  The most notable objects were roughly sixty shipping crates; each was around 3 metres long with hexagon shaped ends.  On closer inspection of the crates and their labels, along with a quick look inside a few of them; it was revealed they were all full of Pergium.

“I am of the opinion these crates have not been here since the Borg attack.” Lieutenant Beriev closing and locking the last of those they had opened.

“I would have to agree with you.” Sunny replied.  “This is all very interesting, but not the kind of evidence I am in search of.”

“Shall we move on?” The Saurian waved a hand towards another door.  The doctor nodded, and the four individuals moved as one.

This door was not locked, but once more the same security officer took the lead on entering the room.  This part of the warehouse was much smaller; less than a fifth of the size of the room they’d just been in, the height of the ceiling was only half that of the main storage area.  Two large refrigeration units sat on one side; both had coolant pipes running from them and passing through the wall on the far side, just below roof height.

Doctor Sunny approached one of them, taking a look at the control panel that seemed to be monitoring the unit.  The reading on the screen indicated that the temperature within the refrigerator was currently minus 230 degrees Celsius; that figure wasn’t all that far from absolute zero.  Puzzled as to why something would need to be stored at such a low temperature; the doctor set about seeing what information this device was willing to divulge.

Lucky the system didn’t appear to be password protected, so locating and calling up an inventory of content didn’t take long.   The names of 17 individuals, scrolled up on the screen; all were listed as deceased on the same day, the day that the Borg attacked this planet.  Sunny felt a cold shiver run down his spin.  The container looked big enough to contain possibly 40 people, but it was unclear from the information, if it had ever been full.  The second unit yielded 22 names.

He explained his finding to the Saurian science officer, though it was difficult to judge his reaction from the Lieutenant’s face, Sunny assumed he was as shocked as he was.

If nothing else, this was proof that the Hana Corporation was storing the bodies of their dead employees’ and not burying them or transporting them back home, as they had stated on several occasions.   It didn’t prove they were conducting experiments on them.

Other than what appeared to be an emergency fire exit, that was probably alarmed; there appeared to be no other way out, other than to retrace their steps.  Heading back through the main part of the warehouse and exiting via the same door they had entered it.  Once everyone was out, Beriev set about relocking the door; in the hope no one would notice they’d been sneaking around.  It was at this point that the alarm inexplicably sounded.  Such was the intensity of the sound, that the Saurian was almost bent double with pain as his hands clasped over his ears.  His three human companions were finding the volume almost as distressing.

“That noise could wake the dead!” One of the guards yelled.

Doctor Sunny looked across at him, very much hoping that wouldn’t be the case.

**********

“You three did come alone?” Kilcannon shouted over the loud din.   The Lieutenant-Commander nodded and gave her reassurance that that was the case; but the Maintenance Technician didn’t seem all that convinced.  He turned away snatching something from his desk and spun back around in one swift movement.  Lieutenant Grav was alert and swifter; firing his phaser almost from the hip, he stunned the man, who dropped the weapon he’d just grabbed and slumped forward.

Lieutenant-Commander Alara picked up the disrupter style hand weapon off the floor; whilst crewman Niroc pushed the man and his chair aside.  The engineers’ fingers danced across the controls and keyboard interface in a bid to at least silence the ear splitting alarm.  Success came on the forth attempted, and near piece was restored; only the display on the screen in front of him indicated they weren’t out of the woods yet.

[Emergency Failsafe Protocol Initiated]

[To Cancel: Command Code Override Required]

The countdown underneath that had just gone below 7 minutes looked rather ominous.  “I think we are in a heap load of trouble!” Niroc stated, tapping on the screen.

“Can you stop it?” Alara questioned.

The engineer was taping away at the controls once more, desperately trying to see what he could do; but shook his head in response.

Lieutenant-Commander Alara tapped her comm-badge. “Alara to Beriev, is everyone ok.  What happened?”

“Apart from a headache, I believe we are all fine.” The Saurian voice came back. “My apologies, for inadvertently triggering the security alarm.”

“Well to be on the safe side we’d better get back to the ship.” She informed him. “Alara to da Vinci; requesting immediate beam out.”

The OX’s call was met by only silence.  Two further attempts only yelled the same result.  The time was now almost down to 4 minutes.

**********

On the bridge of the USS da Vinci, tension was beginning to rise.  The nearest of the Satellites; designated as Anvil 1, by its beacon; was powering up again.

“Red Alert, Shields up.” The Commander called out. “And get the away teams.”

“Unable to raise them Commander.” The reply came back. “All communication channels are being blocked.”

“Status on that satellite?” She asked the Tactical Officer.

“Shields are at 100%, all weapons systems online and powering up.” The woman seated there answered. “The satellite is re-orientating to aim at the planet’s surface. Its target would appear to be the mining facility.”

Anacostia-Bolling contemplated her options and the dangers facing the six members of her crew, down on the planet’s surface. “Target the satellites weapons.  Open fire.”

She watched on the view screen; as two beams of intense energy lanced out from the ship and struck Anvil 1’s shields, causing them to glow at the point of impact. However it continued turning, unhindered.  The forward phaser bank and ventral array fired again, hitting the same sections of the shielding.  But the Commander had given instructions to the helm to alter the ships angle and position relative to the satellite; meaning moments later they could bring all three arrays on to the target.

The additional fire power available; now made a greater impact on the satellites shields.  Sensing the Saber-class vessel was currently the greater threat, it began rotating back towards the da Vinci.  “That’s it come to mommy.” Mary said softly.  However that would mean in the next few minutes, the defence satellite would start firing on them.

“Targets shields at 86%.”  The Tactical Officer called out.

Anacostia-Bolling was frustrated; they’d hardly made a dent in it such was the shear strength of the thing.  More phaser fire pounded into Anvil 1’s shields, closely followed by a pair of Photon Torpedoes; launched one after the other.  That seemed to make a bigger difference, but it was still not nearly enough.  Yet every second that satellite was focused on the bought another moment for the away team; and she knew the Transporter Chief was doing everything in his power to bring them back.  “Helm, prepare to take evasive action.”

The USS da Vinci began to swing round in an arc, keeping its weapons pointed at the satellite, whilst trying to avoid its own returning fire.

“I’ve got an incoming message from the Hana Corporation.”  The Communications Officer called out. “Asking why we’re attacking one of their facilities.”

“Tell them their satellite is attempting to kill some of my crew!” The Commander Exclaimed.

There was a clear exchange of words between the Communications Officer and whoever was on the other end.  When he turned to face the Captain, the young man had a look of disbelief on his face. “They regret any damage or loss of life caused by their automated systems; but cannot be held responsible for our actions in violating the facilities security.”

Time was up; and despite their best efforts to crew of the da Vinci had failed to turn the satellites weaponry completely away from the planet.  When the countdown reached zero, Anvil One let loose with everything it had.

Anacostia-Bolling, didn’t need to see the damage being inflicted on the planet below to understand the total devastation taking place.  She ordered the ship to stop firing, and hold position once more; then made her way to her Ready Room.  This was a dark day indeed.

Chapter 4: ‘Heigh-Ho’

Tartarus II
3rd January 2402 18:00

If Lieutenant Grav hadn’t been annoyed enough at walking up the stairs to the top floor of the Control Tower, the Tellarite certainly was after racing back down them in half the time; carrying the inert body of the stunned Maintenance Engineer, over his shoulder.  Stunned that was; because only moment before, he’d shot the man.

Crewman Niroc had offered to help with the carrying of Kilcannon; now they were on flat open ground, but Grav felt he didn’t have the time to stop and remove the unconscious man, slung over his shoulder.  The Tellarite just knew he’d suffer for it later.  The mine entrance wasn’t that far, it just seemed it; when you were basically carrying a dead weight.  Then again, if the idiot hadn’t decided to go for a weapon; he’d have had the option of running himself, or more hopefully cancelled the emergency and saved everyone a great deal of effort.

Now it was a race for life; with time ticking away and no chance of rescue, the away team only hope of surviving, was to head for the mine itself.

Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley, spotted Lieutenant Beriev and Doctor Sunny, along with the two security men; ahead and several metres to her right, clearly running for the same mine entrance her group was; as she’d instructed them to do.  At least this meant everyone was a live, for how long, that was another matter.

The wind whipping up behind them and a tremendous raw, gave them mere seconds warning of what was about to happen.  The very ground under their feet shuck and rose as the first barrage slammed into the building that made up the section of the mining complex above ground.

Doctor Sunny stumbled, but one of the security men managed to grab him under the shoulder and prevent him falling, as they ran on for all they were worth.  They reached the entrance as the second wave of laser fire decimated the building further.  Beriev wanted to stop and catch his breath, but Alara signalled that they had to go deeper.  If the satellite fired at the entrance, they’d be killed instantly.  The Lieutenant-Commander’s feelings were soon justified; as moments later, the mine took a direct hit.

**********

Muscles and bone ached; heart pounded, lungs gasping and screaming for air.  Lights danced across darkened vision; greens, purples and white.  Sounds seemed muffled, distant and disjointed.  One voice seemed clearer than anything else; urging her not to fall back into unconscious.  But why was her husband talking to her?  He was dead; she’d seen him lying there on the Bio-bed.

Memories came flooding back, as Alara began to figure out what had happened and were she was.  A large section of the tunnel had collapsed; yes she remembered that now.  Dust and rock had been flung about; she didn’t feel too badly hurt, just dazed and stunned.  Breathing was coming a little easier, but she tasted the dust on her lips; which probably meant she was covered in the stuff.

Other thoughts followed; she wasn’t alone, but the names hadn’t immediately come to her. ‘Lieutenant Grav wants to know if you’re alive?’ Her husband’s voice echoed in her mind. ‘Tell him no.’ She closed her eyes, hoping that when she opened them again, at least some of the many spots plaguing her vision would disappear.  In the end the XO acknowledged the Security Chief; though she wasn’t entirely sure how clear her reply had been.  To Alara it sounded like she had her head in a bucket.

Doctor Sunny was thankful that the Medical-Tricorder he was carrying hadn’t been damaged; it meant he could run a quick scan on himself; then on everyone else once he’d located them.  The device had a light; not powerful, but enough that he could see a short distance; once the dust had begun to settle.  He could only assume the lights or their power source had been damaged by the collapse, as it had been lit before.  Lieutenant Beriev, seem relatively unscathed as did one of the security guards; who had a pocket torch with him and had now got it working.  The other guard had, on careful examination, sprained his wrist, so the doctor gave him something to ease the pain.  Doctor Sunny had only brought a small medical pouch, attached to his belt; so dealing with any major injuries would prove an issue.

Lieutenant Grav was the only member of the party, standing; looking for all the world like a grey ghost; caked as he was, from head to toe in a layer of fine dust.  The still unconscious Maintenance Engineer, lay at the Tellarites feet, but other than being out cold, was generally fine; as was the Security Chief himself.

Crewman Niroc was next to get checked on and assessed.  A bruised and bloody knee appeared to be the worst of the engineer’s injuries, but at least nothing was broken.

When the doctor reached the Lieutenant-Commander, her hearing had improved enough that she could understand what was being said.  So as Doctor Sunny gave her the once over, she asked how everyone was.

“Battered, bruised, but generally ok.” He answered her. “And both of you seem to be in reasonable condition.”

A sense of relief came over Alara; it had been close.  Only fifteen or so metres behind where she now sat on the floor of the tunnel; the ceiling had caved in.  The rubble left little to no gap; between them and the outside world.  An attempt to raise the ship; yielded no reply.

“Can you hear whistling?” A guard half whispered.

Anyone in the group that was moving or talking; stopped for a moment and they all listened.  There was the sound of boots on broken gravelly ground; more than just a pair of them, and yes someone was whistling a tune.

Doctor Sunny had heard it somewhere before, as a kid.  There was a fully immersive live action and holographic theatrical version of some movie; originally dating back to the 20th Century.  The tune had words to it.  ‘Now how did it go?’  He thought to himself. ‘Heigh-ho, Heigh-ho.  It’s home from work we go.’  A smile came to his lips as he remembered.  Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs; at the Madurai Holo-Theatre 2358.

An eerie green glow was being cast across the walls and ceiling, far down the tunnel, but it was growing; so to the whistling and the sound of footsteps.  Three figures appeared, each carrying a green lantern in one hand and various mining tools in the other.  The one to the centre of them took a few extra paces forward once his companions had stopped.  He bowed his head at the group of Starfleet personnel. “I am Bio Unit 17. How many I assist you?”

Lieutenant Beriev; the closest one to their new arrival, studied the man for a moment. “A Bio Unit?”

The miner turned to face the Saurian. “That is correct.” He answered him. “I am a biological shell with a fully integrated A500 Positronic brain.”

The Lieutenant processed that information in his own mind.  A living breathing human with an android brain, it sounded remarkable.  But what stood before him right now, didn’t know it was human, or at least mostly human.  This man, android, thing, had no concept of its own creation; it simply existed.

At this point Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley, stepped forward having got up off the floor and introduced herself as the group’s leader.  Bio Unit 17 understood the concept and that she was one who gave orders that others must follow.  As a fully organic, she took priority over all others.

“I am here to serve you Master Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley.” He bowed again.

“Just call me Alara for now.” She replied. “I take it you know about the cave in?”

“The disturbance in the ground was detected, Master Alara.” The miner looked past her, shining his lantern towards the fallen rock.  “However it appears more severe than anticipated.”

She thought about correcting him on the ‘Master’ part, but figured it might just complicate matters.  “Do you think you could help dig us out?”

“No.” The one word response came.  “It is not the place of an organic to work when we are here to serve.”  He turned to the others spoke to them and both headed back the way they had come.

Half hour later, there were 21 of them all with various tools, props to hold up the ceiling once rubble was cleared and extra lighting to illuminate the area.  Only Kilcannon having come around in the meantime seemed agitated by their presence.  He kept close to the security officers and visibly shivered as any of the minors walked past him.  Something was wrong, but now wasn’t the time for a discussion, now was the time to dig their way out, and bizarrely as it might seem, they had a team of dead miners to do it.

Chapter 5: ‘Pet Monkey’

USS da Vinci
3rd January 2402 19:50

Commander Anacostia-Bolling, had not long finished making her report on what had taken place at Tartarus II.  How one of the orbiting defence satellites had opened fire on the mining facility below; totally destroying all the building and collapsing the entrance to the mine itself.  She’d explained how attempts to disable the satellite in time had proved fruitless; due to its powerful shielding.

The Commander had also asked for additional equipment, to clear the mine and such for potential survivors; though she’d had admit there had been no contact made with the away team, since just before the attack was made.  The nearest vessel that could be diverted and had suitable rescue equipment, however, was just over three days out at maximum warp.  Three days could be too late!

A hastily organised meeting of senior staff; or at least the few left on board and subordinate officers for those currently missing; had yielded no workable course of action.  So she’d sent them away to think hard.

As she sat in her Ready Room, going through ideas and plans in her own mind, the door chimed.  Ignoring it sounded tempting; but she was the Captain of this ship and with the XO missing, they’d be looking at her more than ever for guidance.  “Enter.”

The door swished open; thought was it her imagination or did the noise seem somehow more subdued, as if reflecting her own feeling and mood.  Mary quickly dismissed such silly notions; it was a door, doors did not have feelings.  Unless they were the ones on Emphadais IV, but then everything about that planet had just been plan weird and unnerving.

It was Ensign Dravid, her Logistics Officer; Padd in hand as always and a hint of a smile on his face.  He stopped directly opposite, holding out the device for her inspection. “Ma’am.”

The Commander took it off him and was about to ask why he’d brought it to her, when she spotted a set of schematics; that got her attention.  She examined the image and data that when with it.  The young officer stood to attention, awaiting her response.  “Why have you brought this to my attention, and not my Chief Engineer?”

“He didn’t even look at it.” Dravid replied earnestly.  “He told me it wasn’t my job to interfere.”

“He did, did he?” Anacostia-Bolling sounded just as annoyed as she was feeling.  Six crew members were missing; four of them key personnel and her Chief Engineer had dismissed the best idea anyone had put forward.  She got up out of her chair, moving towards the door.  “Follow me.”

“Where are we going, Ma’am?” The Ensign asked, looking both puzzled and apprehensive.

“Engineering.”

The Commander informed the Bridge of her destination, should anything require her attention or any further emergency crop up whilst she was gone, before heading to the nearest Turbo-lift, Ensign Dravid in tow.

**********

Main Engineering was relatively calm. Despite being a little over 30 years old the da Vinci was in good shape.  The Corps of Engineers, who she’d originally been assigned to, had kept the vessel in peak condition during most of its service life.  So even though some of their tweaks and upgrades had been removed; evidently they had some experimental toys they still wanted to keep secret, this was probably one of the best Sabers in operation.

Her presence was acknowledged with a polite nod from the technician and engineer who both noticed the Commander walk in; neither stopped the tasks they were performing, which was just how she expected them to act. There was no need for stopping and coming to attention, much in the same way she didn’t want them doing it on the Bridge every time she entered.

Chief Engineer Yolanda was over the far side of the room, running through a diagnostics check, when something caught his attention and he had the feeling someone was approaching him from behind.  Instinctively he spun round, spotting Ensign Dravid as he did so. “If it isn’t the Captain’s pet monkey!”

With a yell that threated to shatter the casing around the Warp Core and brought everyone in the room to a complete stop; Commander Anacostia-Bolling looked right at the Lieutenant.  “How dare you refer to a member of the ship’s crew in that manner?”

She’d heard the rumours, regarding the bad attitude her Chief Engineer had towards certain other members of the crew, including the Logistics Officer.  Things had filtered her way through various channels and conversations.  The Commander knew he’d been in trouble for doing a similar sort of thing on his last ship; engineers of his talent had become more of a rarity since Frontier Day so she’d been willing to give him a chance.

The colour seemed to drain rather rapidly from the thirty something, engineers chiselled face.  Yolanda attempted to stutter some sort of apologetic response, but she silenced him with a dismissive hand.  The rest of those present all stood motionless; they’d never heard the Commander loose her temper like that.  But then again if anyone deserved her wrath, it was the Chief Engineer.  He was certainly not at the top of anyone’s friends list.  Despite that though, they all worried that her anger would also turn to them, or that he’d find some way of taking things out on them later.  One of his philosophies being, ‘if I’m having a bad day, then so should you.’

Anacostia-Bolling took a slow careful look at everyone in the room, a few looked nervous and didn’t make direct eye contact, other hid their feelings well.  At that moment a female Ensign walked in; oblivious to what had just transpired.

“Ah, Ensign Green.” The Commander Called.  It was at this point that the Maintenance Engineer realised everything was significantly quieter than normal; and the young Ensign wondered what kind of mess she was walking into.  “I have a task for you.”

Ensign Green gulped.  “Me, Commander?”

“Yes, that’s correct.” The Commanders voice was calmer, more level now.  “I want you to go with Ensign Dravid here, and head to the Shuttle Maintenance Store.  The details of what you need are on this Padd, and where to locate everything else you need.”

“Need for what Commander?” Ensign Green enquired.

“Everything is all here.” Anacostia-Bolling handed her the Padd. “Take any help you need.  This is a top priority.  Just let Chief Petty Officer Rockwell know what you’re doing in his storeroom.”

Ensign Green took a look at Lieutenant Yolanda, who was after all her boss; but the man just gave a non-comital shrug; which was a really big help in this situation.  She pointed to a technician and the three of them made a swift exit.

Half way along the corridor, Green asked the other two what was going on.  “I think the Commander may have bitten Mister Yolanda’s head of in there.”  The technician suggested.

“He called me her pet monkey.” Dravid added. “Only she was standing just to my left at the time.”

“And I missed all the fun?” Ensign Green bemoaned light-heartedly.  She’d also been at the end of one of the Chief’s snide comments.  He’d said she wasn’t an engineer, because she didn’t understand the first thing about the engines.  Which was a stupid comment to make; she wasn’t the only one within the engineering team that didn’t.

When they reached the Shuttle Maintenance Store; where any spare parts were kept, for the repair and general maintenance of the da Vinci’s small craft; Ensign Green took another look at the data on the Padd.

“What sort of a Logistic Officer are you anyway?” She asked the other Ensign.

“The standard sort I would presume.”  Dravid answered.  “Why do you ask?”

“Because I don’t know any none engineers; that could draft a set of schematics for something like this, that hasn’t been built yet!”

For now Ensign Artin Dravid wasn’t going to enlighten his companions; there were somethings he’d rather not talk about, at least, not yet.

Chapter 6: Tunnelling Out

Tartarus II
4th January 2402 00:01

For nearly five hours they’d been working on clearing a way through the collapsed tunnel.  With pickaxe, crowbar, phaser and shear brute strength; they’d all worked tirelessly to move the rubble out of the way.

The miners had been reluctant to accept the help of the USS da Vinci’s crew at first; they saw it as their job to do all the work and protect the humans from as much danger as possible.  But Bio Unit 17; as the group’s first point of contact and liaison, had soon discovered how determined these Federation personnel were to help; especially the one that led them, Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley or Master Alara as he referred to her as.  So together they had worked and worked well.

Now it was time for all of them to take a rest; even a Bio Unit couldn’t work indefinitely.  Doctor Sunny had wondered how the miners regained their energy, as they were in essence, mostly human.  The answer had come during the first rest break.  Each of them ate from a gel-pack, squeezing the paste like substance inside, out through a small nozzle and into their mouths; much like the way he’d read, Earths pioneering astronauts had done.  Seeing that the crew had not brought anything with them; they had offered to share.

To Doctor Sunny, it tasted a little bland, but not entirely unpalatable.   If he’d been asked to put a flavour to it; he would have been hard pressed to pin it down.  Lieutenant Grav said it reminded him of something his mother used to make; but didn’t elaborate as to whether that was a good thing or not.  Only Kilcannon refused to touch the stuff.

Bio Unit 17 came and sat down next to the Lieutenant-Commander, and passed her a gel-pack.  “We are progressing well.” He commented.

“Yes, I agree, we have worked well together.”  Alara replied.  “One thing I must ask.  Why does Kilcannon seem to fear you so much?”

Bio Unit 17 put his head down, as if marshalling his thoughts, in a rather human manner.  “I regret that Bio Unit 22 developed a malfunction and attacked the two humans that worked with Master Kilcannon.   Both died of the injuries sustained.”

“What kind of malfunction?”  Alara asked.

“Bio Unit 22 recalled information of events they had not been involved in.” 17 stated plainly.

The Lieutenant-Commander sat back and thought about that for a moment. ‘Are you thinking the same thing I am?’  She asked her symbiont. ‘That the unit which malfunctioned, as they say, was in fact recalling events that happened to the human whose body they inhabited, before that person had died.”

It was a chilling thought; could memories really survive after death?  She’d seen the report on the horrible way so many of those who’d lived and worked on this planet had died.  First they’d been assimilated by a group of Borg separated from the Collective; then when these Borg had regained that connection, the Collective had sensed them as a threat and sent a signal that had killed them all.  The Hana Corporation who operated the mine had chosen to experiment on some of the bodies and implant them with brains from A500 synths.  Had the company held on to these brains after the ban, merely disposing of the android bodies?  Regardless; the idea of putting them inside a dead humans body and effectively bringing them back to life was beyond comprehension.

Was that unit the only one that could recall passed events; how much danger were they in, if this lot started going crazy?  Alara felt an involuntary shiver.  Synths aren’t programmed to whistle!  Even Ley couldn’t think of a way to totally allay those fears.  But form now on the XO would be keeping and extra sharp eye out for any odd behaviour.

She smiled at Bio Unit 17; before getting up and walking over to the Doctor.  “Can I have a quiet word?”

The two of them moved to a clear part of the tunnel, away from everyone else. “What is that’s on your mind Commander?” Sunny asked.

“The mind might be the issue.” The XO replied.

“I don’t exactly follow!” The Doctor looked back at her puzzled.

“Well you know much more about the brain than I do.  Is it possible for it to retain memories and information after someone has died?”

“The simplest answer is yes; the information is there within the cells of your brain, but will disappear as those cells decay and die.  The problem is, no one has figured out a way of retrieving that information.  Unless you have a Vulcan performs a Mind Meld within the first seven minutes after death.  But that’s considered unethical.” He paused a moment and glanced over his shoulder, before whispering.  “You’re not suggesting?”

The Trill nodded.  “You heard out friend 17 whistling and another one of them went crazy and killed both of Kilcannon’s co-workers.”

“It would explain why he’s so fearful of them.” He understood what she’d meant by the whistling, and mentally slapped himself for not coming to the same conclusion earlier.

There was no way of knowing what past knowledge and experiences any of these miners still retained or what affect it would have on them recalling those events.  The doctor took a look at his Medical-Tricorder; the power level was still above 70%, so he’d be able to monitor everyone trapped inside the mine.  He hoped that as the miners were 98% organic, they would display the same sort of physical changes, when under stress as any living human would.

After they’d all eaten, they settled down to try and sleep; not that it would be easy on the cold hard floor of the tunnel.  The minors found it much easier to sleep than their Starfleet companions; they either did not feel how uncomfortable the floor of the tunnel was, or their brains did not register it.  Eventually everyone was asleep; everyone except Kilcannon, with his back pressed against one wall, he kept a watch on everyone.  Biting his lip and pinching his skin, now and then; anything just to stay awake.

**********

Lieutenant Grav’s alarm sounded with a repetitive beeping noise in his right ear until his finger moved across to cancel it.  The time was 02:30; or at least it would be on the ship.   Tartarus II itself had a 26 hour day, so the time here would be different.

No one else appeared to be awake other than the security officer who’d volunteered to take first watch; Grav was pleased by that, but wouldn’t tell the young man he’d have been informed electronically if the guard had fallen asleep; no, better to let him thing his boss had complete trust in him.  The Tellarite Security Chief took a long stretch as he sat up and looked around.  Most of the lights had been switched off whilst everyone slept, but a couple dotted around the tunnel provided some elimination.

Quietly he made his way across to the other man. “Well Blake, anything to report?”  He did expect there to be much, everything was still a quiet.

“Mr Kilcannon finally dropped off around half hour ago.” Crewman Blake replied. “And the XO isn’t really asleep, just pretending.”

The Tellarite half smiled and gave a chuckle; top marks for his officer spotting that.  “Well I’m relieving you of the watch, so get some sleep, if you can.”

The security officer wished the Chief a goodnight and moved over to a patch of ground in a darker part of the tunnel and lay down.

**********

By 06:00 ship time, everyone was starting to wake up; that is if the Bio Units were waking.  The lines between human and machine had been blurred by their unnatural creation.  Did they have any concept of how wrong they were?  It was the thought going through Doctor Tanzim Sunny’s mind as he accepted a gel-pack for breakfast off one of them.

After about twenty minute, everyone slowly grabbed what tools they had to hand; ready to tackle the rocks of the cave-in once more.  Soon the tunnel echoed and reverberated to the sounds of individuals and small groups, hard at work.  Today they would tunnel their way out, no matter how far they had to dig!

 

Chapter 7: Fire In The Hole!

Tartarus II
4th January 2402 07:00

Both Ensigns Green and Dravid took a moment to study what they’d accomplished in less than twelve hours of work.  No one would ever call it a work of art, far from it; this thing had been cobbled together from various parts the two officers had gathered from around the USS da Vinci.  The majority of the work was done on board ship; with help from various engineers and technicians.  They’d used one of the Cargo Transporters to beam the apparatus down to the planet’s surface, prior to final assembly.

At its base sat the lower half of the heavy lifting crane from the Shuttle Maintenance Bay, normal used when any shuttles required extensive repairs or refits.  The jib part of the crane had been removed and replaced by a Type-VII Phaser Array.  Behind that sat a pair of portable generators borrowed from the Science Department, because they had the finest adjustments on their power settings.  On one side, anchored just above the pivot point were a small seat and a control box mounted on a swivel arm so it could be pushed out of the way, whilst someone sat down.  It looked both impressive and menacing; the question was, would it do the job it was intended for?

“You have honestly got to tell me how you thought this one up?” Ensign Green asked her companion. “I mean ok you knew we’d got the spare Phaser, you would have filed the requisition.  Turn it into a cutting drill.  That is not in the handbook!”

Ensign Dravid merely shrugged. “Ready to fire her up?”

The young engineer took a step forward and was about to bring the generator online; when the faint sounds of a transporter beam caught her attention.  The shimmering glow dissipated, leaving behind the figure of their Captain.

Commander Anacostia-Bolling walked towards them, admiring the fruits of the two Ensigns hard work.  “It looks even more impressive once built, than it did on the plans.” She commented honestly. “Is it ready?”

“We were just about to start with a low power test.” Green replied.

“Well don’t let me stop you.” The Command gestured towards the apparatus.

Ensign Green set the power dials on the two generators a 15%, a soft gentle hum permeated the air.  Whilst she was doing that, a technician passed everyone a pair of goggles which he’d collected from a box they’d brought with them.  Looking at the point where the phaser struck the rock, once it fired, would very likely cause considerable damage to a person’s retina without them.

Once sat in the makeshift seat, the engineer put on her own pair of goggles, and swung the control box into place.  Ensign Green went through the instrument check list, calling out each part of the process as she did it. She then set the focus width of the beam at 5mm, and the power at 7%.  “Fire in the hole!” The Engineer called out, pressing the final button.  The air shimmered and crackled, as a tiny section of the rock blocking the tunnel entrance began to glow.

Counting down from ten; the phaser was shut down at zero, leaving only the generators to hum away. Ensign Dravid moved cautiously towards the rock, examining the point of impacted both visual and with the aid of a Tricorder; before giving a thumbs up.  The test had proved a success and only a minor alteration was required on the pulse setting, before they’d be ready to start cutting for real.

This time the generators were at 80% and the power setting for the phaser at 30%.  The beam would now be cutting a circular hole; one metre in diameter, roughly that height above ground level.  Now the noise was more pronounced.  The generators throbbed and the air around the beam and that of the target area hissed.  Slowly the rock within the radius of the beam dissolved under the intense bombardment, whilst the edges around it fused together holding the rocks above in place.  Ensign Green and the Technician both kept a careful eye on the depth to which the phaser was cutting and how much collapsed rock lay beyond it.

With two metres to go until the point where their scanners had registered an open space, the engineer shut off the power.  Going any further could potentially find a gap, and if that happened the chances of either injuring or killing someone trapped inside the mine, was pretty high.  Ensign Dravid pointed his Tricorder through the hole.

“I’m registering 28 life signs.” He shouted out happily. “Picking up five human, a Saurian, Tellarite and the rest are indeterminate.  Also residual heat, indicating phaser fire directed at the rubble from their end.”

“Well if they are trying to cut their way out, hopefully that’s a good sign.” Anacostia-Bolling commented.  She tapped her combadge.  “This is the Captain to away team, do you read me?”

It was Lieutenant Beriev who answered, sounding a little surprised at hearing the Commanders voice, but more than happy to relay the information regarding the rescue attempt to everyone else.

**********

Inside the mine tunnel the away team were visibly relieved to be almost free of their confines; just a relatively small section of rock needed to be removed, then they could crawl out.

“Well 17, we’re almost free.” Alara Ley commented as she tapped the Bio Unit on the shoulder, sending a small cloud of dust up off his jacket.

“That is an acceptable outcome, Master Alara.” Was the reply she received.

The Trill gave a small smile; she felt exhausted after the hard work, as she could tell the rest of the crew were.  The XO also regretted not getting any sleep; even the ever vigilant Lieutenant Grav had managed to get a couple of hours of rest.

When they finally broke through the last section of fallen rock that had blocked their path, the Lieutenant-Commander sent her fellow science officer through first.  Crawling on hands and knees the Saurian made his way along the smooth bored tunnel cut by the large phaser, which was the first thing his eyes focused on as he came out into the open air.

One of the two ships nurses rushed over to help him along with one of a half dozen other crew members who had formed up around the tunnel exit to render assistance. Both of them were instantly coated with some of the dust that covered Beriev’s uniform from head to toe.

Slowly, one by one the rest of those that had been trapped overnight; crawled their way to safety.  Each one of them was coated with the fine rock dust from either the initial collapse in the case of the Starfleet officer and Kilcannon, and from working down there and clearing the rubble.  Ghost like, they emerged into the sunlight; both the living and the dead alike.  For the Bio Units, as they had been called by their creators and addressed themselves, it was an odd experience to have actual be cared for by humans like they had been designed to serve.  Last to immerge from the mine, Lieutenant-Commander Alara Ley, Lieutenant Grav and Bio Unit 17; who’d insisted without question, would be the last to crawl out.

Commander Anacostia-Bolling stepped forward shaking her head, but also smiling. “Two missions in, on a new ship and you’ve managed to get yourselves trapped both times!”

“I will try not to make it a habit Captain.”  Her XO replied sincerely. “It’s good to see you to.”

“I’m going to be spending the rest of the week in a bath, trying to get clean.” Grumbled the Tellarite.

“You can always go jump in the river.” The Commander commented pointing in the direct of the watercourse that divided the mine and warehouse area from the now abandoned village.

“Don’t tempt me.” He answered in his typical gruff manner.

Presently Bio Unit 17 stepped forward, representing those of his kind as he’d done from the very start.  “You must be Master Alara’s master.” He said, bringing himself to attention after making a small bow. “May I, on behalf of myself and fellow units, I apologies for our condition.”

“That is quite alright considering the circumstances you have been in.” The Commander answered. “I thank you for adding Master Alara and her people.”  The glimmer in her eye showed how much she was going to enjoy rubbing that in for a while.

“It is our duty to help and protect.  Master Commander.” 17 replied.  It was then that he realised virtually every part of the complex which should have sat just over Anacostia-Bolling’s shoulder had been decimated.  All that remained; macabre twisted metal, jagged sections of wall and craters were only the day before several buildings had sat.

She noticed his concern and look of disbelief.  There may have been a positronic brain giving commands to an organic body, but these expressions were far from artificial.  “What’s wrong?”

It was a perfectly ordinary question to ask a fellow sentient being, but not something Bio Unit 17 had ever encountered during his service life; at least not directed at him. “I regret the viability of myself and all remaining units may be short.”

The Commander understood what was meant by that.  Whatever equipment had been in one of those now destroyed building, was vital for sustaining the organic bodies these artificial brains occupied.  Without them, those bodies would decay, just like any other dead body.  Whilst Anacostia-Bolling was no expert on the right of a synthetic lifeform as they currently stood, she realised something had to be done about them.

“Those things are the Property of the Hana Corporation!” Kilcannon yelled, finding his voice after being silent for so long.  “I demand you wait for a company recovery team to arrive and do not attempt to remove anything from this planet.”

“Somebody shut him up!” The Commander called out.

“With pleasure, Captain.”  Her Tellarite Security Chief answered; who grabbed the man under one arm, whilst simultaneously tapping his combadge. “Two to the Brig.”  The maintenance engineer looked genuinely shocked, as he was whisked away to the USS da Vinci.

As the first of the group started to be beamed up to the ship, the Commander took Doctor Sunny to one side.  “Well doc, what’s your prognosis?”

“As experiments go, this has got to be the most twisted I’ve ever witnessed.  I never thought I’d ever see someone try to take a leaf out of the Borg book of artificial adaptions; not in this way at least.”  His voice sounded angry and frustrated, which he had every right to be.  His job was to preserve life wherever and whenever possible.  These Bio Units did not fit the definition of living, ever though their bodies were organic.  Yet having spent several hours trapped with them, he couldn’t help but feel some pity for their plight.  “I’m afraid our new friends have only days left.”

“Is there anything you can do?” Anacostia-Bolling enquired.  Doctor Sunny shook his head in response in response; he’d try though, that the Commander could count on.  She then approached her XO, who was watching Ensign’s Green and Dravid start to dismantle their contraption.  “Come on Master Alara, I think we can leave the kids to tidy away their toys.”

The Trill XO turned and glared, but her eyes gave away the lack of malice in the stare.  “Oh shut up.” She smirked as the transporter locked on to them.