Doctor Slyvexs took a moment to catch her breath as she felt another wave of nausea and headache hit her. 

“Doctor,” spoke Doctor Agnes behind her, “why don’t you rest?”

The Denobulan woman shook her head, “No, we’ve got to see this through.”

“We will, doctor, I promise, we’ve got this,” Agnes said as she placed both her hands on Slyvexs’ shoulders. She started ushering the weary chief medical officer to a chair to sit in. “Come on, you don’t want to be overwhelmed by the neurogenic field and fall on your feet.”

Slyvexs nodded in agreement. “You’re right,” She sat down in the chair and gave out a big sigh. “Penelope, are you ready?”

Odyssey’s Emergency Command Hologram walked over and nodded. “The Devore warships are all disabled. They have no engines, shields or weapons. The moment we enter the beast, carry out Counsellor Horin’s plan and then escape, they won’t know where we are or be able to chase after us.”

Slyvexs nodded again and felt her eyes become heavy. She could no longer fight the field’s intensity as they approached the mouth of the telepathic pitcher plant. “Just make sure you don’t harm the creature; we don’t know what will happen to the blood dilithium once we create the electrolytic discharge.”

“We know the plan; Doctor Agnes will monitor the pitcher plant’s life signs while Troy monitors the ship’s systems. I’ll be flying the ship and the Telemachus.” Penelope assured her. 

Slyvexs smiled in appreciation as she became more and more tired. “Just make sure we don’t lose the Telemachus. The captain won’t be happy to ask for another support ship.”

“I promise,” Penelope said with a smile just as Slyvexs passed out.

Penelope looked at Agnes, who had a tricorder in her hand. 

“She’s out,” Agnes confirmed. “It really is down to us.”

“It sure is,” Penelope agreed and turned to the rest of her holographic crew. “Okay, let’s get started on Operation: Flemen Babysitting Trick.”

Agnes shook her head, “I can’t believe we’re calling it that.”

“Lieutenant Commander Tomaz is responsible for it,” Penelope said as she looked down at the unconscious form of the Barzan man near her. She walked over to the main controls in engineering where Troy, one of the Emergency Engineering Holograms, stood. “Are we ready?”

“I’ve adjusted our shield harmonics to a frequency that should make them more resistant to the bioplasmic discharges.” Troy shared. He then pointed to the control between them. “Our remote link to the Telemachus is set up and ready to go.”

“Excellent; undock the Telemachus, and let’s get underway,” Penelope ordered.

The Aquarius-class escort disembarked from the aft section of the Odyssey and took up a position relatively close to the secondary hull as both ships used their thrusters to place it close to the mouth of the telepathic pitcher plant. Its massive mouth-like entrance opened wide, and like Jonah and the whale, both ships entered and were soon trapped inside. 

  Flying into the beast, both Starfleet ships were struck by random bolts of white light. The bioplasmic discharges were intense; however, some were red in colour from where the blood dilithium was laced within the creature’s body. Lodged tight, they didn’t look like they would move anytime soon. Some pieces appeared to float and were pushed aside by the Odyssey’s powerful deflector dish. 

“I’m plotting a course for the organism’s oesophageal aperture,” Penelope announced. “Agnes, what’s the creature’s condition?”

“Still no change from previous scans,” The EMH reported. “However, I am reading more intense bioplasmic discharges coming from those areas that are infected by the blood dilithium. It’s almost like the organism’s immunity system is trying to fight it back.”

“Fascinating,” Penelope said as she looked at the same sensor readings. “Are we sure this plan is going to help the creature?”

Agnes looked at the scans one more time, “I believe so; the electrolytic reaction should help dislodge the blood dilithium fragments.”

The ship then shuddered, and Troy spoke up. “Shields are down to ninety-eight per cent.”

“We’re almost in position,” Penelope stated. “Prepare to release the antimatter.”

Troy nodded. “Our pocket of antimatter is ready to go.”

“I’m cutting impulse engines on both ships,” Penelope said before pressing the button, “now.”

“Reading all stop, thrusters on standby,” Troy said.

Working faster than most humanoids, Penelope’s fingers moved across the displays quickly as she controlled both ships. “Expel the antimatter while I charge up the tetryon beam on the Telemachus.”

A significant hue of antimatter gas was released from both nacelles of the Odyssey and started to fill the compartment they were in. Seconds later, the Telemachus fired its tetryon beam. The reaction was instant, and the bright white-blue gas exploded and started to push the Odyssey and Telemachus out. Like a surfer on top of a powerful and high wave, the two ships were driven out of the organism at impressive speeds. The electrolytic reaction started to interact with the blood dilithium fragments; each one was hit by several energy bolts as the Odyssey glided past them on its wave.  

“I’m reading fierce contractions throughout the digestive chamber,” Agnes called out. “The fragments are breaking away from the creature’s inner systems, and we’re moving back through the oesophageal aperture!”

“Great, it’s working!” Penelope said with a smirk of pride. 

“I’m no longer detecting any bioplasmic energy around the ship; we’re out!” Agnes stated. 

As everyone around them started to wake up, Penelope remained in command of the situation. “How’s the creature?” 

“I’m not detecting any blood dilithium fragments laced within it.” Agnes shared the sensor readings she was seeing. “I think Operation: Flemen Babysitting Trick worked.”

“Great, see to our fellow crewmates while I take us to maximum warp and lay a course out of this area of space,” Penelope said.

Pushing himself slowly off the deck plate, Commander Duncan blinked several times as he looked around the room and soon realised he had been unconscious on the floor of main engineering; instantly, he stood up. “Report? What’s our status?”

“Our plan to help the telepathic pitcher plant worked,” Penelope announced. “The blood dilithium that was laced within it has been removed. The Devore are no longer a threat, and we are now at warp nine point nine six, heading far away.”

“I feel like I’ve missed something, but that all sounds positive,” Duncan reported. He looked over to Horin. “Is Louwanna okay?”

Agnes had moved over to the counsellor when she hadn’t woken up straight away like the others. Slyvexs and Forbes had joined her quickly. “The counsellor is still unconscious. I’m detecting a low-level neurogenic field.” The EMH reported.

Slyvexs took her own tricorder out. “Somehow, the neurogenic field is linked to the subspace resonance emitter; the counsellor is still connected to the creature.”

“You’ve saved me,” the little girl said with a weak smile.

Horin sat next to her and rubbed her back gently. “The blood dilithium, has it left your system?”

The girl nodded, “And those people have all returned to their own homes.”

For an intelligent creature, Horin wondered if the telepathic pitcher plant really understood the issues that the Brenari, who had become trapped within its neurogenic, had faced. Was it capable of empathy and sympathy for what they had to endure under the brutal hands of the Devore?

“What will you do now?” Horin asked it. 

“I will find my mother,” The girl answered. She looked around and saw the other senior members of the Odyssey crew that were still present. “None of you left me.”

Hunsen stepped forward. “We said we would help.” He said with a reassuring smile, giving the little girl a hand to pull her up.

“Thank you,” the girl answered.

As Hunsen helped Horin up, the counsellor looked at the girl. “What will you do now?”

“I think I will find my family.” She looked at Flemen. “Hopefully, I can find my own version of chocolate cake.”

Flemen smirked, “If we ever find a large source of it, I’ll make sure to send it in your direction.”

“I’d like that,” the girl answered, smiling. “You should all go.”

“Are you sure?” Horin checked.

She nodded. “You are all needed with those you are closely connected with. I will be fine, thank you.”

“We were just doing our jobs,” Hunsen said before a huge bright white light engulfed them.

“Tremt, Tremt, are you with me?” 

Hunsen flickered his eyes open and blinked a few times. He recognised the voice and instantly saw his captain hovering over him. “Captain?” He asked with a hoarse voice before coughing. He then saw the injuries on the captain’s face and immediately remembered what had happened. “Oh my god, sir, are you okay?”

Wiping his chin and mouth, the captain just nodded. “I’ll be fine; I just want to make sure you are?”

Hunsen nodded. “I am, and I am so sorry, sir.”

McCallister offered his hand towards his chief engineer, “Just promise me no more mutinies.”

“I promise,” Hunsen said as he took his captain’s hand and shook it before standing up.