Paradise Lost

Posted on 31 Mar 2010 @ 9:36pm by Commodore Da`nal of the House of Varal

1,464 words; about a 7 minute read

Mission: M4: The Cartaris Strain

[USS Weatherbey]

Oz materialized and headed straight for his lab. As usual the prospect of examining new additions to his collection got the better of him. He set all the containers down to get everything ready. Before he headed back down to get more he wanted to catalog his latest additions. He got so absorbed in his new pets that he became totally oblivious to the time.

[On the surface]

The three landing teams were all gathered around the various shuttles. In each location every member had their heads bowed, shaking slightly. Every person raised their heads simultaneously, entered their respective shuttles and head up to the unsuspecting ship.

[USS Weatherbey - Entomology Lab]

Oz was dumbstruck; he had loaded each of the insect he had gathered into a large habitat to watch them interact. Shortly after they had been loaded they had all froze where they were. Even the two that had been flying had simply stop in mid air and hovered. He had immediately grabbed a scanner but just as he was about the start they all began to move again.

"Weird." Returning the tricorder to its place he began to review his data from the surface, behind him, inside the enclosure, the insect began to systematically examine their new environment then to collectively work at the seals.

[Shuttle Bay]

All three of the Weatherbey's shuttles had docked and the shuttle crew's disembarked to various sections on the ship.

[Bridge]

Commander Grayson turned as the doors to the turbo lift opened and his XO stepped out he looked different, almost ashen. "We were starting to think you and your team were going to decide to stay down there...Is there something wrong Tom."

His former XO said nothing as he proceeded to the center of the bridge.

"Tom...?"

Before anyone could react the First Officer screamed, but it was cut short when his head exploded shorting the bridge crew with a putrid green residue and the spores it carried. There crew tried to protect themselves but to no avail. Soon everyone was on the floor writhing as the spores infiltrated their bodies, merging them as new members of the Aggregate.

This scene repeated itself throughout the ship; in Sick Bay, the mess hall, engineering...and science.

[Science Dept.]

Oz heard the screams and choked coughs of the others through the door he rushed to see what was happening and immediately reacted.

"Computer seal the door and flood the ship with O3 at ?? parts per million!"

He began to cough and gag as the gas filled the room, but he took several deep breaths to purge any exposure to himself. Unfortunately the ozone had little effect on those already taken by the Aggregate. They began to pound at the door trying to gain entry.

His memories flashed to the dead personnel on Cartaris station attack the away team. The strength and speed of those infected had been astonishing, and as long as there was still electric activity in the body those spores could animate the host. The living....they never had the chance to examine some that was still alive after infection, Captain Draper had seen to that.

Lieutenant Ozwald Goodshire was no longer himself. His past had finally caught up with him and fate it seemed had reaped its own sense of justice upon him. What he didn't know was that all over the ship the uncontaminated crew were fighting a losing battle again a foe they didn't know or understand. His calls to the bridge went unanswered and when he had the computer display a visual of the bridge his stomach lurched. He called up views of various parts of the ship. Everywhere there were clouds of spores or crew being over powered then infected.

He was alone....

His head was spinning. He had to stop them, but without command authority he couldn't destroy the ship, however he could disable it. Oz knew there was little chance he would survive the next few moments but he would do what needed to be done and then take his own life. There was no way he was going to end up like the monsters he saw 2 years ago on Cartaris Station. Donning an EV suit he triple checked the seals, attached two phasers to his waist, programmed his transport, and took a deep breath. “Computer, upon completion on my final transport; erect a level 5 containment field around my position and open a coded emergency hail.â€

Oz pulled both phases from their holsters, setting each to maximum. “Here we go…energize.â€

First Oz materialized in the computer core and started blasting, destroying his targets. Two seconds later he was beamed to the bridge where he targeted the control stations and any ‘creature’ that moved against him. His next destination was a Jefferies tube where he destroyed a key ODN and Power relay junction. Finally he materialized in engineering. No sooner had the cycle completed and he tossed his commbadge away and began firing on those that he had called friend and shipmates. The speed at which they turned on him told him that they were no longer the people he had once known. He knew he had to eliminate as many of the engineering crew was possible, and tears poured down his face as his friends vaporized before his very eyes.

[Bridge]

There was no ciaos on the bridge. No barking of orders or calls for medical teams. With silent single purpose the survivors moved to stop the human that was attacking them. The cumulative knowledge of the people manning this vessel made the decisions swift and deadly. The attacker was targeted with what these beings called a transporter and was beam off the ship.

[Engineering]

Oz was firing as he counted; ….8, anther ‘person’ vaporized – 9, he stepped over to the engineering controls – 10. As the field cam up he saw his commbadge beamed away and he sound of the channel being opened chimed in his helmet. “To any Starfleet ship receiving, the USS Weatherbey has been over run by the Cartaris fungus! I repeat the Cartaris fungus still exists on planet…†Another abrupt tone told him the channel had been closed

“SHIT!!†He immediately began to disable as many systems as he could….Impulse, sensors, weapons. Suddenly his panel went black and his security field went down as a containment field surrounded the warp core.

Oz grabbed his phasers and ran to another console, firing at anything that moved. This was it, his hand moved over the controls faster than he had before and the ship rocked as the warp core was ejected…containment field and all.

No sooner had the core vanished and Oz was grabbed from behind. The impact knocked one phaser from his left hand and pinned his arm to his side in a steel grip. At the same time he swiped his thumb against the power bar of the of his remaining phaser.

As the high pitched whine of the overload cycle began his arm took a blow that shattered the bones in his arm. Oz kicked out sending the phaser into the void left by the warp core. His hope was that its detonation would set off the the antimatter pods. The bast sent shockwaves through the deck, the antimatter was detinated but the ejection hatch and the lower core mounting assembly was destroyed. For a split second there was a gapping hole in thr belly of the ship but emergency forcefields quickly sealed the breach.

The 'person' behind Ozwald never released his grip and now with one hand he ripped the helmet off the EV suit as a woman approached. Of coarse Oz knew who she was and what was about to happen. He fought against the man holding him but his grip never budged. As Samantha approached he shock his head even more violently.

"Sam, don't do this..." There was no change in her expression as she stood before him and her eyes rolled back as the pressure in her head grew, "No...NOOOOOO!" His screams echoed through the otherwise silent Engineering decks, but it was replaced by a choking gag.

Throughout the ship a new set of memories and experiences spread amongst the Human and other humanoid members of the Aggregate. For the first time the Aggregate experienced anger. As they began to assimilated Oz's memories they realized that their kind had existed elsewhere. Their kind had existed and fought for its freedom and had been destroyed by the Federation.

There was no orders given, but they worked as one. The ship was earily silent as repair began. the warp core was salvaged and waited until the housing was rebuilt. Another new set of concepts began to take shape....revenge, expansion, and war. War against the Federeration.

 

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