Star Trek: Phoenix-X
"The Cloud Aloft Remake"
The Prometheus-class U.S.S. Phoenix-X sped incredulously through transwarp in the Gamma Quadrant, on an epic, non-seven-year journey towards home.
"See, Voyager? This is how it's done!" argued Captain Daniel from the Bridge to a confused crew.
Gotens deadpanned him. "They can't hear you now, sir."
"I know," the other man shrugged. "I'm going to send it to them later. In the meantime, what is our ETA for said-home?"
Red turned from the helm. "25 minutes."
"Captain. We are now entering Dominion territory, as expected," Armond reported from tactical.
Commander Gotens stared off, seriously. "Are we in fact ready for this? That overly thrusted Deep Space 9-based war is still going strong, and any multiples of enemy ships could call upon multiples more, like some kind of loud yelling guy in a room of entitled big box store shoppers."
"It's not going to do us any good getting all worked up," Daniel ceased his own pacing. "As long as our prodigious Chief Engineer is confident our drive can maintain velocity, we'll be fine."
As if ridiculously on queue, Kugo's call came in. "Chief to Bridge. I don't know how much longer we can maintain this velocity. We are not fine!"
"Why is it, like, every week at the same evening timeslot we have these so-called episodes?" Daniel exposé'd. "Are we on television right now?"
Kugo continued. "Ignore those cameras! The in-world problem stems from the premature ultra-transwarp modifications by Lieutenant Dawn that got us out this far to begin with."
"I like how just normal super-speed just wasn't enough for us," Gotens added. "I'm actually putting a committee together to make our ship even more OP."
Daniel shook his head. "Whatever! I can't risk stopping the ship in enemy territory until we're out. It's not like it should take us very long, considering the hyper-nature of exactly what we're talking about. How much time do we have to the Quadrant border? Like five, six or seven seconds?"
"Eight," Kugo confirmed. "But the engines are severely overclocked and running so hot that, at any moment now, they could—"
With a large thud, Red turned from the helm. "We are currently on half impulse."
"—Give out," Kugo finished. "Speak of the highly sought after and largely proven Vulcan devil."
Gotens dusted his hands off in finality. "Well, that is indubitably that. The lesson being that inevitability always gauges your eyes out. Now, who's up for a holodeck malfunction?"
BAM! But the Phoenix-X was suddenly hit by an aggregation of immanent polaron bursts. "We are under fire from two Jem'Hadar attack ships," Armond confirmed from tactical.
"Ohh! That can be the inciting incident," Gotens perked to a blank audience. "Oh, fine. Let's defend ourselves and get warp online instead. Less fun, though."
Kugo replied before cutting out, "Aye, sir."
BLAM! As the Phoenix-X was then inundated by another polaron barrage by the Lyngon-945, a feedback pulse fed itself up into the Phoenix-X's tactical console, exploding before Armond and sending him down. "Ugh! I'm alright."
"Weapons control is out," Gotens checked. "I thought we'd been applying anti-explosion gel to the consoles every morning?"
Daniel darted. "You know that shipment was a Ferengi scam!"
"Either way, we're sitting Earth ducks," Red deadpanned. "Those historically hated and extinct diseased squawking hordes with terrible attitudes."
Gotens walked over to the Captain. "Sidebar. If I can get to the weapons control section, I may be able to repair the surge damage."
"I'm the fastest. I'll go," Daniel contemplated. "You know I beat you in that revolver dismantle-reassemble-then-shoot life-and-death Nausicaan pirate drinking game last week."
The Commander looked at him. "Yeah, because you were supposed to let me win! Bullets make solids bleed, remember?"
"A lesson we all had to learn the hard way," Daniel admitted. "Well, at least you're alive again. The you that needs to do this to prove to me your worth." He then nodded to an off-put Gotens and ran off.
Shaking it off, Gotens turned his attention to the viewscreen. "Alright. Teamwork makes the dream work. Hail that foreign vessel of maddening origins." When the screen clicked on to a view of Jem'Hadar Second Uon'Rog, Gotens continued, "We are a formidable starship and very ready to destroy you."
"What are you doing!?" came the accusations of First Jakla'Tan to his subordinate. "Mingling with the enemy? Terminate this frequency!"
Uon'Rog turned to him. "If you would let me speak for once, I could inform all of us that we must not stay here. For it will mean our death as well as theirs."
"What are they talking about? Does every ship have to have its own inter-personnel conflict?" Gotens queried after the screen cut out to show the second Jem'Hadar attack ship, the Lyngon-944, turning and firing an experimental energy pulse into the Phoenix-X before warping out of there. Holding from the impact, Gotens added, "External conflict on top of that? How rude!"
Suddenly, Daniel's call came in from the lower decks. "Commander, I can't get the weapons armed despite the surge fix. It looks like we took an active sub-electric jamming shot."
"In English, man," Gotens stressed.
Daniel replied, "I'm in charge here, so my discourse remains conclusive!"
"Well, it looks like you don't have weapons. What are you going to do?" came the return viewscreen communication from an entertained First Jakla'Tan.
Gotens turned to him. "What the hell? This is not a show to watch other people struggle with their own problems!"
"They must really like our episodes, because they've lowered shields?" a recovered Armond observed from another console.
Jakla'Tan turned to his own men. "Convert remaining power to our quantum torpedo launch."
"Oh! Do the multi vector mode thingamabobber," Daniel suggested over comms. "In fact, it's voice-activated and I'm the Captain, so, Computer, initiate multi vector separation. Attack Sequence Omega."
To that, everyone listened as the computer acknowledge the order and began separating. "Sequence now implementing by way of awkward Captain's location's orders."
"Right?" Gotens agreed as the Phoenix-X began moving and separating into three vectors, circling around the Lyngon-945, confusing them, profusely.
From the viewscreen, Ninth Toba'Rukh declared to his superiors, "I can't get a clear lock on any one of them!"
"Now it is they who have lowered their shields," Fourth Dyn'Mek claimed from his display.
In a matter of seconds, Starfleet officers beamed aboard the Lyngon-945, surprise-attacking and fighting unsuspecting Jem'Hadar. "Ahh! They did the thing we do!" First Jakla'Tan observed.
"Commander, I'm detecting some kind of matter/anti-matter inimical energy cloud heading this way?" Armond added in sudden confusion. "It's behind that Jem'Hadar attack ship."
BOB stepped forward. "That's what they were afraid of."
"Aah! Where'd you come from?" Gotens reacted at BOB's sudden appearance. "Never mind. I wasn't afraid of you. Can we get out of here on impulse?"
Red turned from helm. "Not enough speed."
"Hey-low, memba's! We've got control of the Jem'Hadar attack ship," came Lieutenant Commander Wallace as he stepped into frame on the viewscreen.
Gotens stepped forward in fear. "Commander to all vectors. We've got to get out of here. There's an unknown energy cloud heading this way!"
"It's too late," BOB observed as the purple cloud passed over all Phoenix-X vectors and the Lyngon-945.
After a fearful, shared breath, the cloud's climactic overtake was anti-climactisized as it suddenly continued, on passed them with no apparent danger whatsoever.
"It was no problem after all, Commander," Daniel added. "I pay you to keep your cool, not loose your tool. The tool's your brain, if that wasn't clear. Also, money doesn't exist."
When the three vectors recombined back into the Phoenix-X, Captain Daniel made his way back to the Bridge where Kugo was calling, "Bridge. When we were inside that energy cloud, the engine's perpetual over-clocking apparently stabilized."
"What are you saying? We should go back into it?" the Captain queried.
Kugo perked, "Well, now I am."
"Armond, tractor that Jem'Hadar ship. Red, take us back into the cloud," Gotens ordered.
As the Phoenix-X pulled the Lyngon-945 through the mist and matched its speed, Ensign Dan's eyes widened in pure, unrelenting wonder. "Ooooh, pretty."
"You're relieved!" Daniel snapped.
---
Later, the group gathered in the Conference room to assess the situation.
"Okay. We've got an engine ready to explode, impulse only, no weapons, a tractored Jem'Hadar fighter and no communication with home," Gotens established. "You should take it the situation is grim and the odds are stacked against us."
Daniel rolled his eyes. "First of all, take it easy already and, second, why does it feel like we're always being set up with these wild scenarios?"
"Turns out there's a lot of drama out here in the vastness of space and we're its front-runners," Kugo noticed.
Armond nodded. "In that vein, you should know the matter/anti-matter volatility of the cloud prevents further communication outside its parameters."
"It's like a comfy, warm interspatial incubation chamber," Kayl purred. "In fact, I've begun to wrap myself in it— I mean, study it."
After a hesitant look her way, Gotens inquired of the others, "If we use the Jem'Hadar ship to tractor us at warp, how long would it take us to get to the Bajoran wormhole?"
"If we could control it, two weeks," Red confirmed. "We also risk running into more Dominion ships and the odds of having another weird but beneficial plot-device'd fight are slim at best."
BOB shrugged. "Yeah, but not that slim."
"Hmm. I'm going to have a talk with those Jem'Hadar to see if they know more," Daniel conceived. "After all, I am their god."
Kugo rolled her eyes. "Ugh. The persistence of men's ego, for some reason. Logistics, probably." She sighed. "Well, the engine modifications will likely take about two weeks to correct due to the maddening concept of ultra transwarp to begin with. In the interests of expediting a hasty exit from this cloud, I will get started, starting......... now."
---
Later, in Engineering, as copious clusters of engineers were working tirelessly, dedicated to the mechanics of an overdue, surely-ill-fated starship, Kugo was approached by Ensign Billy.
"Chief, did you tell the Captain that it would be two weeks before we solve the issue with the engines?" he weighed.
Kugo snapped. "You dare question my authority? To the dungeon!"
"Actually, we're still sourcing out the stone and over-sized chain supply for that," Billy reminded. "What I meant was, I think Kayl's experimentations with containing the adverse cloud can be applied here. If being in it ceases danger, then why not take a piece if it with us?"
The Vulcan's eyes widened in realization. "Dear, fake gods, you might be on to something." She tapped her commbadge, next. "Chief to the Captain. I found a solution of utmost potentialities—"
"—Ahem!" Billy interrupted, purposefully.
She darted eyes at him with contempt. "Ensign, is there something wrong with your throat? If you need to, you have permission to go to Sickbay." Then, turning back to air, Kugo continued, "Anyway, like I was saying, I found a solution. The key is the cloud. I plan to integrate what we can collect and use that to stabilize systems."
"Like the chicken and the egg!" Daniel analogized.
Kugo deadpanned, "No, sir. I keep telling you that comparison doesn't apply to every situation."
---
On the Bridge, Daniel walked around to an impromptu meeting with several senior staff and Captain Aeris.
"Well, well, well. Lounging in a crisis, Captain?" Armond observed of the dormant commanding officer. "You know we've been in a situation and stuff this whole time, right?"
Aeris snapped. "It's not my ship, therefore I get all the unlimited manicures I want!"
"She's right, Armond," Daniel corroborated. "Those are well-known command privileges, and it is obvious there is much you need to learn." He then turned from a perplexed Armond to the others. "Anyway, I want a quick inspection of that Jem'Hadar attack ship of which Wallace and his team have secured. Also, since the Phoenix-X's weapons systems are down, I want as many people here as possible, armed."
Gotens nodded. "If we run out of phasers, we have glass-encased crowbars on every deck."
"Armond, I want you to join and coordinate additional system analysis over there and have Kayl prep Jem'Hadar transport to our Brig," Daniel continued. "She needs something to do."
The Hispanic-descent man nodded before realizing. "Wait. Isn't that last comment incredibly patronizing?"
"Another command privilege," Aeris re-affirmed. "Seriously, where do you get the nerve to question us? We are gods!"
Lieutenant Commander Armond transposed, quickly. "Oh, you want to see my nerves? They're at the front edge of your incredible, sovereign egos!"
"You two, stop at this nanosecond," Daniel ordered. "There is only so much high-roading one can do before the air gets thin, and we Captains are mandated our own premium and localized oxygen composition in all ship rooms we occupy."
---
Later, aboard the Lyngon-945, Daniel approached Lieutenant Commander Wallace, who was overseeing a security round-up with his team.
"Hey-low! The clone men of this crew are free for interrogation at any time," Wallace allotted. "I have confirmed their schedules are cleared based on the fact they are now prisoners."
Daniel shook his head. "How obvious is it that I've been procrastinating this first close-range meeting with these people?"
"We had bingo cards going," Wallace admitted. "But there is nothing you can say or do to change the adorational nature of the Jem'Hadar. They will adulate you no matter your side."
Daniel sighed. "Thank you, Smart Wallace. Those horned-murder-junkies are a complicated bunch."
---
Entering the Brig aboard the Lyngon-945, Daniel walked past the cells collecting lower-level Jem'Hadar until reaching the First and Second.
"Well? Aren't you going to bow before me?" Daniel eyed, questioningly.
First Jakla'Tan was nearly taken aback. "To a traitor? You come from our side, like that one guy from Deep Space 9 who isn't hiding who he is from the rest of his people."
"The mere fact that this eternal one keeps his true self to a select few is proof he suffers comparable plights," Second Uon'Rog annunciated before conceding and bowing to Captain Daniel's rhetorical request.
Jakla'Tan took in this logic and changed stance, doing the same, bowing and leading all the rest of the Jem'Hadar to bow as well. "I suppose the similarities are undeniable. We honour the Founders." Upon return, he continued, "Victory is life and, may I ask, what will become of us?"
"It is most likely you will be prisoners of the Federation," Daniel realized. "But there are many pity-tasks you can perform if granted parole, such as road-side trash pickup, after-school guest fear-pushing and voluntary prison yard shiv stab-outs."
The Jem'Hadar First considered it for a second. "As good as that last one sounds, I must reiterate how we remain honoured by your presence as a Founder only. You see, we will not do community work, as it is beneath us and people in general."
"Oh, really?" Daniel scoffed. "Then I guess you're planning to escape this perfectly good capture? The alternative would be laughable if Changelings even knew how to do that. Also, you should know we've reinforced the shielding in here with anti-explosion gel."
Nodding, Jakla'Tan added, "Escape? No. As I was saying, victory is life, and we have not been victorious." He then clapped his hands to all. "Tubes, everyone. Aaaand, action!"
---
"And then they all eliminated themselves. Right in front of me," Daniel blinked in shock with Commander Gotens from the safety of the Captain's Ready Room now back aboard the U.S.S. Phoenix-X. "And why'd they play it for laughs?"
Gotens shrugged. "They were probably trying a different approach just to shake things up. Too bad they missed the mark, like shooting darts at a Ferengi wall."
"The lesson here is to seek help when in crisis and/or don't go to war with the Federation," Daniel established.
The Commander nodded. "We're wartime candy for many aggressive cultures."
"Maybe this is my fault," Daniel added before looking away. "I could have been more swift and decisive with my approach."
Gotens continued. "Variables are cosmetic bon bons to that of excessive drive. But, if you wanted, you could seek their Vorta Commander for closure? I have confirmed her schedule is cleared based on the fact she is a prisoner."
"Thank you, Commander," Daniel paused. "Perhaps my misplaced tempest in our command partnership has been near abundant. You may take your fifteen-minute break early today."
---
Meanwhile, in the Brig of the Phoenix-X, several prissy detainees from numerous outlandish episodes, past, sat or paced within their own force-fielded confines.
"All my life's work and the hours I spent at Starfleet Academy. Gone! For what? A criminal offense?" complained the human, Lieutenant Dawn Relic, for transgressions gone by.
Professor Gast turned to him. "Your life's work?? I was the beastial monarch of my feral generation! A whole planet, horrifically full of genetic automations."
"Oh, shut up!" interjected Kotah, the Andorian ship hijacker. "All I want is to have some peace so I can contemplate the various textures of redbat prison rations."
Gast snarked. "This is a Phoenix-ship! We'd be lucky if we get passed today if we don't die from either a transwarp failure or a Dominion attack."
"Then let me contemplate our last days, but quietly!" thundered Kotah.
The new female Vorta addition chimed, "Friends, you need not trifle over particulars. I will confirm we will be destroyed by either the Dominion or the Inimical cloud. Though, such quibbling makes me hope it is soon."
Kotah perked. "Little creature. If you don't like my company, you can kiss my perfect, blue—"
"As I see it," Daniel opened, stepping into the general area, "We certainly have our collection of delinquents, goons and ruffians."
Feylou raised an eyebrow. "A little on the touchy side, aren't we, Captain?" A stern look from Daniel prompted Feylou to bow in submission. "Sincere apologies. I meant no disrespect. A fact you may be able to confirm by the honorable deaths of my men."
"Klingons?" Kotah wondered.
The Vorta replied, "Jem'Hadar."
"Huh. They're more alike than I thought," Kotah realized.
Daniel eyed the species-subordinate in hidden curiosity. "So, they all died because I'm in Starfleet?"
"Perhaps that is half the reason," Feylou subjected. "Or perhaps it is their unconscious expression of your disassociation from our people."
Rolling his eyes, Daniel added, "How could I ever want to associate with a species so recklessly trigger-happy? Groups make choices just like individuals. It has nothing to do with me." He turned, again, to Feylou. "As for you, I want access to your ship before your reinforcements arrive."
"Despite what would be a tactical insufficiency on my part, I gleefully comply," Feylou perked.
---
Meanwhile, the Ferengi BOB and Ensign Billy were sat in the Messhall being served drinks by the Talaxian knock-off chef.
"Alright and here are your drinks. One empathically adult hyper-caffeinated raktajino and one something called apple juice in a sippy cup," announced Heelix as he un-trayed the orders.
Billy took the kids drink before the server departed. "Oooh! Thanks." He then continued with BOB, "Juvenility will help me in my grown-up support to Kayl and Kugo for our efforts to cloudenize the transwarp engines from overclocking."
"Have you tried drawing a smilie face in the cloud itself?" BOB queried. "There's a petition to redefine that as the new Picard Maneuver."
The Ensign nodded. "That was the first thing we tried. Fortunately, the cloud neutralizes the Phoenix-X, while aggravates the Lyngon-945." Then he took notice. "Wait. You're into this stuff? What about earning latinum and betting with various hundreds of quatloos?"
"I only do that to keep up appearances," the Ferengi reassured. "My true passion is in embracing all expertise that facilitates continued existence. For example, I would never redirect power from life support."
Billy nodded. "Yeah, that's usually the first thing we knock out in almost all moderate conflict. But where did you come from? You seem to just exist on this ship without any organizational affiliation or purpose whatsoever?"
"I know! Isn't it amazing? That's how you know we're living in an enlightened society. As a non-affiliated, non-crew nothing, I know all the ship's highly classified secrets and personal dramas, and I'm still treated as an equal," BOB appreciated.
Walking by, Commander Gotens forced a stop in his tracks. "Uh, you were hired to advise on Dominion behaviour, based on that one time you traded Ferengi yak cheese with them."
"Ugh. Can you believe the Jem'Hadar thought they could replace ketracel white?" BOB complained. "Speaking of which, I need to reschedule this week's consultation due to an unrelated yak cheese problem in my quarters."
Gotens threw his hands up in defeat before continuing away. "Dammit, again!"
"I keep putting it off. I'm stalling," BOB admitted after he was gone. "But I don't think I can sustain that for long before my operational value diminishes completely. I tried getting a job on Deep Space 9, but it turns out they already had a top-level Ferengi."
Billy nodded. "It's true. You can't have more than one." He then turned. "Why don't you work toward joining Starfleet? Or help with maintenance in Engineering? Or at least be the ship's bartender?"
"Hmm. All those options are highly contrived and already done to death by other Ferengi, but I can't deny the appeal of keeping my status-quo uninterrupted."
---
Meanwhile, out in the confines of the inimical cloud, the Phoenix-X's tractor beam to the Lyngon-945 momentarily fluctuated, prompting an alert on the Bridge tactical console.
"The cloud-disruption of their ship is starting to cause the beam to drain power," Armond reported with urgency to Commander Gotens. "There's no way to compensate without deleting our already deactivated life support."
Aeris stepped forward. "And if we let go of the Jem'Hadar attack ship, it'll expedite their disruption and explode at us like some kind of bull in a three-piece China shop."
"Alright, calm down. The Phoenix-X is not a China shop," Gotens halted before hailing the crew on the enemy vessel. "Wallace, we're running into problems. Get everyone back here for safety."
The other man nodded. "This is why we all need mobile Genesis devices. So that explosions lead to reanimations."
"You can't solve everything with a Genesis device!" Gotens repulsed. "Starfleet is out of starship supplies, anyway, having to constantly replace Intrepid-class ships. They're regularly getting lost."
---
Later, the senior staff and BOB took seats around the large table in the Conference room.
"Due to the cloud, that ship could go any minute and releasing the tractor beam would accelerate it. Options?" Captain Daniel demanded of his crew.
Red perked. "We gain control, pilot the attack ship out, tractor and eject the transwarp core of the Phoenix-X and destroy the Dominion once and for all."
"It's unlikely we could breach the Lyngon-945 without its encryption codes," BOB observed. "I did a whole yak cheese remote-connect thing one time."
Daniel nodded. "In fact, Feylou did provide me with encryption, but Wallace was blocked by a command firewall and several unskippable ads about cloning benefits."
"Are you sure she's not messing with you, Captain?" Aeris queried. "The Vorta are highly experimental in testing people. I once saw a crouched-over guy gnawing some dude's ear off before I was able to aggressively shoo them away."
Armond spoke up. "While I will attest to experiencing that as well, in terms of our situation, I believe I can maintain the tractor beam longer, but it would mean we should at least disable the onboard lens flares."
"You will do no such thing!" countered Gotens.
BOB then snapped his fingers. "Tractor beam. We use the tractor beam to compile the variant cloud matter enough to reconstitute it into our systems."
"Surely, as your ability to suddenly problem solve Starfleet-style is a convenience of circumstance, accomplishing this will take some futuristic finagling," Kugo elucidated.
Daniel turned to Kugo. "You're the best finageler we've got. If anyone can hack the Lyngon-945 for its impulse control, it's you. Then we can send it out of the equation."
"I could reroute its bug-like systems until its beetle-shaped firewall implodes," Kugo realized.
Gotens relaxed and started dealing. "Everyone, pick a card from the assignment randomizer deck of playing cards."
"You know, instead of that, I will volunteer to support Engineering while the big brains work on your double angle," Aeris offered. "Gotens has some experience there with me from the Xena, so we can team up."
The Captain nodded. "Agreed. Once the Dominion ship is gone, we prime engines and transwarp like hell. If plans fail, we all get jobs as gormagander space whale hunters on Gelrakian barges."
"Ohh! Dibs on the giant crystal spear," Gotens called as everyone got up and filed out of the room.
BOB stopped at Daniel after everyone was gone. "Captain, I was wondering if, after all this, I could stay on the ship? I'm willing to take on any new role, so long as it's not some kind of empty and meaningless position like morale officer."
"It's clear you've thought about this," Daniel surmised. "I will consider your stay since two bars of gold-pressed latinum is hardly much to spare. Isn't it?"
The Ferengi was taken aback. "Sir!?"
"Seriously. I used up our entire cache on Changeling bucket pyramid schemes and now we all have too many morning cereal receptacles."
---
Entering Engineering, Aeris and Gotens got to work, managing the changes and cloud matter integration to the transwarp drive as they came in.
"Status is nominal, so far," a focused Captain read from the monitor.
Gotens took it all in. "Look at us, performing menial, low-level tasks like a bunch of subordinates. We're so progressive!" Then he took out a PADD and started doodling starship sketches. "That's how good we are. That I have time to do this."
---
Kayl entered the Bridge, took her station and began shutting down more non-essential systems to support the tractor beam.
"Let's see. I can't imagine how this line of power conduits are relevant," she observed of an interactive display as she turned them off.
Suddenly, a call came through to her from the Messhall. "Heelix to Bridge. My stove just turned off and I was in the middle of a massive leeola root curry dal!"
"Holy crap. That sounds equal parts terrible and delicious. I simply must know which flavour dominates," Kayl replied before turning it back on and switching to another system. "Looks like someone is currently using the cutest-sounding, harmless holo-program, Cats of the Savannah. I'll just take power from the safeties."
---
Meanwhile, in Holodeck 2, Ensign Tom was suddenly pounced on by a giant singing lion, tearing into him, limb from limb. "Aaahh!"
---
In another part of Engineering, Armond and BOB found themselves managing tractor beam mechanics.
"We need to calibrate the matrix to the terrafelium junction then spin it half-wise and watch," Armond explained while working tirelessly through an open gear section.
Standing nearby, BOB watched, perplexed. "Did you just make all that up? Never mind. I'll just supervise while you do your thing."
"Suit yourself. It's a real simple procedure," he reassured whilst frothing the rundels.
---
In Sickbay, a mangled and near-broken Ensign Tom stepped through the swooshing doors in utter, searing discomfort.
"Wait. Is this a near-elimination played for laughs? That's like shooting domjot at a Nausicaan garumba conference!" observed Doctor Lox as he turned to take in the Ensign. "I love it. Come this way."
---
In the Brig, Captain Daniel, once again, approached the Vorta named Feylou. "Why did you lie about the encryption code? You made it seem like you were turning!"
"I am turning, but not in the way you think. You see, I was testing myself, to assess if I could break my woven adulation of the Founders, embedded in my genes," she tempered. "Denying an order is easy, but betrayal and dishonour is arduous."
Daniel eyed her. "Because of what your Jem'Hadar did earlier? Fascinating."
"Despite they and I supplicating the same masters, we still have our differences," Feylou added. "And, you are still part of the Federation, and I the Dominion, so it's unlikely you will get the encryptions as desired."
The Captain took in the situation. "You're forgetting about our pure, unrelenting Starfleet ingenuity. We're a lesson in no-ask, in-your-face problem-solving. Seriously, it's the first thing we tell people about us."
---
Meanwhile, Kugo was on the Lyngon-945, near several splayed systems panels while sifting through data on a Jem'Hadar headset. Ensign Billy held up several large linked-cables.
"How is my lifting-up of these any help at all?" he conflated.
While concentrating, Kugo replied, "Because the connections are very finicky! Hold it half-wise. Half-wise!"
---
Down in Engineering, Gotens and Aeris took notice of the hard work Armond and BOB were putting into the tractor beam set up.
"Look at them. They think they're so good. But you know what? I secretly put marks on their records then erase them just for that momentary feeling of comeuppance," the Commander sneered.
Aeris popped her head out of her work in utter shock. "Commander!" Then she got back to work. "Yeah, I used to do that too."
"Okay, we're ready!" exclaimed Armond from the other end before he popped back up from his work. "All I need now is to prepare the lock onto the cloud."
BOB checked his PADD. "Well, the energy of the anomaly is propagating at an anti-high decibel at, I'd say, five quarts."
"Ferengi? You appear to have embraced the anarchic discourse," Armond observed, impressed.
But the comms broke in, with Kayl from the Bridge. "Commander! The tractor beam to the Dominion ship is about to fail."
"This is Kugo, from the Lyngon-945," came the Vulcan's voice from said-ship. "It took a lot of Starfleet finagling, but we've broken the encryption and gained access to impulse."
Making eye-contact with a nodding Armond, Gotens turned to the open channel. "Kayl, disengage tractor beam and run it through the new configurations unto the cloud. Also, remind me to add a commendation asterisk to everyone's records. Well. I'm sure I'll remember."
"It's working. Receiving the unclean, foreign material into the Phoenix-X's inner tubes!" Aeris exclaimed from her monitor. "Really questioning all of your judgements, by the way."
---
On the Bridge, a proximity alert klaxon rang off while Daniel was entering. Two Jem'Hadar attack ships, the Hinxen-327 and the Hinxen-328, dropped warp and lanced polaron beams into the Inimical cloud.
"Enemy weapons are causing the cloud to ignite and energy tendrils to impact both us and the Lyngon-945," Wallace reported from tactical as the Phoenix-X began to rupture from jolt after jolt. "Like we're a Cinco de Mayo pinata!"
Daniel considered the analogy. "Hmm. I'll allow it. The comparison, I mean." Then he turned to a compliant Wallace. "Drop shields, momentarily, for a beam out." Daniel tapped his commbadge as the ship impacts intensified. "Bridge to Transporter Room 2. Get our Away Team back."
"I must have activated a homing signal," Kugo reported after shields returned and she entered the Bridge. "And they were probably already looking for their ship after their fleetmates had abandoned it in fear of the cloud to begin with."
The Captain understood. "A clear lack of internal communication. Corporate office cultures do it all the time."
"Speaking of communication: The cloud-harnessing is not yet complete," Armond reported over comms as Commander Gotens joined everyone on the Bridge. "Also, there's going to be a whole lot of residue for the EMH to clean up."
But the ship began to shake even more violently when the Hinxens switched to polaron dual cannons. The disruption then started to overload the Lyngon-945 and threaten the Phoenix-X.
"Our engines aren't free of the over-clock, yet destruction is immanent," Gotens observed. "If we stay, we die. If we leave, we die. Oh, what a predicament! The woe!"
Captain Daniel snapped his fingers. "Except, for the latter, we have collected much of the required material. This is a Kirk-level risk worthy of action due to the trust gained from the crew's track record." He then turned. "Helm, take us out of the cloud."
"Aye," enthusiasted Lieutenant Commander Red before he piloted the Phoenix-X out whilst the over-energized cloud and Lyngon-945 exploded behind them.
BLAM! The Phoenix-X was then hit by a barrage of polaron pulses as the two Dominion ships moved to flank them.
"Phoenix-X to Dominion ship. Are you sure you want to do this? I am one of your Founders, after all," Daniel queried.
The Jem'Hadar commander appeared on screen. "This is First Ty'Chat of the Hinxen-327. We know. Thanks to an experimental internal notification system, we've now been briefed. For, you see, this is a suicide mission."
"Don't do this, Ty'Chat. The crew of the Lyngon-945 self-eliminated on account of erroneously absurd Dominion-sewn genetics. Whether it's institutional allegiance or the safeties failure of a Cats of the Savannah program, life is not meant to be so easily doused. I don't want it."
There was a moment of shared Jem'Hadar hesitation, on screen, before Ty'Chat cut the channel and continued attacks into a multi-vectoring Phoenix-X. The battle then intensified enough to ward both Hinxens into retreat.
"They didn't even do their signature kamikaze run at us. Now I'm offended for the lack of effort," Gotens harumphed as the Phoenix-X reintegrated.
As BOB was entering the Bridge, he added, "Perhaps victory isn't life for them after all."
"Or maybe," Daniel hesitated, "it was because they were following my express wishes."
At that, Armond's call rang through across the Bridge. "Captain! Your moral projectioning gave us enough time to stabilize the engine and dismantle the ultra-settings. We're back to just normal transwarp now."
"Such a pedestrian velocity, but I'll take it," Daniel reasserted. "Red, set a course for Deep Space 9 so that we may regale them of our exploits in their own jurisdiction. Engage!"
The Phoenix-X then turned and jumped into transwarp.