THE EDGE OF THE FEDERATION

EPISODE 7: "WHERE NO SUN SHINES, PART TWO"

Written By Alex Matthews

Based on 'Star Trek' 
created by Gene Roddenberry

Star Trek and all related marks, logos and characters are solely owned by CBS Studios Inc. This fan fiction is not endorsed by, sponsored by, nor affiliated with CBS, Paramount Pictures, or any other Star Trek franchise, and is a non-commercial fan-made fiction intended for recreational use.  No commercial exhibition or distribution is permitted. No alleged independent rights will be asserted against CBS or Paramount Pictures.

Copyright (c) 2021

Produced by Sojournerverse Productions

STARRING

Matt Damon as CAPTAIN CHRISTOPHER APRIL
Rose Leslie as COMMANDER MAYA KENT 
Christina Chang as DR. PATRICIA SONG 
Ed Skrein as COMMANDER WARREN MACKENZIE
Gabriel-Kane Day-Lewis as LT. EDWARD HEMMINGWAY 
Jack Hunter as LT. TIMOTHY DI MARCO
Lesley-Ann Brandt as COMMANDER ANNIKA BARD  
Natalie Dormer as LT. COMMANDER SIRANNA 

GUEST STARRING

Sanaa Latham as DR. OLIVIA KENDRICK
TBA as ASSISTANT DIRECTOR VERAN LERAK

========================================================

The office of the erstwhile Assistant Director of External Affairs was abuzz with members of Starfleet Security working alongside their brethren from the New Jalyel Police Constabulary. Checking computer files, running detailed forensic scans, looking for any and all evidence to understand just what had gone down here only an hour or so before.
But all Commander Annika Bard cared about right now was the fallen security officer laying dead in front of her. 
As she gently lowered the plastic sheet back over the body of Hank Anderson and pushed herself into a standing position, Bard offered up a silent prayer to whatever Gods were watching over them. Then, after she finished, she made a pledge, just as silent, that his killer would be brought to justice.
A pledge she had every intention of keeping. Just like the one she had made for all those poor unfortunate souls on Rigel IV. Because now the bastard who was responsible had a name.
Veran Lerak, you've just become the most wanted man in the Rigel system. 
Her examination of the wound that had killed the non-com had told her one important thing. The discharge of the energy weapon, a disruptor by the tissue damage, had been in close contact, but at an unusual angle. To her expert eye, it looked like the discharge had occurred during a struggle with the weapon. 
That meant that it could very well have been accidental. But that didn’t change the fact that Lerak had run from the scene of the crime, absconded with Olivia Kendrick in tow, most probably as a hostage. Not to mention his recorded confession for his involvement in the problems of Rigel IV. 
Now they just had to find him. 
“Commander?” Turning away as the coroner attendants began moving Anderson’s body away, Bard took the proffered hand scanner from one of the technicians. 
Bard quickly read the display and the results of the forensic sweep, grimacing with disappointment at what it told her. “Transporter signatures?” 
It confirmed her suspicion that Lerak had enacted some kind of fail-safe extraction plan now that his little endeavour had been rumbled. Unfortunately, whereas a shuttle or other such vehicle could have been tracked from leaving the Executive Assembly, a transporter was another matter.
Still, they weren’t completely out of options. “Coordinate with the local P.D. liaison. We’re going to need their help in order to track where Lerak beamed out to before the signal fades.”
The tech nodded, heading off. As much as she wanted to chase down this lead, Bard knew she had another, more solemn task to take care of first. She pulled out her communicator and signalled the Consulate, knowing that they would have what she needed. 
“This is Commander Bard, Starfleet Security. I need to secure a priority channel to the Starship Hannock, on it’s way back from Rigel IX.”

*             *             *

As he sat in his command chair, trying to understand and deal with the swell of grief that threatened to overwhelm him, Captain Christopher April knew he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. 
The rest of the Hannock’s senior officers had gathered on the small bridge, even Warren Mackenzie sat at the engineering monitors. Each and every one of them looked just as shell-shocked as April himself felt. The absence of Freida Rasmussen at her usual post was all the more painful too. 
Because now they had lost one of their own.
April’s mind felt numb as he played it over in his mind again, what Commander Bard had informed them of only a short time ago. That Hank Anderson was dead. That Olivia Kendrick and Veran Lerak were in the wind, the former quite possibly a prisoner of the later. 
The Hannock was mere minutes from orbit of Rigel V. They were pushing the impulse engines for all they could to get there as fast as they could, under Tim Di Marco’s skilled touch. April knew he should be formulating battle plans, search patterns, preparing the crew for what might be to come. 
But all he could think about was the letters he was going to have to compose to send to Anderson's family. How his mother and father would hear that their son was gone. How his wife and two kids back on Vega Colony would learn that their husband and father was never coming home. 
“Captain?” Hemmingway’s pensive inquiry cut through the fog of April’s maudlin thoughts. Like the rest of the senior officers, the lieutenant had insisted on being at his station, despite his experiences. “Sir, we’re being hailed by Commander Bard again.”
“Onscreen,” he managed to force himself to say. He blinked a few times, as he focused on the forward viewscreen as Bard appeared on it. Now was not the time for pleasantries, “Report, Commander.”
[Lerak’s a crafty son-of-a-bitch,] replied the lithe security officer. [He bounced his transporter signal across the entire emergency escape satellite network. But we finally managed to get a lock on the location he made his exit to. One of the islands of the Viltani Barrier.]
April remembered what Olivia had told him about that area only a few days ago. How it was similar to the Spanish Riviera of pre-WW3 Earth, a place where the rich and famous would go to lap up sun, sea and sand. “He wouldn’t stay there for long,” he mused aloud, “not after what he’s done. He must have some kind of plan to leave the system.”
[Agreed.] Bard looked at something off-screen for a moment, [Our sources say he has a holiday villa there. With it’s own private spaceship hanger. But no mention of a craft in his records.]
His lips pursed in disgust, April scoffed, “Oh, he has one. Count on it. Send us those coordinates.” He checked the astrogator in his command display, “We’ll hit orbit in less then 90 seconds.”
[Understood. Good hunting.] Bard vanished from the screen, returning to the view of a rapidly growing Rigel V.
April leaned forward ever so slightly. He tossed a look over his shoulder to Maya Kent, sitting at her tactical console. A moment of understanding and agreement passing unsaid between captain and executive officer. Her Scottish burr sounded clipped and precise as she barked out orders, “Tactical Alert, condition red.”
The overhead light-panels dimmed, with crimson-hued supplementary lighting washing over the bridge and the personnel manning their stations. After a moment, Hemmingway confirmed all decks were at ready status.
“Picking something up at the target coordinates.” April turned his chair to look at Kent, as she studied the tactical data on her console monitor, the blue light illuminating the deep concentration on her face. “A ship, moving off into the atmosphere at full impulse.”
Jeanne Leroy spoke up next, “It’s a small star cruiser, Captain. A standard civilian model, based on the configuration.” She frowned at her own screen, “But its energy signature is strange. It’s packing a hell of a lot more power then it should.”
“Hang on, let me take a look.” Mackenzie’s hands danced over his console as he tied into the science station readings and brought them up on his display. He whistled in awe, “Oh, someone has been making some home improvements. Heavy modifications. A fair bit of extra juice going into structural integrity and shields.” He shot April a grim look, “Not to mention a fair share of what look like weapons ports.”
April refused to let himself be intimidated by the facts. The Hannock may be an old Ganges-class ship, but it could still run circles around an amoral businessman’s hot-rod. “Shields up, phase-cannons at the ready. Load forward torpedo tubes.” He looked back to Kent, “I want him disarmed and disabled. Remember, he had a hostage.”
Kent gave him the briefest of nods before focusing on her targeting scanners as April looked to Hemmingway, “Signal him to heave to and prepare to be boarded, Lieutenant.”
“Aye, sir.” Hemmingway adjusted his personal transceiver as he fiddled with his dials, repeating his captain‘s demands on an open channel. Eventually, he shook his head in dismay, “No answer, sir.”
April had his communications officer continue trying to establish contact. I want this done by the book. I will not let that bastard get away with any of his crimes because of some damn legal loophole or technicality. 
Di Marco spoke up from the helm, “He’s out of the atmosphere, moving into the system.” There was an alarm that he quickly silenced, “He’s spotted us. He’s bugging out, Captain.”
“Pursuit course. Don’t loose him, Tim.”
On the screen, Rigel V shifted out of view, as the only thing on it became the sleek shape of the cruiser, more a pleasure yacht than anything else, against the dark backdrop of space. Its impulse exhaust ports glowed burning white-hot. He’s pushing his engines hard, but he won’t outrun us. 
“We can easily match his speed, Captain,” reported the helmsman, confirming April‘s own thoughts. “But he might push his engines into a catastrophic overload if he keeps red-lining and ramping up his speed.”
“Still no response to hails, Czptain,” chimed in Hemmingway. “He can hear us, but he’s refusing to answer.”
“Energy build-up!” cried out Kent, more stunned then alarmed. “He’s firing!”
High-yield energy discharges slammed into the Hannock’s forward defensive screens. The ship actually rocked from the impact. Everyone on the bridge, April included, was buffeted by it. Damn, how much fire-power is he packing?!
“Shields down to 87%, EPS overloads on Decks 3 and 4!” Mackenzie looked to April in dismay, “That’s a hell of a lot of firepower he’s sending our way, Captain.”
“Maybe too much,” opined Kent. She grinned almost wolfishly at April, “He’s overtaxing his entire power grid. He’s loosing speed and there are breaks in his own shield matrix.”
“He’s desperate.” April realized they could end this here and now. “Maya, target his engines. I want him dead in the water.”
On the screen, twin lances of ruby-red energy shot out from under the Hannock’s forward hull. With Kent’s precision aim, they pierced one of the gaps in the yacht’s overextended shield pattern. There was a plume of fire and smoke that was quickly snuffed out by the cold vacuum of space as the ship listed to one side, the engines darkening as it began to drift.
“Engines disabled,” Kent reported with prideful glee. “Power across the yacht is intermittent at best, but life support is still strong.”
“Prepare a boarding party,” April ordered, standing from his chair. He wanted to feel victorious at finally putting this to an end, but the spectre of the murder of one of his crew hung over him like a dark shroud. There was also his concern for Olivia. Lerak had taken her as a hostage, she was still at risk. “I want you to--”
The chirp of an incoming signal cut him off, as Hemmingway quickly dealt with it, “The yacht is hailing us, sir.”
April acknowledged the report with a nod, before instructing the lieutenant to patch it up on the main screen. Instead of the expected image of Lerak’s smug or angry visage, he was instead graced with Olivia’s attractive visage. He forced himself to remain in a professional mode, “Dr. Kendrick. I’m pleased to see you are okay.”
[A few bumps and bruises, but otherwise intact. Captain April.] She offered the slightest of smiles at their mutual formality, brushing some errant hair out of her face. [This ship is down for the count, so I would appreciate a lift.]
“Already underway. What about your-- your ‘host’?”
A look of sadness overtook her lovely features, [He wont be any trouble.]
She looked over her shoulder, moving out of the way of the screen’s visual pick-up, allowing April to see the huddled figure of Veran Lerak on the deck. Knees drawn up to his chin, his shoulder shaking, face buried in his crossed arms. The faint echo of his sobs was just about audible via the comm-channel.
A broken man. April considered himself a compassionate man. But after everything that Lerak had wrought, all the people dead because of his action, he found it very, very hard to feel sorry for the Jelna exomale. 
He’d brought it on all himself.
*             *             *

Once Corpsman Trevor gave Olivia the all-clear and allowed her to sit up on the main examination bed of the Hannock’s tiny sickbay, April felt like he could finally draw a breath of relief.
As the crewman offered a quick nod and went back to her work, Olivia slipped off the bed and walked up to him, “It’s not every day I have a handsome starship captain swoop in to my rescue.”
“I’m sorry you ended up in that position,” he responded.
Her small smile crumpled, as she shook her head, “It’s my own fault. I should have told you that I had my doubts about Veran’s true motives. If I had, maybe we could have handled things differently. Then maybe Chief Anderson--”
“Don’t.” He could see the tears in her eyes, despite her efforts to turn away from him. He put his hands on her shoulders, offering what comfort he could. “You didn’t make Lerak pull a weapon on you. He is responsible for his own actions.”
He had listened to her explanation of what had gone down in Lerak’s office. How Anderson’s death was a tragic turn. He’d seen the near-catatonic state the man had seemed to have fallen into as he was escorted from the transporter bay to the brig. The guilt of having taken a life eating away at him. 
On a deep, primal level, April was glad to see Lerak suffering. Anderson had been a good man. His death should haunt Lerak for the rest of his life. If only he could have felt that way over all the other lives his  actions had claimed.
Olivia looked up at him, her eyes bright. April felt his heart skip a beat, as she reached up and took his hands in her own. Her touch was soft and gentle…
The doors to Sickbay opening brought April’s attention back to his surroundings. He gently disentangled his fingers from Olivia’s, turning to find Maya and Annika Bard walking in. He caught the brief flash of a frown on his X.O.’s face, but chose to ignore it, “Commander Bard, welcome aboard the Hannock.”
“Every bit as cramped as I remember these old scouts being, sir,” the security officer quipped with a sly smile. She then offered a polite nod to Olivia, “Glad to see you’re okay, Doctor.”
Olivia returned the nod with one of her own, “What brings you here, Commander?”
Her expression grew serious, “I wanted to deliver a report in person. Our people have managed to make a lot of progress on decrypting more of the database from the crashed ship. That, combined with the canisters recovered from it, as well as those from the Rigel IX site, should help make a lot of headway in finding a cure for the effects of the modified Oleini Fever.”
“I’ll do what I can to help,” offered Olivia. “I feel like I need to do something to show that the rest of us in the Department of External Affairs had nothing to do with the actions of the Assistant Director.”
“I’m sure Dr Song would appreciate that,” responded Kent. “She’s still working on things at Rigel IV with Siranna.”
April did a double-take, “The Chief Scientist? She awake?”
He wasn’t amused by the conspiratorial look shared by Kent and Bard, seemingly at his expense. “There have been some developments we haven’t had time to bring you up to speed on, sir.”
“Uh huh,” he muttered with only a small degree of annoyance. Given how everything had gone to hell in a hand basket over the last twelve hours or so, it wasn’t a total surprise he was a little out of the loop. “I look forward to reading your reports.”
Bard grimaced, “Actually, sir… that brings me to the next issue. It regards the disposition of Mr Lerak and the ultimate jurisdictional authority to arrest and charge him. As a Rigellian native, his status needs to be determined. Will he be held accountable by Rigellian law, or by the Federation Court of Justice?”
“Right now, I don’t care about that,” April admitted plainly. “Let the diplomats worry about that. I just want him off my ship and somewhere secure. He’ll be charged and dealt with accordingly.”
“Understood, sir.” He had to hand it to Bard, she got the job done. He wondered why she chose to stay with the Training Facility as long as she had. She could easily be running security on a Starbase or deep space outpost if she wanted. “I’ll arrange transfer to the holding cells within the special security levels of the Executive Assembly.”
April dismissed the two women, before offering to take Olivia to the Mess Hall. It may not provide as good a cup of coffee as she was used to, but he knew Chef Diaz would like the chance to impress someone new with his culinary skills. 
It would help both of them take their mind of things for a while…

*             *             *
As he was lead into the Hannock’s transporter bay under armed guard, Veran Lerak looked like a shadow of his former self. Gone was the vainglorious, smug ass-hat that April had come to loathe. Now, all that stood in front of him was a man whose guilt and shame had crushed the last vestiges of his arrogance and hubris. 
The two Constabulary officers, one human and the other a Chelonian, who had transported up moments earlier took custody of the Jelna exomale with little fanfare. They roughly escorted him up onto the platform, as Kent took a place at the controls alongside Mackenzie. They would be staying aboard to expedite repairs while April escorted Olivia and Commander Bard down to Rigel V to jump through whatever jurisdictional manoeuvres were necessary.
As he joined the two women at the front of the platform, April felt a momentary pang of concern when he saw the shared frown between the X.O. and chief engineer, “Problem?”
“I’m not sure, sir.” Kent didn’t seem convinced as she continued, “We’re only receiving the standard automated response from the transporter room down there.”
“I wouldn’t worry too much.” Olivia was quick to offer an explanation and assuage anyone‘s concerns. “With what’s been going on, I doubt there is anyone free to keep it manned. Mostly, they’ll be uproar about--” She cut herself off, shooting a brief glance over her shoulder at the disgraced politician behind her. “Well, about everything.”
The human constable pointedly cleared his throat, “It, uh, was a bit of a madhouse down there, to be honest, sirs.” His Chelonian comrade uttered a grunt of agreement and a single nod of his large head. 
“Let’s get this done.” April was in no mood to deal with hand-holding politicians. But he was glad to have Bard and Olivia at his side. 
The Hannock dissolved in a shimmer of energizes particles as the matter stream took hold of him…
…and he reformed in a much larger and spacious room within the sub-basement of the Executive Assembly. He stepped down from the platform, finding the room empty of anyone but those who had just beamed in. Just like Olivia had said. 
With a purposeful stride, Olivia walked over the operator console, pressing an intercom control. “This is Administrator Kendrick. Hannock party ready for security escort to holding cells.”
She offered April a small, almost shy smile. But it faded far too quickly for his liking when she received no response. She tried again, but still no answer. “Huh, that’s--”
Whatever she was about to say, it was interrupted by a blaring alarm that caught all of them completely by surprise. “What the Hell is that?!”
Olivia shook her head, utterly confounded as she covered her ears, “It’s a security lockdown alarm. All external entrances are being sealed and active comm-lines cut.” Her eyes were wide with fear, “But I don’t understand who or why it was triggered.”
Bard already had her phase-pistol in hand, as April reached for his own, glad he had now headed the security commander’s earlier advice. She quickly directed the two civilian guards to keep their own weapons trained on Lerak before striding towards the door with a determined gait. “Be ready.”
I have a really bad feeling about this. As he felt a trickle of sweat on his brow, April braced himself for whatever lay outside the door.
It opened up into Hell itself…

*             *             *

It was like something out of ‘Dante’s Inferno’.
Annika Bard could not believe what she was witnessing. In what was supposed to be the reception area for the sub-basement security section underneath the Rigel system’s main government building, chaos reigned free. 
It only took a few seconds for Bard to figure out something had gone horribly wrong with the people inside the building. Mere moments after that, she realized just what had happened, as she saw several Vulcan-like Zami Rigellians tear into several hapless victims who didn’t move away fast enough.
“It’s the virus!” She brought her weapon up, picking targets visually, but not yet firing. There was no point drawing attention to themselves when those poor creatures that had already been driven beyond madness were already distracted. “Fall back, fall back! We need to get cover!”
Even as she barked out her orders (which she was thankful that both April and Kendrick obeyed without question), she realized it may be too late. Dozens of pairs of eyes turned their way, lips pulled back in vicious snarls at the sight of new prey. “Oh, shit…”
She squeezed off several shots, already thumbing her phase-pistol up in intensity as she picked off targets. But the shots barely fazed them, even as the two constabulary guards brought their own phase-pulse rifles into action. 
One red-headed Zami girl, who Bard was shocked to recognize as Lerak’s mousy receptionist, roared with fury as she lunged for the doors - just as they finally closed. That was too damn close! 
April had already pulled out his communicator and was adjusting the dials, “April to Hannock, come in. Hannock, respond, over!”
It took a few moments, with severe static blasting out of the speaker for a split-second before he got a response, and Bard felt relief wash over her as she heard Kent reply, [Hannock responding. Captain, what’s going on? Some kind of interference field just went up around the entire building.]
“Maya, the shit just hit the fan,” April replied bluntly. “We’ve got a major situation here.” He quickly outlined what was going on, then had the Hannock patch in to the Security Facility on Rigel IV, to have Dr Song brought in on the call as well. 
As he waited for her to be patched through, Bard checked her weapon’s charge, made sure the two guards were good to go, before finally checking on Lerak. The Jelna sat on the floor. His head buried in his hands, muttering repeatedly to himself. It was clear that whatever grip he had on reality was slowly slipping away. 
He’s good to no-one in his current condition, but he’s as stuck here as the rest of us. A quick check of the transporter console confirmed what she already had figured - the interference field Maya had mentioned would block any and all transporter activity. They weren’t getting out that way.
“But how?!” Kendrick panted in utter disbelief. “I mean, how did they get exposed? How did they get affected so fast?!”
A grim understanding dawned on Bard. A look to April confirmed he too understood. It was Patricia Song who finally said it, [Probably the same way the mercenaries who dumped the virus into the Argus River were infected.] 
Being given an actual medical issue to deal with seemed to help Kendrick calm down a little, as she slowly nodded, “Yes, yes, of course. Especially if it was as concentrated as that. The building has it’s own internal water processing station.”
Bard did not like the sound of that. “So, if that’s how it was delivered… then that means that any and all Zami who washed their hands, or had a drink of water? They’ve been exposed and would have been driven to homicidal madness in minutes.”
[The only good news,] Song added somewhat reluctantly, [is that they would have been overtaken in moments by the neurotoxin’s effects. Whoever activated the security lockdown stopped it from being spread outside the building.]
“Meaning the madness is contained to the building,” April concluded with a firm tone. “That’s something.”
Yeah, great. Bard griped privately. Shame we’re stuck inside that said same madhouse.

*             *             *

Leaving Commander Bard to take charge of keeping them secure for now, as the crazed hammering of the doors slowly eased off as the infected went hunting for easier pickings, April focused on what he himself could do right now.
For the moment, that was simply acting as a sounding board as Olivia bounced ideas back and forth with Patricia, with the occasional input from the coolly logical voice of the Vulcan Siranna. At first, April had found the idea of consulting a person infected with the madness-inducing illness akin to the sentiment of ‘the inmates running the madhouse’. But he trusted Patricia Song with his life, so if his medical officer felt she had something to contribute, he let it be.
Finally, after what felt like hours of fast-paced deliberation, but he realistically knew was only minutes at best, some kind of plan of attack was being hatched. 
“This building has a dedicated intruder defence system that ties into the closed ventilation ducts and introduces a powerful sedative,” explained Olivia. April felt for her - being trapped in a building with raging pseudo-zombies was not something she could ever have prepared for. Hell, it’s not something I ever figured I’d run into, even after all these years in Starfleet.
“Any particular reason it hasn’t already been triggered?” Bard inquired over her shoulder, not taking her eyes off the sealed doors.
Olivia grimaced, “Because it needs to be activated by a secure code.” She looked abashed, “A code I don’t have. But it can be triggered manually from the control station.”
“Which is where?” 
She looked at him apologetically, “The top floor of the building, in a dedicated and secure maintenance area.” Using the systems display of the transporter, Olivia pulled up a series of schematics. “The top floor can be reached via access shafts,” she explained, running a finger along the screen, “but then you have to take this corridor, get into the compartment and trigger the manual release.”
That was a lot of levels to climb. Great. Just great. Patricia said I needed more cardio in my exercise regime. “Then I guess I’m going up.”
“Excuse me?” This time, Bard glared openly at him, “Sir, there’s no way I’m letting you go on some kind of commando mission against those homicidal freaks out there!”
[Agreed, sir!] Kent added, ire clear at the concept of her captain risking his neck.
“Stand down, Commanders.” He wasn’t in the mood to argue the point. “Bard, you and the constables need to stay here to safeguard Dr. Kendrick and our prisoner for however long it takes for me to do this.”
“With all due respect, sir, that’s utter crap.” Bard wasn’t backing down either, it seemed. “If you’re hell-bent on doing this, then I’m coming with you. One more person staying here won’t make much of a difference if or when those doors come under assault again.”
There was heat in Olivia’s voice too, “And I’m not some bloody damsel in distress, Chris.” She made a point of checking the settings on the smaller-issue phase-pistol that Bard had given her only minutes ago. “I know how to handle myself.”
[Having two people attempt this task would be logical,] Siranna added. [Given the likelihood of one of you running afoul of the infected during the transit.]
April shuddered at that. That‘s a comforting thought. Zombie films had never been his cup of tea. They just plain freaked him out. Oblivious to his private concerns, Siranna continued, [There is also the matter of the dosage level of the sedative.]
[In order for it to be effective,] Son explained at his urging, [You’re going to have to increased the dosage well beyond the usual maximum I’m assuming it’s been programmed with. We’ve seen that the anaesthetic effects do not last very long.] 
April saw the realization dawn on Olivia, “They’re right. The system has four cylinders of neurozine. Normally, one would be sufficient to knock out everyone in the building, the rest are just a back-up precaution. But you’ll probably have to trigger all four to release at the same time.”
[If every one is unconscious, how can the lockdown be cancelled to allow us to beam down?] Kent asked anxiously.
“I-- I can give you the codes to end the lockdown,” Olivia shakily admitted. “Then you can bring down the interference field and beam down medical help. But you‘ll have to wait until every last one of the infected are unconscious. That could take a while.” 
He could hear the ’but’ coming. She didn’t disappoint him. “But that means the people trapped inside who aren’t infected, they’ll suffer from neurozine overdose. If we don’t get treatment quick enough, we’ll all suffer systemic organ failure.”
There was never any question in April’s mind that this was what had to be done. He could see the mutual agreement in Bard’s defiant stare. But he could see the wavering doubt in the eyes of the civilians. Lerak just maintained his silent rocking, totally unaware of what was going on around him.
“Olivia,” He spoke softly, gently. “You know we have to risk it. If any of the infected breach the lockdown, get out into the streets of New Jaleyl, then it would be utter pandemonium. We might be days, weeks away from a cure yet. We can’t let what happened to the Hill People and the others on Rigel IV happen here too.”
It took a moment, but Olivia finally began to nod slowly. “I know.”
She offered a grim smile, “Doesn’t mean I’m not scared out of my mind though.”
He couldn’t help a smile of his own, “That’s just being human. Hell, I’m just as scared as you are, but I’m also a starship captain doing what he has to.” 
Olivia’s brow creased as she stared deep into his eyes, “No, I’m not scared for me. Well, not just for me.” She bit her lip, looking around, apparently anxious of her surroundings, “Chris, I--” A sudden resolve fell over her attractive features, “Oh, screw it!”
Before he realized what was going on, April found himself being kissed full on the lips by the woman stood in front of him. It took only a moment for him to reciprocate with equal enthusiasm and gusto. All coherent thought went out of his mind as he gave in to the moment--
--which came to an end far too soon for his liking. He blinked, momentarily at a loose for how to proceed, as he found himself staring into Olivia’s eyes. She had the coyest little grin across her lips. “For luck,” she explained needlessly.
April was all of a sudden aware of the eyes of the other occupants of the room looking his way. He felt a blush coming on as his cheeks warmed, but he met their sly glances with a hard look of his own.
It had been a long-ass time since he’d been kissed like that. Maybe it was the endorphins talking, but right at that moment, Chris April felt like he could take on the whole damn planet and come out victorious…

*             *             *
Part of why Annika Bard had come to enjoy planet-side service was that if she ever felt the need, she could step outside and bask in natural sunlight. Enjoy the wide-open space around the Rigel IV Starfleet Security Training Facility. 
It was a rare joy she partook of every once in a while. Especially in her first few years there, after leaving behind front-line service on starships. It had made her realize just how much she had come to detest the cramped, artificial surroundings of the vessels that served the fleet. Her brief visit to the Hannock only hours earlier had been out of a sense of nostalgia more then anything, definitely a case of ‘nice place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live there’. 
The access shafts that she and Captain April were ascending to the top of the government building reminded her all-too-much of the maintenance tubes that ran the length and breadth of starships. As a junior officer, she’d done her fair share of repairs in them and hated every second of it. 
Her arms burned from the climb, while her lungs ached from the taste and smell of various chemicals that permeated the shafts. Even with the tattered make-shift face mask she wore, it was difficult to breath. But they were finally at the top. 
Now comes the really hard part. 
As April tested the entry hatch controls, Bard pulled out her hand scanner from her jacket pocket. A quick study of the readings didn’t give her much to go on, “The interference field is playing merry havoc with my scanner, but I don’t think there’s anyone around out there.”
April pressed his ear against the hatch for a moment, “I can’t hear anything, either.” He gave her a warning look, “But be ready.”
She offered a brisk nod, adjusting her position as he entered in the override code Kendrick had provided. The hatch unlocked with a distinct click. Bard took a moment to pull in a deep breath before leaning into the hatch and pushing it open as far as she could. Her phase-pistol swept left to right, but thankfully, the corridor was deserted. 
Aside from the bodies.
It seemed there had been no escape for these poor hapless victims. Judging from the blood and gore spread across the floor, they’d died where their bodies lay. One appeared human, but it was difficult to tell from the savage attack they’d sustained. There was also a Tellarite and an Andorian nearby, neither of them in one piece.
“Dear God in Heaven,” she heard April whisper, utterly aghast. She had to agree. The way these people had been butchered was even more animalistic then what they’d seen before. Must be down to the amount of the neurotoxin they’d been exposed to, Bard reasoned. 
She gently alighted onto the floor, keeping a wary eye out and her ears open as April pulled himself out as well. He gently pushed the hatch closed, allowing it to close up again. 
Having memorized the route and directions given to them by Dr Kendrick, Bard led the way towards their target. She could just make out the low growls and moans of infected roaming the adjacent corridors looking for fresh victims. As long as they don’t circle back while we’re here, that’s all I care. 
Once they reached the secure entrance to the maintenance bay, April quickly tapped in the code. Bard felt her heart sink when it let out a shill negative beep. “Dammit!” The Hannock’s commanding officer shot her a look of apology.
“Take a breath,” she counselled him. “Get it right and get it done, Captain.”
He closed his eyes for a moment, wiping the sweat from his brow. Finally, he again typed in the sequence, no longer rushing it. This time, the entrance offered a more positive tone as it unlocked with a loud clunk.
Thankfully, the clunk wasn’t loud enough to cover the vicious snarl Bard heard from behind. She wiped around as fast as she could, instinct kicking in as she squeezed off a shot from her side-arm. The intense phased-energy beam cut through the air and hit the lunging Zami male square in the chest.
The impact of the blast sent him flying back out of the doors he had just pushed through. It afforded Bard with the briefest of glimpse of what lay behind them, but that was still enough for her to break out in a cold sweat and her heart to start racing.
There were a lot of infected coming there way… and they were coming fast! “We need to find cover, NOW!”
“Get in!” She didn’t need telling twice. She followed April through, but kept facing towards the doors as infected began to pour in, laying down blast after blast of suppressing fire to keep them at bay. The security officer knew it wouldn’t put them out of action for long, but hopefully just enough. 
April slammed the door closed, before pulling away from it as the sound of fists being pummelled into the surface of the door echoed through the small maintenance area.
The area that they were now trapped within. That might very well serve as their tomb.

*             *             *

Damn, I really do need to exercise more. If I get out of this alive, I’ll add it to the list.
It was almost embarrassing how out of breath and sweat-soaked Chris April found himself at the moment. Apparently there was nothing like being chased by hordes of flesh-eating zombies to act as a motivator and realize how out of shape one had let himself get. 
Since his hands were now occupied with sorting out the ins and outs of the gas-delivery system tied into the ventilation ducts, April had given his own side-arm to Bard. The South African woman stood in a secure stance, both weapons in hand, up and ready to fire as and when it became necessary.
Given the intense pounding that the door was taking, that it was already starting to buckle and warp, it would not be much longer in waiting. 
Don’t think about it, Chris, he sternly rebuked himself. Just get your job done.
Thankfully, the system was pretty basic. He had already opened up all four canisters of neurozine and was now activating the system that would quickly send the odourless, colourless anaesthetic through the buildings self-contained ventilation. It wouldn’t be long now until they began feeling the effects.
Unfortunately, he also understood that both he and Bard would be out for the count long before they would know if it was working on the infected.
As his eyelids began to grow increasingly heavy, he felt a minor surge of panic in his chest as he saw several pairs of fingers prising through the door to their no-longer safe haven. Bard fired off a couple of shots, but her aim was off, as she slowly dropped to one knee, becoming as overcome as April himself was. 
Well, at least if they get through, he realized mirthlessly, I won’t feel a thing.
It was a damn shame, though. He had really been looking forward to kissing Olivia again. 
As everything grew dark and quiet, his vision dimming and the growls of his killers fading into blessed silence as he gave into unconsciousness, April hoped that Olivia was at least safe…

TO BE CONCLUDED…