1x05 - "THE EMPTY CASTLE"

Written By Alex Matthews

Based on 'Star Trek' 
created by Gene Roddenberry

STARRING

Evangeline Lilly as COMMANDER MYRA SHAW

Jai Courtney as LT. COMMANDER CARL KELHAM

Jack Harrer as LT. FINLEY McKENCHIE

Marc Ruffalo as LT. PERRY ALLEN (R.N.)

Temuera Morrison as COMMANDER ALDRED 

“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 film 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) 2019

Produced by Sojournerverse Productions

Shaw, minus her jacket and her tunic open, is ostensibly working on a PADD outside of the shuttle, but really she is enjoying the view of Kelham working on repairs, shirtless. Aldred, not feeling the heat, exits the shuttle, and Shaw is immediately worried about T'Mur. He quickly assures her she is fine, if still unconscious, and reports that he has been able to access the comm system briefly, and was able to reach out to the vehicle team before they got beyond the system's current range. However, he has not managed to push further due to lack of power, something he hopes Kelham's continuing repairs will change. 
Since he cannot do any more until then, he requests permission to study the environment around them, gently reminding the confused Shaw she is in charge, and since they have limited resources, he wanted her approval. She agrees, and asks after the away team, to which Aldred reports that they are making good time, which Shaw laughs at - she knows McKenchie's 'need for speed'. 

*             *             *

An avian predator picks at the flesh of it's victim, but is disturbed as the Pryce barrels past at top-speed.

*             *             *

Inside, Allen fearfully asks McKenchie to slow down, but he's enjoying himself cutting loose too much, In the back, Security Officer Bautista agrees with Allen, since he keeps being bounced around even more. McKenchie admits defeat and slows down (a little), as they near the position of one of the two larger metallic masses, with them wondering if it is the saucer or stardrive section. They pass a large sandbank, which allows them to see what it is - and McKenchie abruptly stops the buggy. 
All three look on in shock at they see - a crashed and derelict Borg Cube, on top of a cliff-ledge. 

*             *             *

At the crash-site, Shaw is pleased when Kelham reports he has been able to restore control, by patching the tricorders into the system and using them as remote controls. It's not pretty, but it can get them up in the air and away from the faranite deposits to restore normal operations. They prep for departure, in order to relocate to the closest gathering of escape pods, and set up a proper base-camp. 

*             *             *

When scans reveal no life-signs and very low power readings from the Borg cube, McKenchie decides to head inside, much to Allen's concern. McKenchie argues that even an inert Borg ship could have supplies they could scavenge, but Allen is still more then a little cowed by the fact that the energy field was able to take down a Borg vessel. 

*             *             *

They head in, finding decomposed Borg corpses, realizing it has been here for a while. They also find several areas that are essentially 'supply rooms' within the inner areas that survived intact. As they walk, the cube shifts slightly, enough to make them stumble. A scan reveals that their presence has caused a minor imbalance in the weight, causing the unstable rock-face to crumble. They split up and agree to maintain comm contact every 5 minutes, and be out within the next 20 or so. 

*             *             *

Bautista and Allen stumbles across a 'repair area', which he finds carries intact medical devices, still working, which he decides to take, as they will need them supplies. 
Bautista wanders off, as Allen gathers the equipment, looking around a little more, finding an alcove, which he shies away from, until another tremor throws him into it. His presence activates it, and it stabs him with injection tubules! 
Allen runs in after hearing him scream, but it's too late, as Bautista has been assimilated just enough that the Borg programming drives him to pursue Allen.

*             *             *

McKenchie has found a few odd supplies, including what appear to be subspace amplifiers, as a panicked Allen calls for help. McKenchie uses the tricorder to lock onto their positions and races off to help.

*             *             *

The Cornwell grudgingly lifts off, and slowly but surely heads out into the sky.

*             *             *

Inside, Shaw pilots as Aldred watches sensors and Kelham monitors the tricorder connections - they head out at a slow speed just to be safe. 
With the patching, they are able to increase the comm-range, and contact McKenchie , horrified to hear that has been going on, promising to get there as fast as possible, but they're slowed by the effect of faranite ore getting into the impulse system. 

*             *             *

Allen, terrified, hides from the drone-Bautista, but his enhancements allow him to easily find the nurse. Just as he is about to plunge tubules into him, McKenchie arrives and stabs him in the neck with a shard of metal, cutting several implant wires, killing him. 
McKenchie comforts the traumatized Allen, but they have to race out in order to avoid being caught in the cube as it falls from the cliff-edge. 

*             *             *

On the Cornwell, as it finally arrives at the Pryce's location, the crew arrive just in time to see the cube break into pieces as the cliff-edge crumbles away. They spot McKenchie and Allen moving safely away as they land.

*             *             *

Sometime later, the Cornwell lands at the small collection of escape pods they detected. Shaw records a log detailing how she's pleased to find more surivors but still disturbed by how many they've lost of the entire crew. 
Kelham and Shaw watch as Aldred confers with several other science officers about how to cross-link the sensors of each pod and the shuttle to increase range and resolution to get a better scan of the area, and increase comm range further to contact other pod landings. 
They also worry about Allen, who is the senior most medical staff they have - no doctors have been found. He is placed in charge, and other crew are ordered to assist, as he tends to T'Mur and other wounded.

*             *             *

Finley has found the comm beacon that was in the Cornwell, and he and Kelham think they can use the Borg tech he recovered to repair it and hopefully pierce the interference from the energy field. Shaw is worried that will just signal the Romulans of their position, but Aldred assures her he can send a message on a sub-channel only Starfleet listening posts on the Romulan Neutral Zone would hear. 
She gives him the go ahead, even though her and Kelham privately agree that they are so far from Federation space, it could take months before it's received, let alone responded to. But she knows they need that kind of hope to keep going.