EP 9 "EPISODE NINE - LIBERTY BEL" - ACT 5
Ensign Souveson stood with the rest of the infestation team in the corridor leading into Passenger Cargo Bay 5. She wore protective panelling over her uniform, along with a pair of heavy duty goggles and carried one of their weapons, a plasma based device with a secondary ballistic armory of a type of duranium alloy. With the assistance of Professor Karnak and Hedrik, Bel�s team had managed to reboot a substantial part of the computer network. As a result, the crew now had a 90% blueprint of the Passenger Section. Vorn identified the mostly likely places for the spiders to be lurking, and this tightly packed cargo bay was one of them.
�You follow us, hit the lighting controls once we�re in,� Vorn ordered the young Canadian, "the remote automated links to command centres are down in this part of the ship so you'll need to do it manually." The young woman nodded and blushed from the excitement of it all. Vorn hit the door open control and waited patiently, weapon at the ready, while the large door slid into its housing revealing the inky black interior beyond. He took the point, creeping forward and aiming straight up above the door, two men pointing directly ahead and two to the sides. Souveson backed her way in behind them. As they flanked her in static position, gazing through their myriad head mounted sensors for any sign of the creatures, Souveson stepped over to the control panel, first sealing all the vents and doorways into the Cargo Bay, and then activating the large hangar�s overhead lights. She turned back to face into the room with the rest of the party. Three of the six rows of overhead light panels had failed, the rest illuminating the massive crates piled high in uniform sequence, casting deep shadows and occasional shafts of light on the surrounding deck.
�They look like Marine issue crates,� Souveson commented on the corner-sheared angular crates of a dark green metallic colour, each with a series of wedge shaped panels on each side, all heavily corrugated. �They�re the type constructed of reinforced titanium, so the contents could be ballistic in nature.�
�I�m not reading any movement here, how about you?� Vorn asked the others. They all responded negatively. �Ensign, can you move the crates automatically? Shift them so we can see behind and around?�
�Yes,� Souveson said, returning to the wall and entering the appropriate commands. The crates grated and squeeled loudly in their tracks as they retreated into a solid block formation at the far left corner, finally revealing a few metres of L-shaped space around them. There was clearly nothing here.
The next two Cargo Bays on their search list were much the same: one filled with identical military crates and the other with a kaleidescope of various packing crates of all shapes and sizes from throughout the Federation and beyond. This necessitated a slow and drawn out visual recon, plus a good deal of physical exertion moving the crates aside. Once it was declared safe, they had finished their first few likely locations � only fifteen more obvious places to search before they moved on to the less likely locations.
As they made their way by turbolift to the merchant arcade known in the databanks nostalgically as �The Mall�, they were contacted by Bel�s ship. It was good news - a positive sighting on the spider had been made in a forward vehicle hangar, at the prow of the ship above the forward part of the maintenance deck. They diverted immediately, and Souveson called up the location on the turbolift�s interface panel as they went.
The sighting had been a fluke, made by one of Bel�s men as he was passing around the lower forward section in his flight apparatus and spied it creeping along through an observation window with its shutter not fully down.
Vorn and his men checked their weapons, and Souveson felt a rush of sympathy for the creature. They debarked onto an elliptical marble floored departure foyeur from two of four turbolift accesses arranged around one length of the wall. There were entrances to three bays opposite, separated by two access ladders leading to Jeffreys tubes above and below. The foyeur followed the same pattern of design they'd seen on other locations on the ship, having corridors branching off to the left and right.
The two entrances port and starboard ramped up and outwards to two identical launch bays, each housing vessels that looked like double-decked versions of a runabout - though they were slightly wider in beam, longer in length and contained more observation windows. From the layout of the ramps and the various emergency information signage en route it was clear they served a dual function as lifeboats. Both were sealed with no possible access.
The central gangway was slightly wider and ramped down to a larger launch bay almost at the lowest level of the Fantasy's prow. It accommodated the ample sized "Safari Launch" called 'Kilimanjaro'. Reading from the database Souveson explained it was a space to surface vessel that apparently transformed itself into a mid to long term encampment on landing. It served as a safe and luxurious accommodation for passengers interested in either research or sightseeing from its high balconies, or for debarking and making local excursions in its onboard land based vehicles. Once the trip was finished, the ship would reconfigure into its orbital mode and launch back into space, ferrying the passengers to the ship for their onward journey.
"See over there," Souveson pointed through the glass panels of the airlock to either side of the bay. "Several crawlways and Jeffreys tubes are open, so the spider could have made its way inside." She stepped to one side as the men gathered around the large entrance. Suddenly Kevlor whisper shouted, pointing frantically at shadowy movement to the far side of the bay; the creature was almost within their grasp.
Vorn stabbed the air toward Souveson, who responded appropriately, sealing off the section. They all waited patiently for a second sighting and confirmation that they had it trapped. It took their combined effort to notice the tiny pointed end of one of the spider�s legs behind a piece of plant only vaguely moving. They finally had it pinned down.
The men took up attack formation, weapons cocked and waited for Souveson to open the doors. Instead, she was entering a series of commands.
�Ensign, now!� Vorn whisper-shouted impatiently. Still nothing. �What are you doing?�
�Tell your people to stand by with their transporters,� Souveson said, finishing her commands.
Too late, Vorn realised what she was doing. �No! No, wait!!� he bellowed, but already Souveson had increased the launch bay�s internal pressure and then popped the outer doors, causing all contents not strapped down to hurtle out into the space beneath the vessel within the belly of Bel�s ship.
Vorn almost crushed his communicator he squeezed it so hard, a venomous look on his face. �Attention all hands! Arachnid has gone outside, repeat, Arachnid on the loose!� Vorn shouted, then called over to Souveson. �You stupid girl!�
In the weightless low atmosphere outside the Fantasy, the small items of flotsum scattered as the spider's legs flailed wildly. Then, air sacks in its spindly legs inflated and began to seep gas, which acted as a propellant. Clumsily but swiftly it started to paddle through the space toward one of Bel�s men. Thankfully, he fired his backpack jets in time, but barely escaped a lash of one of the spider�s sharp legs. The comm channels were aburst with commands and shouting, Bel�s men quickly grasping the situation and moving away from the creature, and then flanking it from a distance, discerning its next moves.
�I don�t understand,� Souveson explained to Vorn as she peered down through the open bay doors into the gleaming brightness of Bel�s ship. �I thought you could easily transport it.�
�This is a Wayivern, such as I�ve spoken,� the maddened alien explained. �One that can survive in space and is particularly difficult to get a transporter lock onto.�
�It�s heading for one of the seals!� a general hand cried, noting the subtle change in direction. The spider clearly saw that it was trapped and made for the place it sensed to be easy to cling to and hide � though the more experienced among Bel�s crew knew that it would also start to burn its way through the section � and that could cause a vicious rupture.
�Attention all hands!� Bel shouted above the general din of comm traffic. �Initiating hull breach protocol.�
On the bridge of the Command Yacht, all the crew gathered there watched on the viewscreen as a figure was travelling at great speed out of the nearest end of Bel�s ship and toward the creature, a thin tether tied to its waist.
�Sir, grappling arms are surrounding the Fantasy,� Leonard reported as simultaneously, the rest of Bel�s men made it at great speed toward the safety of their inner vessel. In a matter of a minute, dozens of support arms had sprung out from the affixed rigging and pressed against the Fantasy's hull, firmly holding it in position. Only the one tethered figure now remained in the brightly lit space outside.
Narli managed to get a close up of the creature and post it as an inset on the main viewscreen. The spider had nuzzled into one of the seals and had already begun to secrete its lethal substance.
�Sir, pressure is building outside the Fantasy,� Karnak reported from the science station. "Bel's ship is doing it."
�Who is that..?� Jackson asked Christian as they watched the lone figure float toward the spider.
�Bel�� he said, guessing correctly. He watched as she unslung a large bazooka like weapon from the side of her leg, extended it and swung it over her shoulder. She aimed at the bottom right of the hull panel nearest to the creature and blam! Fired a shot. Immediately there was explosive decompression, the nearby spider sucked instantly into space, Bel herself being whipped and bucked on the end of her now taught tether as the relative atmosphere escaped.
Slowly, equilibrium was restored.
�I don�t understand�� Jackson said to Christian. "Why damage her ship in the process?"
�Look,� Christian said, and pointed at the viewscreen. The charred edges of the damaged panel began to ripple and slowly filled until the breach was sealed. �Clearly the panels are able to regenerate,� he explained, �but the seals are not.�
*
Later, Souveson continued through the Passenger Section�s most likely locations to find the second spider, determined not to foul up again. Vorn � and Bel across the airwaves � had subsequently forgiven the Ensign, though she seemed upset when it was confirmed that the other spider had been destroyed by one of the space port�s roaming cleaning droid units once it had �swum� beyond their periphery.
The first port of call was the Mall which was the shape of half an inverted lampshade, its diameter a huge panelled glass wall forming an upper part of the port hull. Tiers of shopping arcades rose up from the plaza area at the bottom and culminating in a stained plexiglass roof in the dorsal hull high above.
Souveson stared in awe at the plush boutiques and tiny exclusive vendors as they made their way stealthily down each level, trying to take in all the contents in various states of disarray and log them for future reference. The spider was not here.
Their next destination was the Fantasy Library, an ample complex with study rooms and lecture halls across three levels. This place was crammed with actual books, many preserved originals � plus many more boxes of glued packs of paper with printed writing on. Naturally there were booths for more conventional referencing activities. The spider was not here either.
The Arboretum, in a sorry state, and quite threatening with overgrown dark and stinky recesses spreading up and out across a number of decks, was thankfully easy to recon � an organic background was much easier to scan, Vorn explained, as the spider's lifeform would stick out like the proverbial sore thumb. Souveson couldn�t see much beyond the doorway as there was no lighting here, but according to Leonard, were it fully operational she would have looked out across a wide vista of various fauna and flora from differing climates, the panoramic effect enhanced by yet more holographic technology.
They then had four separate amusement arcades to search. One was a labyrinth of interactive game areas, a lot of which was damaged or stripped down. Two were more conventional recreation zones � one a classic interpretation of an old-style Starfleet rec deck, the other a more mixed and back to basics offering of sideshows and �rides�. The last was called Luardok�s Casino, a huge gaming area resplendently decorated in white, gold and blood red.
Naturally they made a further sweep of the Marina Deck, and of the almost incomprehensibly large Holo Park � this wide open space bare save for a scattering of remnants and oddities. Souveson noticed a tailor�s dummy, half a stuffed targ and several old fashioned suitcases in one pile nearby. No time for further investigation as the team moved swiftly on.
Next, they made their way to the Water Park � empty of water now, and piled full of chairs, beds and various other standard pleasure cruiser fixtures in dusty uniform rows and some still swathed in their protective synthetic wrapping as good as new.
The quaintly titled Fantasy Lawn was a three metre high deck that meandered along beneath the dorsal hull of the Passenger Section. In parts, it was skylit with large pains of plexiglass. Souveson noted there was hologrid technology on all surfaces � presumably the passengers would have walked along with lawn underfoot, believing they were outside. A side room packed with a variety of religious and other symbolic furnishings and decoration hinted to the fact it had been a popular location for marriage ceremonies also. The Lawn was long since dead, of course, and quite dry and crumbly underfoot. The various plants that had grown here had also passed on, including several small trees.
As Ensign Souveson took a break with the others in the arena of the Holo Dome, the Canadian was beginning to realise why the ship was so large for so relatively few passengers, and why it also needed a separate engine to run its leisure facilities alone. There were so many entertainments aboard it was hard to imagine any passenger ever being bored.
The Holo Dome was at its basic a windowless arena, about thirty metres in diameter and surrounded by twenty five rows of seats increasing in number the higher the row, total capacity � well, the entire complement of passengers and a good deal of the crew, she imagined. The holo technology allowed the space to be reconfigured for all manner of activities � from prize fights to tennis tournaments, acrobatic displays to circus acts, sumo stages to cookery demonstrations and theatrical and music performances in the round to name only a few.
The large Medical Centre was next on the list, and as the team made their recon, they secured the section for use by O�Hara and her crew. It was for nothing if only to stop the Lieutenant�s constant complaining to the Captain, and O�Hara made sure she and her few remaining patients, along with a handy number of repair technicians and men for protection, immediately took up residence and began to get systems fully back on line. As O�Hara kept saying, their lives depended on it.
Once the CMO and her staff were safely accommodated and effectively sealed inside the multi-decked facility, the next destination was the Maintenance Deck, above the Marina Deck, as yet unexplored. A semi-open space, it was fitted with a host of moveable walls and passive shield frames allowing for innumerate configurations. It reminded Christian something of the maintenance decks of old aircraft carriers, and he imagined it bustling with dozens of 'rainbow' staff. Currently, it was in its standard cruising mode � mostly reflecting the configuration of the docking bays below, though it opened out in three places. Because of the ruptured hull on this deck the team had to don space suits. This time they were backed up by a contingent of well armoured men carrying plasma nets outside of the Fantasy, just beyond the breach, in case the creature tried to make a bolt for it.
Here, as they made their way along, Souveson intermittently reported to the Bridge. There were indeed more vessels, and yet more cargo. Souveson then worriedly reported evidence of small arms fire � and then more extensive damage. A ruptured plasma conduit � deliberately caused if she wasn�t mistaken � that had led to one of eleven hull breaches. In fact, the others were rather concurrent with some kind of cutting beam from outside the vessel.
That piqued Christian�s interest. The ship could well have been attacked by the K�Tani, then � that would explain why it was at the Orlega One cargo facility. Lirik took great pride in pointing out to the Captain that if the K�Tani had attacked the vessel, why had they targeted a relatively unsubstantial part of the ship? Why not target the engines, or life support instead?
More questions for Christian. Souveson informed the crew that the forward part of the deck, just beneath the Safari Launch bay, appeared to be configured as a dual take off and landing area, with two additional sets of bay doors arranged either side of what looked like the Yardmaster's offices at the ship's prow. At the very rear of the deck, the way back was cut off by huge bulkhead doors, presumably at the shearing plane with the Command Section - although it appeared from some signage around that the deck continued right to the back of the Command Section.
At the end of a nine hour search, thankfully for Souveson her long day�s ordeal was almost over. But then a pensive Vorn came up with a suggestion. If the creature wasn�t hiding out somewhere, then maybe it was still on the move. The logical choice for Vorn was the turbolift tunnel system, and Souveson agreed.
The infestation team made their way directly to the Passenger Section�s bridge for a direct interface with the turbolift system. As an aside curiosity, everyone over on the Command Section and Command Yacht was eager to see what the interior of this bridge was like, and when Souveson patched through a visual link, they were all amused to view a very old-style Starfleet bridge, circa 150 years ago. It was a brightly lit affair, quite small, standard circular pattern with octagonal workstation layout and just one turbolift access. Teardrop shaped chairs lined with black leather sat before black shiny work surfaces edged in pillar box red, all littered with ranks and auditoriums of brightly coloured plastic control buttons and flick switches, the whole space arranged around a central raised dias containing the twinned flight stations beneath the small viewscreen and the centre-most big box chair for the CO. Each station had a bendy stemmed clam shaped imaging box.
Souveson quickly reacquainted herself with old style controls and soon had the turbolift network on screen above the engineer�s station. With multiple cars at her command, she was able to move them along the network, gradually closing in on whatever might be inside. Because of a host of holding recesses and bypasses, not all of the network could be physically purged, so some gaps remained despite her best efforts.
The infestation team took up position again, this time within the turbolift tubes. Souveson routed all Passenger Bridge controls to the Command Yacht Bridge and took up position there for hopefully this the final encircling of the errant creature. It had taken a not insignificant amount of time for the team to move into the shaft and for just one section to be secured, and it was now very late into the evening.
�Captain!� Souveson�s face was flushed, her mouth almost too numb from shock to speak as an unexpected part of her internal sensor display erupted into life.
�What is it, Ensign?� he stood turning to try and read the answer in her expression.
�I�m detecting movement in the passenger section,� she verified her internal scanners.
�Within the turbolift shafts?� he asked quickly.
�Where?!� Vorn asked across the commlink.
�No,� Souveson shook her head. �It�s eleven levels above and behind you,� she said, realising it would take them at least ten minutes just to make their way out of the tubes. �I�d better warn you, the readings are unclear� but I�m detecting a presence of coronite. I think I can get an image.�
�On-on screen,� the Captain said, reminded of an item on an inventory list Lirik�s volunteers had gathered. There had been record of a damaged part of the passenger section, a very small cargo area of a half dozen caged bays. Among the raw materials there was a spillage of coronite from several barrels. The substance was used in various chemical processes and remained benign unless exposed to a high level of plasma, in which case it would be as powerful as a photon discharge.
As he faced the main viewscreen, the bridge crew murmered their concern. The spider � the largest he�d seen, had exuded its natural webbing substance, and had caused the coronite dust to cake its abdomen and feet.
�It must have been hiding in the section containing the spilled coronite,� Christian lowered his eyes. He turned to Karnak. �How much of the substance are we looking at?�
Karnak read the sensor display � not tricorder quality, but rather an analysis based on visual data and probability factors. �The spider is carrying about two kilograms.�
A wave of concern rose across the bridge. Should the spider become exposed to plasma discharge it could easily rip the ship in two.
�Evacuate the passenger section,� Christian ordered. �We�ll have to ditch it, just to be sure. Leonard, get a team down to the bulkheads, we�re going to need to fire those pins manually if we have to. Vorn, get your team out now.�
�Fantasy to Captain Bel,� Christian barked.
�We�ve been monitoring you, Captain,� Bel�s voice said, seriously. �I�m sorry, but we�re ditching you. We�ve notified local shipping and the authorities. The situation is too volatile to stick around.�
�Agreed,� Christian said, witnessing the belly of Bel�s ship peel back and release them.�
�You�re doing everything right,� she added. �But bear in mind these adults do sometimes behave irrationally.�
�Understood,� Christian said, concerned that the sensor readout was showing it heading toward the Passenger Section engineering deck. There was a plethora of plasma conduits there, and not all of them in full working order.
* * *
In her office within the Medical Centre on the Passenger Section, O�Hara was watching the developments closely on her monitor, linked in to the Bridge. She called up a tactical display of the creature�s heading, then advanced the deckplans several screens. Her mouth opened � was the creature really that intelligent?
Without a second thought, O�Hara pulled off her medical overcoat and jogged over to the place where one of the guards had been posted. He had been particularly alarmed by the news, having witnessed a coronite explosion in his past, and abandoned his large weapon, eagerly helping the medical staff take the patients back to the Command Section. O�Hara had remained behind to gather her medical kit. She picked up the abandoned type 9 solid propellant rifle, checked its ammunition gauge, then slung it over her shoulder. She took a spare energy pack and tucked it, along with a hypospray, a hand phaser and a tricorder into the belt of her uniform. She left the medical area, but quickly returned and picked up a large field knife she�d discovered.
Within minutes, the Lieutenant was entering an override command code into the turbolift elevator. Once the programme was set, she strapped the sheathed knife to her thigh.
* * *
The tactical station trilled, and Souveson hesitated. �Er..Captain, someone�s making an unauthorised journey within the Passenger Section.�
�The infestation team, you mean?� Christian asked.
Madison stabbed a few controls. �Negative, Sir, they�ve still to exit the turbolift tunnels. It�s okay, they�re not in the path of the turbocar.�
Christian jabbed his arm console. �Bridge to Turbocar Passenger � who are you and what the hell are you up to?�
After a moment, O�Hara�s voice rang out. �Captain, this is Lieutenant O�Hara. I was monitoring your situation from the Medical Centre. Sir, I believe the spider is heading for the Passenger Section impulse engines.�
Christian verified her estimations � the spider did indeed be on a direct heading for the impulse reactors. �Understood, Lieutenant, but the infestation team can handle it.�
�Tell them to rendesvouz with me, Sir,� O�Hara snapped. �I�ll be there minutes before they are, and we can�t waste precious time.�
With that the comm channel went dead. Christian tried to raise it, but there was no response.
�Hedrik!� he yelled. �Tell me we have internal transport systems online?�
�Sorry, Captain,� she said quickly. �Not even close.�
�Damn!� Christian saw the Commodore striding toward him.
�What the hell is she up to now?� Jackson griped.
* * *
O�Hara debarked the turbolift into an open atrium. By her calculations, the spider was only 70 metres away. It would have to come through the atrium in order to access the impulse plant, and O�Hara intended to corner it here.
She quickly sealed all but her own and the two opposing vents on either side of the atrium. She lowered the lighting to all but dark, and slid back into the crawlway and took up a stable but relaxed firing position.
An age passed, and she almost expected the Security team to pour out of the turbolift. Instead, a thudding noise grew steadily louder. As it neared, the drumming of its multiple feet on the surface of the vent slowed to a stop. O�Hara gripped her weapon tightly, her heart beating fast. She aimed for the exit point toward the ground, expecting the spider to climb down.
In a mad second, the spider launched itself into the open space from the security of the vent. O�Hara let off several consecutive rounds, then arrested herself � aware that she was firing blindly with lethal ammunition.
�Shit!� she cried, a ghost image of the blue-stained spider disappearing into the opposite vent still fresh in her eyes. Without hesitating, O�Hara scrambled out of the vent and across the atrium, following the beast.
Carefully she peered inside � the vent travelled five metres before dropping into the main plant area.
Her way clear, O�Hara crawled forward, her hands still gripping her weapon. Presently, she saw a bluey green liquid on the deck plating � a steady trail of blood, and small dabs of blue powder here and there. �Now that�s more like it,� she said, pleased that her reflexes weren�t all off.
Looking through the open vent, the area was a spider creature�s hide n seek dream. The whole room stretched back ten or so metres and swept either side into the distance. Despite regular, rigid hull framing, the rest of the space was a maze of twisting pipes and conduits. It was dimly lit too, and steam caused from overheating pipes meeting cold air rose about here and there.
O�Hara activated her tricorder, but there was too much interference. Cautiously, she swung a leg over and swiftly dropped to the floor. She raised her weapon and did a full 360 high and low. Edging along the wall she heard a far off echoing thudding sound. The spider was on the move � but where?
Her tricorder trilled. Pausing for a moment, she deftly flicked the device open. O�Hara swallowed. She inched forward, following the tone of the tricorder, checking all her corners continuously.
She licked her upper lip. Sweat was forming there. She smiled to herself � she hadn�t had this much fun since she was an active Marine. Pressing her tall frame against a large column of tritanium, she eased around the bend � and saw a pool of alien blood on the floor.
O�Hara heard the movement a split second before she turned. She remembered clenching her fists instinctively firing, and hearing a ripping sound, and a hot, hard impact and a terrific boom, all at the same time.
If she hadn�t died there and then, she would have believed the spider�s skin had contacted with plasma discharge and exploded. But slowly, her head began to pulsate with pain, and she heard vague voices � smelled burning, and then there was blackness.
* * *
EPILOGUE