Episode 39: "A small problem"

Captain McMillan was a man who learned from his mistakes. The last few times, he had his team beam down to a planet or space station without ordering some extensive scans, to make sure it was safe. His crew nearly paid for that mistake with their lives. Yes, Slade's surprise attacks were not forgotten by the Gibraltar CO. She was still out there, he knew. And while he also realised that the Gibraltar wasn't her primary target, she wouldn't hesitate to lure them into a trap again, like she had done so many times before.

So now, as the Gibraltar arrived at the USS Burbank, a Nova class science vessel which had been sending out a distress signal, McMillan felt he shouldn't throw caution into the wind. "Run an extensive scan of the entire ship," McMillan ordered his science officers, Mr. Visage and Ms. Deia. . . whatever her full name was. "And tell me if we can beam over safely."

The reason why he didn't ask his usual Chief of Science, Lt.Cmdr. Braveheart, was of course because he had just promoted the man. No longer a Lieutenant Commander, nor Chief of Science, Commander Kieran Braveheart sat next to McMillan, in the XO's chair. McMillan's new executive officer seemed to itch to want to do the scans himself though, as McMillan could understand. He too was a scientist at heart... but he'd been a Captain longer than that. Being in command, he knew, meant trusting your life to your crew, while they trusted their lives to the Captain. It was quite a responsibility, as Braveheart would learn.

"The Burbank is damaged, Sir." came Mr. Visage's report. "I am detecting various energy emissions throughout the ship, specifically in their main science lab." Starfleet had told the Gibraltar crew that the Burbank was missing after initiating a classified experiment, so this didn't surprise McMillan in the least.

"Is it safe to beam over, Mr. Visage?" The Gibraltar's Captain asked.

"As long as we don't stay there too long. . . yes Sir." came the response.

A couple of minutes later, McMillan wished he hadn't beamed over.

 

He had decided to beam directly to the science lab, to find the cause of these energy emissions, and possibly to bring those to a halt, so that the ship was out of danger. It seemed like a good decision at the time, but as the crew rematerialised on the transporterplatform inside the Burbank's main science lab, McMillan quickly doubted whether it actually was good to beam over here. After all, instead of being greeted by a science lab like those on the Gibraltar, this one was at least ten times larger.

As it turned out though, the lab wasn't larger at all. It was exactly the same dimensions as it should be. No. . . the Gibraltar crew had shrunk.

 

After recovering from the shock, the crew split up in smaller teams, only to find out that being ten centimeters or about four inches tall, didn't only pose problems while getting around, but it was also quite dangerous. The Burbank's science lab had taken quite a beating, it seemed, which caused beams to have fallen down. Luckily, the crew could walk on top of those beams to get around the room. However, some of the experiments were also out in the open now: a fact that became clear when one of the Gibraltar's crew almost became electrified because of a small current crawling across the floor.

 

McMillan knew that his priorities had changed now. Instead of coming here to save the Burbank and its crew, he first needed his own crew to save themselves. But how? Luckily, Ms. Deia found several canisters filled with some sort of fluid. It gave off an interesting reading, which told McMillan that it was worth to examine further. As part of the crew tried to jump from one light on the console to another, in order to get more information about those vials, the rest did their best to find out what had actually happened here.

 

As it turned out, the Burbank crew had been experimenting with shrinking and growing objects, done with substances which came from a man-made anomaly - which explained the unusual energy readings - and they had intended to try this on living people as well. However, something went wrong, and the crew itself was exposed to this substance - via the transporterbeam, probably, since that was how the Gibraltar crew got infected with it - and they too were now small, and cut off from the science lab. The vials at the other side of the lab were indeed the antidote: the key to making both crews bigger again.

 

McMillan shook his small head, as he crossed the fallen beam one last time, towards the vials with the antidote. "Can you reverse the effects?" he asked Commander Braveheart's team, who had been working on that.

The newly promoted XO gave a nod. "I believe so, Sir." the man said with a smile. "We'll be big again in no-time."


A few hours later, the Gibaltar and Burbank crew were once again back to normal. McMillan sat in his Captain's Chair again, on the Bridge, staring at the viewscreen. Even though Slade didn't have anything to do with this, the Gibraltar crew walked into a trap of some sorts, despite McMillan being overly cautious. It dawned on him that this wasn't something that only happened to him and his crew. Slade or no Slade, theirs was a dangerous job. Being in Starfleet was dangerous. However, it also brought them to places where no one had gone before.

 Captain RoBobby McMillan smiled to himself. Despite all that happened in the last couple of months... his wasn't a bad job at all.

Episode 38: "The cave"

Part of Captain McMillan's mind wondered if he was becoming obsessed with finding Slade. He was eager to find her and bring her to justice, that much was true, but he was also taking all of this personally. Of course, with a woman like Slade, it was hard not to. She constantly mocked him and his crew, and always managed to outsmart them. So yes, perhaps he was becoming obsessed, a little bit. But if that helped in catching Slade, then why not?

The Gibraltar crew had managed to get out of DS19, by disabling the jamming device Slade had left for them. It'd been a difficult job, but it was clear that the crew was motivated: they too wanted Slade to be found. Or they just wanted to get off of the station, and back onto the ship. After the device was disabled, it didn't take long to find the DS19 crew, who had brought themselves to safety after Slade's attack. Confident that the DS19 crew could handle the rest of the repairs, McMillan and the Gibraltar crew headed out... towards the colony of Denolen IV.

Denolen IV had been their target before the Gibraltar was veered off course by the distress call Slade had sent out, in order to divert them to DS19. So it stood to reason, that Slade had wanted something from that colony. Hopefully they wouldn't be too late. But then again, Slade had a huge head-start. It was more than likely that they wouldn't catch up with her. That didn't mean they shouldn't try, though.

The USS Gibraltar dropped out of warp a few hours after leaving DS19, and the crew beamed down. Armed to the teeth this time, since they had learned from last time at the Station. Nevertheless, unlike then, there was nothing to fire upon. No sign of Slade anywhere. Just a calm, serene, almost paradise-like colony. Just one thing bothered the crew: there were no colonists. Had Slade arrived before them? Had all the colonists brought themselves to safety? Or had something else happened?

 

 

The crew started exploring the colony, but other than a cave, they found nothing. McMillan was just about to order the crew to continue searching, when the crew left behind on the Gibraltar contacted him. =/\=Gibraltar to McMillan,=/\= came the message over the Captain's commbadge, =/\=We are picking up some energy signatures in the atmosphere.=/\=

It soon became clear what those energy signatures were: small weapons systems, left behind in orbit of the colony. Pretty soon, the Gibraltar crew had to run for their lives, since phaser blasts and torpedoes hit the ground next to them. The cave was the only safe place to be right now, though Ensign Johnson reported that this would not hold out for long...

 

As the barrage continued outside, the crew explored the small cave. Someone had been here recently, that much was obvious: there was a campfire in the middle of the cave. There were no other signs that someone had been here though, at least, none that the crew could quickly see. However, Mr. Lang made an interesting discovery: the crystalline structures in this cave seemed to give off energy. A startling scientific discovery, which caused Lt.Cmdr. Braveheart to search more thoroughly. And indeed, more of such small structures were found. But what was their purpose? And could it be this, that brought Slade her?

 

Just as the Gibraltar signalled in that the weapons systems in orbit had been destroyed, and that it was safe to return to the ship, Captain McMillan found something else: an old looking artefact, and a piece of rock besides it. On it, there was a message, written in blood. It looked old, as if it had been there for many, many years.

It said: "You're too late McMillan... again."

The Captain bit his lip, took in a deep breath, and then ordered his crew to take this evidence with them on board the Gibraltar, to have it analysed. Slade had gotten away again. But the Gibraltar crew would find her, McMillan was certain of that. Sooner or later, they would find her. Someday... but not today. Right now, they had to make sure the colonists were safe, now that the weapons systems in orbit had been destroyed.

"McMillan to Gibraltar," he spoke up, tapping his commbadge. It would be easier to scan the area from orbit. "Beam us up."

 

Episode 37: "Slade's surprise"

Life in Starfleet was about expecting the unexpected... and Captain McMillan and the Gibraltar crew had already experienced the unexpected many times. Clones of themselves, dinosaurs, timetravellers... but nothing compared to the person who was now pointing some sort of gun at them. As McMillan and the rest of the away team stood in OPS, wondering if and when they'd get shot, the Gibraltar Captain couldn't help but think that he should have seen this coming. Their assailant, after all, was none other than the notorious Demeter Slade, a woman who seemed to take some sort of perverse pleasure in getting what she wanted by making their lives a living hell.

Demeter Slade...

The last time they had met Slade, she destroyed a space station just to let them know that they shouldn't cross her. McMillan hoped that she wouldn't do that now: the Gibraltar had come here to help repair DS19 after what seemed to be a powerful attack, not cause it's destruction. Although it was clear now that the DS19 crew hadn't sent the distress call: it'd been Slade.

"What do you want, Slade?" McMillan asked, as Ensigns Johnson and Debbydo prepared to fire their weapons. Not that it would have any effect: Slade seemed to be showing a hologram of herself. That didn't mean that her weapon wouldn't kill, though... With Slade, you never know.

"It's not really a question of what I want," Slade responded, giving the smile that caused a shiver to run down McMillan's spine, "It's more a question of what I've got."

It was exactly these kinds of games that put McMillan's patience to the test. His and the entire crew's, that was. "Alright then," McMillan stated, trying his best not to let her get on his nerves, "What do you have then?"

The crew, talking to Slade

Slade didn't answer immediately. When she did though, she continued to treat the crew as a bunch of kids. Or 'boyscouts', as she called them. "I spy with my little eye, something beginning with... J." And with that, she beamed away. Or rather, she terminated the transmission.

The Gibraltar crew glanced at each other. What could Slade possibly mean? Anything Slade did, was potentially dangerous. But then again, she could also just be playing with the crew. Still, Slade probably wanted the crew to play these rediculous games... and McMillan wasn't about to let her get her way that easily. "We'll figure out what that means later. Right now, we need to warn the Gibraltar of Slade's presence."

Ready as always.

Slade never did anything without a reason. She was a dangerous individual, capable of destroying worlds, if she wanted to. Whenever she showed up, trouble would follow. There was a reason why she had attacked DS19, and why she had caused the Gibraltar to come here. If they would only think of what that reason was...

"It's a diversion." Ensign Johnson suddenly realised, as she sat down next to the sole remaining crewmember of DS19, Mr. Mathy. He seemed to be shaken up, and McMillan wasn't surprised. Anyone who would survive an attack like Slade could pull off, would probably be traumatised for quite a while.

A traumatised Mr. Mathy, with Ensign Johnson taking care of him.

"A diversion..." McMillan repeated, and then shook his head. Of course, it was so obvious. Why didn't he see this before? None of DS19's supplies were missing, so Slade hadn't been after that. Instead, she had lured the Gibraltar here, which only meant that they couldn't do somewhere else... she had effectively taken the Gibraltar out of the picture. "Damnit. Mr. Humbridge, what's the status of the comm systems?"

Mr. Humbridge, Engineer.

The Andorian Engineer looked up from the pit here at OPS. "Only short range communications are possible, I'm afraid. But it should be enough to reach the Gibraltar."

"Then open a channel." The Gibraltar had to contact Starfleet Command, and tell them to send extra ships to this area of space.

Unfortunately though, when the channel opened, there was only static. It didn't take the crew long to figure out what was wrong. "A jamming device..." Something that started with a J indeed...

At that moment, Slade re-appeared, laughing. "Well done, my little boyscouts!" she spoke up. "You figured it out."

"So it is a diversion..." McMillan stated, walking closer to the hologram of Slade, while Johnson and Debbydo once again took their firing positions. "You lured us here to get something else. Something the Gibraltar would otherwise have picked up."

Slade smiled. "My dear Captain, you do amuse me sometimes!" She paused for a moment, but then turned her attention back to the Gibraltar crew. "Now, if you would excuse me, holographic communication is so difficult to sustain when you drop out of warp. Until next time, Captain!" And with that, she disappeared... leaving the Gibraltar crew stranded on DS19, unable to prevent whatever it was Slade was planning...

Slade disappeared once again...

McMillan sighed for just a moment. They had fallen for Slade's trap, once again. He had fallen for her trap once again. No matter what they did, no matter how good a crew this was... Slade always seemed to be a few steps ahead of them. Well, not anymore. They would get out of here, they would find Slade, and they would bring her to justice... or die trying.

"Let's get to work, people..." McMillan finally spoke up. "We have a jamming device to disable."