CHAPTER II. BOARDING THE HIKAWA MARU

On board the Hikawa Maru, the situation seemed to have worsened dramatically: the flash of light that had momentarily pierced the pressing darkness of the mess hall had deposited a group of masked Breen aboard the transport, weapons at the ready and torches illuminating the environment.

The Ktarian boy was still clinging to his father, while the Trill scientist had managed to get just close enough to the pair to place a hand on the youngling’s back, in a probably futile attempt to reassure him further. The moment the assailants had appeared, weapons drawn, the man had not hesitated to pull his son closer to him, placing himself between him and the Breen, clearly intending to protect him at any cost. It was obvious that he had no wish for his son to be targeted in the event of things escalating.

Catching the movement out of the corner of his eye, one of the assailants gestured with his own weapon and, still wearing the characteristic mask of the Breen Confederacy, ordered: «Nobody move!». In the same second,  orders were given to the other soldiers to scatter, with the aim of finding the quickest way to the Command Bridge.

Just then, all eyes were inevitably drawn to the distinctive noise of a second transporter, this time a strictly Federation one, which deposited a group of six individuals clad in Starfleet uniforms, also armed and ready to fire, not far from the privateers.

While one of the new arrivals wore the distinctive uniform of the medical/scientific section, the other five wore the red and yellow relating to the command and operation/tactical departments. However there was little chance of identifying further details with chaos erupting with identification of the other’s opponent. Passengers, and staff alike reacted out of desperation, trying to get out of range of the immediate ensuing firefight.

Some shots went wild, reaching the crowd and finding targets among the civilians: before the young Ktarian’s eyes, his father died in a desperate attempt to protect him, without a groan or a sound except for a dull thud on the floor as his body fell to the ground following a stray shot.

Despite the attempts of one of her colleagues to stop her and keep her safe, Lenara could not help but approach the child and hold him close, protecting him as his father had just done; the next few moments proceeded at such a speed that no one could tell what had happened.

*

In the darkness interrupted by the military torches, and in the silence that had followed the brief but bloody clash between Breen and Federation, everything seemed unnaturally still. Lieutenant Ferrari, with her phaser rifle held firmly in her hands and in an attack position, was still nothing but a bundle of nerves, ready to snap at the slightest sign of danger.

Both Dr. Pulaski and Chief Cartier had immediately gone to work as soon as the fighting was over, with the security personnel spread around them to provide protection from any problems that had not yet materialised.

In the darkness, only the lights placed on their weapons and the torches attached to their wrists gave them the minimum of illumination required to see their surroundings, allowing the team to move with a little more ease. Nonetheless, Ferrari fervently hoped that Cartier would be able to restore the lighting system as soon as possible: as well as greatly helping the team, it would also allow the civilians on board to calm down once and for all.

A thin, strained voice reached Ferrari’s ears, coming from a few metres away from the woman. The Lieutenant looked very carefully around, turning around, cleaving through the darkness with the light fixed on her wrist, until she found the source of the voice. It was a child, Ktarian judging by the characteristic ridges of the species placed between his eyes, barely discernible, crouched as it was under a shapeless mass of bodies, still indistinguishable from each other despite the beam of light aimed at them.

Slowly, moving a few tables and chairs in the canteen, Ferrari approached him, trying not to startle the other people she came across.

Just before reaching the youngling, the ship’s lights came back on almost abruptly, a success immediately followed by a whistle of satisfaction from Cartier, who immediately focused her attention on the damage report feed that the console in front of her was displaying. After a quick word with Ferrari, the engineer contacted Europa to have additional personnel sent to her, which would allow her to better manage the repairs and get the passenger transport back on course as soon as possible.

Turning and resuming, this time with more agility, to walk towards the child, Ferrari spotted Dr. Pulaski, assisted by one of the security men, busy tending to a pair of aliens who did not appear to have suffered more than a few scrapes and bruises, due mainly to having been bumped, during the Breen attack, by some bulkhead that had collapsed from the ceiling.

When she finally reached the Ktarian, the situation that presented itself before her struck her in all its force and tragedy. The child found himself between kneeling and crouching next to a wounded trill woman (if the spots visible on the sides of her face were any indication), very pale and almost on the verge of fainting – only the attempts of one of his compatriots, rather young by Trill standards and looking very much like the woman, seemed to succeed in keeping her semi-conscious – and that of another Ktarian, this time clearly dead, probably from a blow that had struck him in the chest. The Trill was bleeding profusely from the side, a sign that he too was not doing well, although he was trying hard to ignore his condition in favour of the woman.

The training Ferrari had undergone immediately took over, leading the woman to kneel beside them, phaser rifle momentarily forgotten to one side, tricorder in hand and reconfigured for basic medical tricorder functionality, analysing the two Trills in front of her. A moment later, the woman activated her communicator to call Dr. Pulaski: «Ferrari to Pulaski, I need you urgently. The situation’s escalated...»

«I understand your inability to perform any kind of surgical operation, Lieutenant…» the physician began to grumble and scold.

But Ferrari was in no mood to put on a good face to the Doctor’s usual scurvy demeanour, which is why she cut her off with a blunt reply: «These people don’t just have a few bruises, Doctor, they’re in pretty critical condition! I need you here, NOW!»

Having broken off communication, the woman focused on the Ktarian at her side, trying somehow to reassure him, well aware that her hasty manner just before had obviously had no soothing effect on the child: «Hey, young man. You were very, very brave. What’s your name?» She tried to smile at him, but she highly doubted that her own efforts would really pay off, considering what the boy had just experienced. She didn’t doubt the trauma that’d likely scarred the brain, and the consequences of it. It would only be with the help of skilled specialists would he come out of it and time.

«Drenkteg,» the child replied, clearly frightened, but the conversation had no chance to develop further as it was interrupted by a male voice coming from behind Ferrari, which forced itself on the woman’s attention: «We thought we were doomed, what took you so long?»

The words, spoken with particular harshness, caused Ferrari to stand up, after smiling reassuringly at the Ktarian and picking up his weapon, and turn towards the individual who had so rudely addressed her.

He was a Trill in his fifties, with a stern frown on his face, evidently used to commanding and being obeyed without hesitation by those with whom he collaborated. He did not appear to be injured in any way, although he clearly wore the shock of what had happened on his face, and Ferrari thought it best not to give him an annoyed reply, although he probably deserved it: «We arrived as soon as we received your distress call, Mr…?»

«Pren. Dr. Hanor Pren, of the Trill Science Institute,» the Trill answered her, retaining that arrogant conceit look that grated her nerves.

Pulaski chose that very moment to make her appearance. She looked down at Pren and, without bothering to use the medical tricorder, interrupted him just as rudely: «You look great, what are you still doing here? Get out of my way!» After that, her attention shifted entirely to the individuals at her feet, forgetting in no time who was surrounding her, she left Ferrari to pick up little Drenkteg with some difficulty and move a few steps away, motioning to Pren to follow her.

The scientist made way for Pulaski, but remained as close as possible to the pair of compatriots now under the doctor’s care, who, a few moments later, waved Ferrari back: «Lieutenant. I cannot take care of them here, they are both in critical condition, especially the woman. I’ll beam back to Europa with both of them. In Sickbay I should have a better chance of being able to stabilise them.»

Ferrari nodded, before asking: «And the other passengers? What are their conditions?»

«I will send a medical team to take care of the injured who are still there. From what I’ve seen, I can say that no one else should be injured so badly as to require the use of the medical equipment aboard the Europa,» Pulaski replied before contacting Europa to be beamed immediately to Sickbay; she disappeared moments later, leaving behind Ferrari, the passenger transport, and the various teams of engineers dedicated to repairing the Hikawa Maru.

*

«Live long and prosper, Captain,» greeted T’Vok for the last time, from the Europa‘s bridge, before the link with the passenger transport and its commanding officer was severed and the two ships finally took different paths.

On the main screen, the sensor feed showed the other vessel, smaller than the Sovereign -class, entering warp, heading towards Trillius Prime. From his station at Operations, Leeda said: «Ready to resume previous course, Captain. In Sickbay, Dr. Pulaski reports that, at least for now, the patients are stable, but that it would be best to arrive as soon as possible on Deep Space 9.»

Ferrari added: «Course laid in, Captain. DS9 has confirmed our last report and informs us that they are ready for our imminent arrival with wounded aboard: they will have a medical team ready as soon as we are on site.»

«Engage,» was T’Vok’s simple reply, and the Europa jumped to warp.