CHAPTER 2

"CAPTAINS LOG: Stardate: 9522.8. After Doctor McCoy and I narrowly escaped our imprisonment on the frozen Klingon penal colony Rura Penthe, and after preventing the assassination of Klingon High Chancellor Azetbur at Camp Khitomer, the Enterprise is on its way back to Earth, where the members of my original crew and I will relinquish command of her, as this was to be our final mission. I am not looking forward to resuming my desk job at Starfleet Command, thus I am thinking about retiring my commission."

Kirk took a sip of his sweet, synthetic coffee when Communications Officer Commander Uhura spoke:

"Captain, I have been trying to reach Starfleet Command but there has been no response. I have checked my equipment and there is no malfunction on this end. Also, I am not picking up any additional subspace chatter from Earth."

Kirk's instincts gave him cause for concern:

"Mr. Spock what can you tell us?"

Spock looked away from his console and replied:

"It is just as Commander Uhura put it. We have lost contact with Starfleet Command and the Earth. I have no further data to report at this time. I must admit the situation is very curious."

Kirk knew what to try next:

"Mr. Spock, please utilize the Starfleet galactic positioning system to locate the nearest Federation vessel. Maybe they know something we don't."

Spock did as Kirk ordered him to do:

"I am sorry to report, Captain, that the galactic positioning system is also not working."

Kirk rubbed his temples with both hands:

"What the hell is going on? Okay then, we do know that Captain Sulu's ship the Excelsior was in orbit off Camp Khitomer like we were just yesterday. Mr. Spock use long range sensors to find out if you can locate Sulu's ship. Uhura try and raise the Excelsior."

Uhura opened hailing frequencies, but got no response. Spock reported:

      

"I have found the Excelsior on long range sensors, but I cannot provide any details about the ship's conditions at this distant range. She is 16 hours from our current position at warp-5."

Kirk replied:

"Mr. Spock, transfer coordinates to the helm. Helm, set course for the Excelsior's location at warp-7. We'll shave off some of those hours."

Spock cut in:

"Yes, Captain at warp-7 we shall arrive in the vicinity of the Excelsior in seven hours."

****

Two hours later Uhura had something important to report:

"I am still unable to raise the Excelsior, Captain, but I just picked up a faint subspace distress call from the Excelsior."

Kirk frowned.

"Then something nefarious is definitely taking place! Helm increase speed to warp-8! Estimate arrival time, Mr. Spock!"

Spock replied:

"At warp-8 we shall arrive in the vicinity of the Excelsior in 45 minutes, Captain."

Kirk thumbed the red alert button and the crew went into alert status.

 

****

Forty five minutes later the helmsman was ready to report:

"Coming into visual range of the Excelsior now, Captain."

Kirk could see a tiny object on the view screen:

"Increase magnification to factor-10."

It was then Kirk and the bridge crew could see that the Excelsior was drifting in space badly damaged! Kirk's instinctual red flags went up:

"I don't know who or what attacked the Excelsior, but we're going to do our dammedist to find out! Report, Mr. Spock!"

Spock replied:

"Sensors show tremendous damage to the Excelsior's primary hull and nacelles. Both nacelles are damaged beyond repair, and there are numerous hull breaches in the body and saucer sections. However, emergency bulkheads are in place and there is minimal life support on the bridge which is still mostly intact. I have 22 life-signs on the bridge, but no life signs elsewhere on the ship. Life support on the bridge is so low we can presume all of them may be unconscious."

Kirk could see Chief Engineer Scott was at his post on the bridge:

"Scotty, get down to the transporter room and supervise transport of those 22 survivors. Uhura, contact Dr. McCoy to apprise him of the situation and have him and his team standing ready in the transporter room. Mr. Spock, you're with me."

Kirk, Spock, Dr. McCoy, and his medical team arrived at the transporter room shortly after Scotty who was already in the process of beaming across the survivors. It was just as Spock speculated when the first set of crewman to materialized, they were lying prone on the transporter pads. Dr. McCoy and his team immediately began to inject the survivors with oxygenated Tri-ox compound. Soon enough those survivors began to rouse as the team removed them off the pads so the next rounds of survivors could be transported across from Excelsior's bridge. As the survivors came many of them had various injuries, some being life threating. These crewmen were taken to sickbay. As the last six survivors were transported across Kirk, Spock, Scotty, and McCoy were all relieved their old friend Captain Sulu was among them. McCoy had a look at Sulu and his medical scanner showed Sulu had a life threating concussion that required immediate brain surgery:

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