[Pike to Lieutenant Carter. Report to the main hangar deck.]
Clunk -- "Ow . . . Aye sir," said a just-awakened Lee Carter. She had banged her head on the night stand when the intercom startled her awake. "Computer, what time is it?"
< The time is 0347 hours, > said the ship's computer.
"Ugh," sighed Carter as she draped an arm over her eyes. "This better be good, I don't care if he IS a commodore," she grumbled. But she knew better than to keep Pike waiting, and knew that if Pike called her in the middle of the night, then it really was important. She showered and got dressed quickly, and fifteen minutes later was on her way.
As the large double doors of the hangar deck slid shut behind her, she saw that several other officers were already assembled. Pike noticed the new arrival and said, "Lieutenant Carter. Nice of you to join us. You're just in time." Then Pike smiled and continued, "I have a little surprise for you." At that, he motioned for the technician to open the outer hangar door.
The ponderous door slowly slid upwards revealing the stark beauty of space. The Zorana Nebula could be seen off to the left, but that wasn't what had captured Carter's attention. From the right side of the yawning hangar door, a sleek silver shape slowly drifted into view. Carter's eyes lit up. It was a Peregrine fighter ship, just like the ones she had flown during the War. Pike noticed her reaction and smiled again.
The craft slid through the atmospheric containment field and softly touched down on the landing target. Even though the Peregrine was much larger than even a runabout, there was plenty of room in the cavernous hangar for it. The hangar door started sliding shut again even as the access ramp under the Peregrine started deploying.
Pike looked at Carter and said, "There you are, Lieutenant. One Peregrine Class Escort Vessel, as you requested. She's all yours."
"Thank you sir!" beamed Carter as she practically ran towards her new toy, all thoughts of sleep gone from her mind.
"Just keep me posted on your progress," called Pike after her, but he wasn't sure she heard him anymore.
As Carter ran up the ramp into the belly of the Peregrine, two other Starfleet officers were making their way down. One of them stopped briefly to converse with Carter. When they both reached Pike they stood at attention. The nearer one to Pike handed him a PADD and announced, "Lieutenant JG Tumock and Ensign Tyran Nige reporting for duty, sir."
Pike looked them over and then said, "Welcome aboard, gentlemen."
The two new officers relaxed. Pike scanned the PADD briefly, and then said to the Vulcan, "Mr. Tumock, Operations officer." Pike turned to the Bajoran and continued, "Mr. Tyran, Security."
"Yes sir," replied the men in unison.
"Excellent. We are short handed in both departments. You'll be a welcome addition to the crew. Go get your gear stowed in your cabins and get to know the ship a little. Your first duty shift isn't until tomorrow. Dismissed."
"Yes sir," they said again, and exited the hangar deck.
Well, this is turning out to be a pretty good day, thought Pike to himself. I've got an ace pilot who's happy as a clam, two promising new officers, and a happy science section that's still busy analyzing the readings we took in the Zorana system.
Now that the excitement was over, Pike realized how sleepy he was. I just wish I hadn't gotten up at 0330.... He went back to his quarters for a few more hours sleep.
Pike didn't get too much more sleep though. An hour and a half later, he was awakened by Captain Neil's voice over the intercom.
[Neil to Commodore Pike. Please come to the bridge.]
Clunk -- "Ow . . . On my way," said Pike. He had banged his head on the night stand when the intercom startled him awake. "Computer, what time is it?"
<The time is 0647 hours,> said the ship's computer.
"This better be good," grumbled Pike as he got out of bed. He refreshed himself in the bathroom, and headed for the bridge.
The bridge doors admitted Pike into the nerve center of the mighty starship. Captain Neil was in the center seat, and she was taking reports coming in from all around her.
Harris was saying, "There's a definite gravimetric disturbance coming from directly ahead sir."
Churok added, "It's not on any of the charts."
Tunis chimed in from the science station, "I've got it on sensors now, Captain. It looks like a rogue planetary body, Class F, with no associated star."
"On screen," ordered Neil.
The main viewer swam into focus and centered on a drab gray-and-brown planet. It appeared to be ringed by several small moons at suspiciously regular intervals. Pike walked down to the lower level and Neil relinquished the command chair, but Pike didn't sit down. Together, they stared at the odd world on the screen. There was something not right about it.
Tunis was still talking, "Captain! I mean Commodore! I mean...." Something had shaken Tunis badly.
"Report, Ensign," snapped Neil.
Tunis regained his composure and said, "Commodore, the planet is moving toward us at WARP THIRTEEN!"
Gasps and then stunned silence reigned on the bridge for several long seconds. Finally, Captain Neil managed to utter, "That's impossible. No natural phenomenon can travel faster than the speed of light, especially not a whole planet!"
But Tunis' sensor readings disagreed with the captain. Tunis said, "Speed confirmed, sir. And there are some very strange reading coming from the planet."
"What sort of readings?" asked Neil.
"Life forms the likes of which I have never seen. Extremely strong power emanations coming from deep inside the planet. Also picking up generated power from the moons. They almost look like some sort of weapons signatures."
Pike now sat in the command chair. He barked, "Red alert! Shields up!" The klaxon started wailing. "Helm, where did this planet come from?"
Churok answered, "I can interpolate it's origin based on its trajectory, sir. It looks like it came from outside our own galaxy."
"Heading?"
Both Churok and Harris calculated the heading. Both looked worried when they got the answer from the computer. They looked at each others' results to make sure they hadn't made a mistake, but they were correct.
Pike grew impatient. "Gentlemen?"
Harris spoke up. "Sir, the planet is on a direct heading for Earth."
"Commodore!" shouted Churok.
"What is it?"
"We've been caught in a tractor beam emanating from the planet."
"Sir!" This time the shout came from Harris.
"Will everybody please stop yelling," said Pike. "What is it Harris?"
"Incoming transmission from the planet, sir," said Harris a little more calmly.
"On screen."
The image of the impossible planet wavered and dissolved into an image of the most hideous creature Pike had ever seen. Some of the bridge crew actually cringed, the visage on the screen was so horrifying. The creature was enormous. It was a bile-beige colored mass of writhing tentacles sprouting from a central mass, the center of which was dominated by a single, large, glaring, lidless eye.
Pike fought the urge to look away, instead he stood and approached the main viewer. In a commanding voice he addressed the being on the screen, "I am Commodore Jeffrey H. Pike of the USS Knight, representing the United Federation of Pla...."
He was cut off by the creature on the screen. It's echoing voice boomed from every speaker on the bridge, and indeed, every speaker on the entire ship.
"THIS IS THE CONQUEST ARMADA OF THE KELVAN EMPIRE OF THE ANDROMEDA GALAXY. YOU HAVE BEEN CONQUERED. YOUR GALAXY IS NOW OURS. POWER DOWN YOUR SHIP AND PREPARE TO BE BOARDED. YOU HAVE TEN MINUTES TO COMPLY OR WE WILL DESTROY YOU."
The Kelvan's image vanished from the screen to be replaced by the Kelvan Conquest World drawing ever nearer.