The Return : Gremlin in Action

"Admiral !" Commander Lewis yelled. "We have just dropped out of warp. Trying to re-establish warp drive. NO effect !"

The Captain's chair turned back around from facing the rear. Beard was studying the Lynx's schematic wondering where Devore was hiding. He had left the Bridge earlier to finish the job that Lighter had started but when he entered the empty room, Beard found that Devore had escaped. Now, frustrated, Beard pondered where the elusive Captain was hiding. Now it was obvious, Devore was in engineering.

"Calm down commander." Beard said sitting back calmly steeping his fingers. "Beard to Commander Joquain." No answer. "Commander Joquain. Please respond." Beard rubbed the back of his head pondering his next move. Surely Devore wasn't as stupid as to remain in engineering. "Lieutenant U'ral... Take a security detail to engineering. Set phasers to kill."

"Sir ?" Lieutenant U'ral said confused by the Admiral's order.

"Set phasers to kill. Understood."

"Yes sir." With that Lieutenant U'ral left the Bridge followed by two security officers.

USS Lynx : Engineering

In Engineering, the stunned officers lay sprawled-out in various positions around the floor. They didn't even know what happened. Devore rushed into the compartment with weapons ablaze. The chief engineer was the first on hit. He hung over the rail that surrounded the warp core. At the master terminal, Captain Devore had worked quickly and disengaged the magnetic safety interlocks that prevented the core from overheating. He also had manually took the plasma injectors off line preventing the Lynx from going into warp.

*Okay... First step accomplished. Now........"

[Beard to Commander Joquain.] A combadge squelched. The one officer who heard the call was Captain Devore. The rest were incapacitated. *I had better get out of here. Soon I am sure that there will be a 'welcoming party'.* He thought

He reached under the terminal to the weapon's locker and pulled out a phaser. As Devore left Engineering, he set the type one phaser to overload and threw it back into the compartment. *It would be rude of me not to leave a gift for my host.*

USS Lynx : Bridge

"Commander Lewis ? Have you been able to get the warp core back on line ?" Beard asked now, a little anxiety cracked his voice.

"No sir. It seems that there is something physically jamming the system," Lewis retorted.

"Well commander I suggest you get someone down there to fix it."

"Aye sir."

USS Lynx : Outside Engineering

Lieutenant U'ral and his security detail approached the closed door of Engineering. Normally he wouldn't have thought anything of it, but this time he knew that Devore was on the other side. He signalled for his officers to take the opposite sides of the doors as he kneeled down on one knee, his phaser poised at the closed door. U'ral raised his fingers and slowly counted down. His security man knew what he said and as the last finger came down opened the blast doors. The doors came opened to a room filled with bodies and a high pitched squeal. At first U'ral didn't know what the squeal was until he looked down and saw the phaser. Its high pitch sound indicated that it was on its last seconds as U'ral stood up and shouted,

"RUN"

But it was too late. The phaser exploded taking the three officers in the wake of the blast. Engineering system were engulfed in the blast except for the warp core which had somehow had a level 7 forcefield to protect it from blasts such as these. Before he left, Devore had it erected for he wasn't in the habit of endangering his life, just the lives of Beard and Lighter.

USS Lynx : Bridge

The Lynx shook violently throwing the Bridge crew around slightly.

"Report !" Beard said worriedly. Now his strong, solid facade had began to deteriorate.

"Admiral. There has been an explosion in Engineering. All warp core functions are destroyed. The only thing left is impulse and backup power."

"Great. Get a damage control team down there NOW !"

"Yes sir." The conn system began to go off. "Sir, sensors are detecting a large power flux aft."

"What !" Beard said as he rushed to Tactical. "Give me a sensory read-out of the flux."

"Admiral, " Ensign Tou Laree, the science officer began. "It registers at .019 gigahertz."

*Oh no. There is only one thing in the known galaxy that produce that type of energy reading... a tesseract ! There are two known sources and we are billions of light years from the first.............*

"Shields up. Red Alert !" Beard ordered frantically. "Load all torpedo bays and arm the phaser banks."

"What is it ?" Lewis asked.

"It is the SSS Sniper !" Beard said.

"The Sniper ?"

"I don't have time to go into it. Just do it, because if we don't get the first shot in, then we will not have a chance !"

"Understood. Admiral Beard ! The tesseract is behind us but there are also sensor contacts bearing 355 mark 0," Commander Lewis said.

The Lynx now was being surrounded, but Admiral Beard paid closer attention to the tesseract which he knew was was being generated artificially by the Section 31 ship, Sniper. During his time at Starfleet Command and Section 31, he knew of the top secret construction of the new ship, but he was confused as to what was ahead of them ? "Put the sensor contact on screen!" Beard ordered.

On the view screen were three Barien Battle Cruisers. They were coming at full impulse and the distance between them were deteriorating fast. Beard knew that without the warp core they were completely vulnerable, to both the adversaries to the rear and to the front. He knew that if he went back he would face certain court marshal and possibly death. Also if he was to engage the Barien task force, he would surely die considering the poor shape the Lynx was in.

"Admiral we are being hailed." Commander Lewis said. "It's the Lynx."

"On screen."

[Admiral Beard.] Charlie said as his image appeared on the viewscreen. [We finally meet. There is a certain Admiral Ross at Starfleet Command that would like to have a word with you.]

Suddenly the screen split and on the other screen was Commander Toran.

[Beard ! Where is Captain Devore ? Release him at once ?]

"Gentleman." Beard said smugly. "Well to answer the first, I don't care if the President himself wanted to see me, I am not going back and as for Captain Devore... well he is no longer in my custody but wandering my ship."

[Then release him this instant.] Toran ordered. Then from behind the commander Lieutenant Sierra Devore made her presence known.

"Ah Mrs. Devore. I am glad to see that you are all right. I..." Beard said hiding astonishment. He had been totally obsessed with Captain Devore that it seems Lieutenant Devore was able to get away.

[I don't care for your sympathy. Where is my husband ?] Sierra yelled.

"Well I don't have him."

[Children, I see that we are going to go around in circles. But there seems to be a more imminent threat. Those three Barien battle cruisers are with weapons range. I suggest we set aside the bickering and prepare for a fight.] Charlie said.

"Very well." Beard said.

USS Hellcat : Bridge

The Barien cruisers were now 25,000 km away from the Lynx who was nearest to the approaching vessels. The Hellcat had disengaged itself from the Sniper and now was on its own power. Toran sat at the command chair apprehensive about the new ship. This was her maiden journey and untested in battle but Toran figured that this was as good time as any.

Mr. Ambrose sat at the helm as Lieutenant Rashad sat at tactical. He looked around and smiled. His baby was going to go fight and win. Ambrose was excited and couldn't wait. He built this ship strong and tough and just knew that they will prevail.

Rashad looked over the sensor readings again and made sure that the small ship was ready. The phaser banks were charged, quantum torpedoes were loaded with maximum yields and the shields had been routed through secondary systems as a safety precaution.

Toran rubbed his hands together as the El Aurian's nerves of steel began to let him down. He knew that onboard the Leviathan, he would have no trouble and wouldn't be nervous at all, but on this virgin ship... he wasn't sure.

Lieutenant Devore sat at Engineering and kept a watchful eye on the warp core matrix. She didn't know too much but enough to keep the ship going. Her attention however was get her husband.

"Okay troopers. Bring everything on line and prepare to fight," Toran yelled.

"Aye sir. All departments reports ready," Rashad yelled in return.

"Mr. Ambrose increase speed to attack speed."

"My pleasure."

The Hellcat unlike many other starfleet ships has limited warp capabilities. It could travel up to warp five but was mainly intended as a close quarter fighter. Similar to the Defiant-class starships, she is built as a warship, a flying weapon arsenal. The ablative armour could withstand direct attacks but the shielding was upgraded and doubled throughout. She was capable, and a tough baby just as the Defiant-class vessels were.

"The Lynx has not raised their shields !" Rashad said.

"Good ! Commander. Take the Hellcat within transporter range and lets get my husband !" Sierra said looking sternly at Toran.

"Shaka ? Can you obtain a transporter lock at Warp five ?" Toran asked.

"Possibly. It will be tricky. I did something like that years ago but only managed to get the object he was carrying and not the person. It was kinda funny when he was left standing on the transporter pad naked."

" I don't Captain Devore would appreciate that too much. Make sure that you get the whole thing."

"Aye sir."

"Here they come. Cruiser designate three has broken off and is heading for us." Rashad informed Toran.

"Let him come !"

USS Lynx : Bridge

The Sniper sped up and came between the Lynx and the Barien cruisers. The Bariens opened fire. Large, thick bands of pulsating light cut through the blackness of space and hit the Sniper that seemed to ricocheted off the shields. The phaser pulse harmlessly headed into space.

"Nice try," Charlie said. "Fire all weapons on designate cruiser two."

The entire leading edge seem to light up of the Sniper as the phaser array fired tens of phaser bursts at cruiser two. Numerous bursts seemed to shatter the shield protection of the cruiser as if a rock was thrown against a plate glass window. Then the second volley of bursts showered the hull the cruiser relentlessly. Millions of mini explosions caused one big explosion as the cruiser turned to a fiery ball in space. Within seconds, all that was left was thousands of small shards of metal.

"Captain." One of the officers on the Sniper reported. "Detecting torpedo launch from cruiser one. I don't recognise the signature."

"Evasive pattern Tango three." The Sniper banked starboard then port as it sped to warp one. After two seconds she stopped and again bore the her weapons back on cruiser one. Charlie thought he had evaded the torpedo as a dull explosion was heard. "What was that ?"

"I don't know."

"Captain. Our shields are losing power. 98%, 89%... The power seems to be drained."

"Options quick !"

"The shield generator operates on positive dystrium emissions. If we reverse its polarity it may slow it down if not stop it."

"But stop what ? What is draining the shields ?"

"73%, 62%.. at this rate we will have no shields in 22 seconds."

"Options NOW !" Charlie yelled.

USS Hellcat : Bridge

"Do you see that ?" Ambrose asked. "Those torpedoes have somehow leeched on to the shields of the Sniper.

"Rashad can you get a lock on a target that small." Toran asked no longer paying any attention to Cruiser three.

"You bet."

"Good do it. Ambrose get us in closer."

The Hellcat banked starboard and headed to the location of the torpedoes. They were gently nubbing up against the shields, with each hit a bluish static discharge could be seen.

"Got a lock."

"Fire."

The weapons array fired a series of short photonic bursts each raining down upon the torpedoes detonating them as they were hit.

"Hellcat to Sniper" Toran yelled.

[Go ahead, Hellcat]

"You okay down there ?"

[Shields are down to 10%. What was that thing ?}

"A torpedo of some sort."

[Watch out for them!]

"Understood! Hellcat out."

*Now where is that Barien ?* Toran thought as the Hellcat rocked from a phaser burst. *Ah there you are.*