The Higher Frontier

by Christopher L. Bennett

  Then, to DiFalco’s horror, an actinic flicker of light shone through the side archway leading to the lounge where Logan and T’Nalae had retreated, followed by screams and the sounds of violence. She recognized one of the screams as Logan’s, feeling his terror and confusion in her mind—before both his voice and his emotions cut off sharply in a final surge of agony, staggering her with loss and grief.

  A few of the Aenar inside emerged through the archway, fleeing back out in a shrieking panic, despite the imminent danger outside. Even the jumbled final sensations from Logan had made it clear that what was happening inside the lounge was far worse.

  Then there was another flash right alongside DiFalco on the balcony. She toppled back onto the deck and stared in shock at the whirling ball of light, which faded to reveal another armored humanoid, this one clad in white with dark gray highlights. Its helmet was also faceless, but textured with gray striations that suggested an insect’s compound eyes and mandibles. Atop the helmet was a pair of long, forward-curving protrusions, like a mockery of the Aenar’s antennae.

  The thought of the Aenar galvanized her. As the invader got its bearings and began to turn toward her, she shot to her feet and lunged past it. It whirled more swiftly than the armor should have allowed, its metallic fingertips digging painfully into her shoulder even in the brief contact before she slipped past. She ran, thinking only of leading it away from Getran.

  * * *

  “It is hostile, repeat, hostile!” Worene’s report over the bridge speakers was accompanied by the sounds of screams and phaser fire.

  “Chekov, mobilize Beta Team now,” Kirk ordered, then turned his chair to face the science station, where Commander Thelin stood beside a seated Spock. “Any idea how they breached our shields?”

  “I find no evidence that they did, Captain,” Spock replied. “No external signals, no energy drains or disruptions to the shields themselves. The only energy readings are from within the recreation deck itself.”

  Kirk rose. “Then we’d better get down there.” He moved toward the port turbolift. “Chekov, Thelin, with me. Spock, you have the conn.”

  As the turbolift descended, Thelin clenched his fists, trembling with emotion. “Not even here. We couldn’t stop them even here. We just gathered them all in one convenient place!”

  Kirk put a hand on his shoulder. “My guards are protecting them. We’re moments away.”

  Rather than using one of the turbolift exits inside the rec room—a perfect bottleneck that the intruders could use to pick them off as they emerged—they met up with Beta Team in the G-deck corridor outside the main entrance. Lieutenant Nizhoni led the team, backed up by Petty Officer Uuvu’it and Crewmen M’sharna and Lance. All were armed with large, two-handed phaser rifles, and the deputy security chief handed Chekov a spare rifle-grip attachment for him to plug his pistol phaser into while she addressed him and Kirk.

  “Commander. Captain. At least two more intruders have materialized. Alpha Team is engaging them. Chief Onami just reported that she’s managed to sneak the four older children out through the port exit, but the two youngest are still unaccounted for.” Nizhoni glanced toward Thelin. “Including your daughter, Commander. I’m sorry.”

  Kirk turned to Thelin. “Maybe you should hold back.”

  The sharp-featured Andorian gathered himself. “No, Captain. I am a warrior and a science officer. My passion is undimmed, but I will direct it with discipline.”

  Taking him at his word, Kirk nodded to his security chief, letting him take the lead. “Chekov?”

  “Phasers on heavy stun,” the Russian ordered, “but use discretion. Our priority is to protect the Aenar. And the remaining children,” he added with a nod toward Thelin.

  “And Worene,” Kirk heard Uuvu’it mutter under his whistling breath.

  Chekov clasped Uuvu’it’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I’ve got a feeling this will work out.”

  The Betelgeusian rallied himself. “Of course, sir. This is the fight I’ve been waiting for to earn my name at last.” His lower mouth snarled. “Right now, I feel unbeatable.”

  Kirk nodded to Chekov. “Go.”

  The security chief glanced back at Kirk, his expression a condensed form of their familiar argument: He wished his captain would stay behind in safety, but was resigned to the knowledge that it wasn’t going to happen. Still, Kirk had learned to accept going in second.

  He did so now, following Chekov through the doors into the starboard entry hallway and then out into the rec deck’s large atrium. In the near ground, security guards Worene, Vidmar, and Sakamoto were engaged in hand-to-hand combat with two armored intruders. Both wore similar body armor—all-concealing, blank-faced, seemingly semiorganic, with belt-like waist sections framing central crystals. The one on Kirk’s right was in red and black with four claw-like protrusions framing its mask and pointing in toward its center, giving it a hostile, frowning mien. The other, slightly smaller one wore golden-brown armor with mask, belt, and boots in brighter gold, its helmet smooth and nearly featureless save for two small, tapered bulges at the temples, suggesting stubby devil’s horns. That one had apparently just emerged from a side lounge … and was holding a pronged dagger covered in blue and red blood.

  Naazh indeed, Kirk thought, recalling Thelin’s name for them. He didn’t know what the ferocious phantoms of Andorian myth looked like, but these warriors certainly seemed to be reasonable facsimiles.

  Beyond the Naazh and the guards, Kirk saw several other personnel forming a defensive line in front of the Aenar refugees: the New Humans Daniel Abioye and Jade Dinh, the Kazarite Zabish, and the Argelian Palur, who was standing guard over an unconscious Shantherin th’Clane. The Aenar themselves huddled together to the rear of the rec deck behind their leaders th’Miraph and zh’Lenthar, before the array of viewports looking out on the Enterprise’s starboard nacelle. Unfortunately, the battle was between them and the exits, so they were trapped for the moment. He saw some of them straining hesitantly toward the archways to port. If they could reach the side passageway, they could follow it forward to the port exit hallway, getting out the same way Onami and the children had. But the red Naazh was in position to spot them through the open archways as they passed, so they did not dare to try.

  Movement caught his eye on the balcony up above. He spotted Chief DiFalco fleeing from a third, white-armored Naazh with a vaguely insectoid visage, complete with antennae. Kirk promptly raised his phaser pistol and fired at the white Naazh, who merely stopped and turned its eyeless helmet toward him briefly, then resumed its pursuit. Kirk only hoped he’d given DiFalco enough of an extra lead.

  Kirk’s shot had drawn the attention of the red Naazh. Seemingly in reaction, it broke free of Sakamoto’s grip and struck him with a forceful blow, sending him flying into the translucent lift shaft to port of the forward viewscreen. The guard hit hard and fell to the deck, apparently unconscious.

  The Naazh then turned to face Kirk, who shouted, “Stand down and identify yourselves! Why have you attacked the Aenar?”

  “Do not question me,” the red Naazh replied with a filtered voice. “This is not your concern, nor are you ours.”

  “You’ve attacked and killed Federation citizens. That makes it my responsibility to stop you.”

  The red-armored figure laughed. “You can try. But it will end in despair.”

  Accepting the invitation, Kirk nodded to Chekov. The two of them, Nizhoni, and M’sharna opened fire on the red Naazh with their rifles, while Uuvu’it and Lance flanked the gold Naazh who was facing off with Worene. Thelin stood his ground, analyzing the scene carefully.

  “Here’s an advance warning,” Uuvu’it called to the gold-armored figure. “I’m fairly strong.”

  The gold Naazh said nothing, merely slashing its vicious-looking dagger toward the Betelgeusian. He twisted away from its swing, and the Naazh took the opportunity to spin around and launch a kick at Worene, who had been lunging at it from behind. Even the lithe Aulacri coul
d not change course fast enough to evade the kick, which knocked her back and over a toppled chair.

  Meanwhile, Kirk saw Chief DiFalco emerge tentatively from the side stairwell at starboard aft. Spotting the fallen, semiconscious th’Clane on the deck near her, she moved to help him to his feet. There was no sign yet of her pursuer; Kirk hoped its armor would impede its descent of the narrow spiral stairway.

  Chekov and M’sharna had moved to flank the red Naazh, while Nizhoni hung back with Kirk. Their rifle fire failed to overcome the red Naazh, even when Vidmar joined in from behind. “Hand to hand,” Chekov ordered, gesturing M’sharna forward. The bulbous-eyed Saurian laid down his rifle and dove into the fray, landing several blows. The Naazh gave as good as it got, but M’sharna’s exceptional strength and endurance served him well, keeping him in the fight.

  Meanwhile, the recovered Worene clambered onto the fallen chair and gave a feline yowl as she leaped toward the gold Naazh, who had just knocked down Casey Lance with an acrobatic kick. The force of the Aulacri’s lithe body landing on the Naazh from behind before it could fully recover was enough to knock it over, and Uuvu’it joined Worene in trying to pin the struggling figure to the deck.

  Kirk spotted a small blue figure moving among the cluster of white Aenar faces to the rear. He touched Thelin’s shoulder to get his attention. Taking advantage of the red Naazh’s distraction, young Cheremis was slipping into the portside passageway, out of the enemies’ sight. The other Aenar could have followed, but instead they simply huddled together fearfully in front of the entranceway. Even the firebrand zh’Lenthar was acting too paralyzed to move. Kirk immediately understood what they were doing. If more of them tried for the side passage, it would draw the Naazh’s attention to the girl. They were choosing to remain in harm’s way so Thelin’s daughter would have a chance to escape. For once, both zh’Lenthar and the elder th’Miraph were acting in total harmony.

  Determined not to let their courage be in vain, Kirk nodded subtly to Thelin. “Go,” he whispered. The pale Andorian nodded thanks and began edging unobtrusively to port.

  Breaking free of M’sharna’s hold at last, the red Naazh jumped back and placed a curled hand in front of the crystal on its waist. The crystal glowed, and to Kirk’s amazement, the Naazh drew a sword from it. The blade was as long as its arm, impossible to contain in a fist-sized crystal, yet the scarlet-armored hunter drew it out as if from a magic portal.

  The sword flickered with energy as the unknown being struck at M’sharna, slicing through his body armor. The Saurian spun and fell to the ground, trembling. The Naazh turned away, no longer concerned with its opponent, and Chekov and Nizhoni moved forward to drag M’sharna to relative safety.

  The red Naazh strode toward Abioye and Dinh, who stood their ground in front of the huddled Aenar, even though they were unarmed. DiFalco came to their aid by picking up th’Clane’s fallen phaser rifle and firing it at the red Naazh. The weapon’s multiple beams slowed it only slightly.

  But then the Naazh staggered back, and Kirk saw Zabish stretching his hands toward the armored figure. Kazarite telekinesis was not very strong as a rule, but Kirk had heard that they could sometimes intensify it in extremis, at considerable metabolic cost. The Naazh was only briefly affected, though, continuing to stride forward with minor difficulty as Zabish persisted.

  Abioye and Dinh flanked the Kazarite, joined their hands with his, and closed their eyes. Somehow, they managed to amplify Zabish’s psionic push, forcing the Naazh slightly backward. Seeing this, DiFalco returned the rifle to the recovering th’Clane and moved to join her fellow New Humans.

  Meanwhile, the gold Naazh had regained its footing, but Worene and Uuvu’it’s teamwork and fierceness were keeping it fully occupied. Kirk allowed himself to hope the tide was turning.

  Just then, the white Naazh emerged from the side stairs. It touched its white belt crystal with its left hand, and a sidearm materialized out of nowhere in its outstretched right hand. Kirk immediately opened fire on the antennaed figure, hoping at least to draw its attention away from the others. It had little effect, though; the white, insectile Naazh fired on the Aenar, instantly felling the elder th’Miraph with a searingly bright plasma bolt. Kirk felt the other Aenar’s grief and terror surge across his mind.

  The distraction broke Zabish’s concentration, and the red Naazh lunged forward and knocked the Kazarite back with a kick. DiFalco, Abioye, and Dinh toppled back with him, staring up in fear as the red Naazh raised its sword to strike them down. “Now,” it intoned with finality, “count up your sins!”

  “Nooo!” Even as the glowing, crackling blade descended, Joshua Vidmar threw himself into its path. The blade pierced him clear through his upper back just below the neck, and he trembled and convulsed horrifically as its energies discharged into his body. The Naazh yanked its blade clear, and Vidmar fell limp to the deck, unquestionably dead.

  The gold Naazh stared, then finally spoke, its filtered voice angry. “He was not our quarry!”

  “He chose to intercede,” the red one replied coldly. “I did warn them.”

  Kirk’s next order was just as cold. “All personnel—set phasers to kill.”

  * * *

  “Vidmar is dead,” Commander Chekov reported over the bridge speakers. “Three other guards are down, along with one of the Aenar leaders. The intruders are … materializing weapons out of thin air! The shields have no effect!”

  Spock rested his elbows on the command chair’s arms and steepled his fingers, frowning in concern. By his side, Doctor McCoy was his usual unhelpful self. “Damn it, Spock, we’ve got to do something!”

  By his other side stood Miranda Jones, whose shared consciousness with Kollos offered a more helpful observation. “Could they be drawing these weapons from extradimensional space?”

  Spock raised an intrigued brow toward her—or rather, them. Medusans did appear to have extensive expertise in higher-dimensional physics, which Spock had long suspected was an element in their navigational skill. “It would explain how they got on board despite our shields. Rather than going through them, they simply went around them in a higher dimension.”

  “Please tell me that actually helps us,” McCoy said, “and isn’t just some curious mathematical conundrum.”

  “I think it does,” Jones/Kollos replied, their animation suggesting that the Medusan persona was currently dominant. “If we go to warp, the continuum distortion might disrupt their access to whatever dimensional domain they’re drawing from.”

  “Indeed it might,” Spock replied. He used the arm controls to tap into the open comm line to the captain, relaying the ambassador’s suggestion.

  “Worth a try, Spock,” Kirk replied. “Take us out of orbit. Engage warp as soon as we’re clear!”

  “Acknowledged. Commander Sulu, break orbit and ready for emergency warp.”

  Executing that command, even in an emergency, took more time in Andorian orbit than it would have in many cases, for first Uhura had to notify Andorian Space Control of the emergency departure, while Sulu had to wait until the navigator charted a safe path clear of local traffic. Still, it was a mere forty-three seconds before Sulu managed to launch the Enterprise into warp. Spock did not bother to report this to the captain, for the jump to warp would have been clearly visible through the recreation deck’s aft windows. He merely sat and waited to hear if the tactic had any effect.

  * * *

  Alongside Captain Kirk, Pavel Chekov concentrated his rifle fire on the red Naazh, controlling his aim carefully. He understood the captain’s order to escalate to the kill setting, even with civilians present; the risk to their lives from the enemy was imminent enough to outweigh the risk of friendly fire. Still, he could never live with himself if his aim slipped.

  At least he could take comfort that Commander Thelin’s daughter was safe. The science officer had taken advantage of the red Naazh’s distraction to coax her forward through the side passage and had slipped out of the rec room with her
moments before. Meanwhile, Ensign Howard had reported that the last part-Aenar child, Getran, had been found crawling through a Jefferies tube on F deck. All the children were safe—now it was just a matter of saving the fifty-odd adult Aenar who remained.

  Meanwhile, Uuvu’it and th’Clane were pinning down the white Naazh with rifle fire, desperate to keep it from killing any more Aenar. Nizhoni had moved to join Worene in fighting the gold one hand to hand. The amplified phaser fire finally seemed to be taking its toll on the other two, leaving glowing gouges in their armor.

  But then the red Naazh touched its belt crystal again, the white following suit. In tandem, both their upper torsos were cocooned in white light, which faded to reveal new, heavier body armor. The new armor’s thick crystalline plates simply swallowed up the multiple rifle beams without being affected, like the reverse of how the red Naazh had drawn its sword from its belt crystal.

  Chekov glanced at the rear ports, seeing the streaked starlight of warp space beyond. “It didn’t work!” he said to the captain.

  “Follow my lead!” Kirk called, then raised his rifle to strike at the red Naazh’s opaque helmet. Chekov saw his goal: even if they couldn’t penetrate the armor, at least they could attempt to block whatever the intruders were using for vision.

  To aft, th’Clane followed suit with the white Naazh, and Uuvu’it rashly took the opportunity to duck in under the rifle beams and wrestle the alien firearm from the intruder’s hand. “Ha!” the Betelgeusian crowed, turning the gun on its owner as th’Clane held his own fire. “Not so effective when you can’t see, are you?” Catching himself, he glanced over at the Aenar. “Uh, no offense.”