A Time to Harvest

by Dayton Ward

  The Andorian was facing away from them, concentrating on whatever task he was performing. Despite a detailed examination using all of the visual abilities his ocular implants possessed, La Forge saw nothing untoward about the lieutenant. “How do you know?”

  “I remember turning to ask Diix a question. He was holding a tricorder and aiming it at me, and I detected a brief power surge. After that, my internal logs for that period of time end.”

  La Forge felt his pulse beginning to race as he studied Diix, who still appeared to be carrying out his duties. “Do you think he’s an impostor?” he asked.

  Data replied, “It is a distinct possibility, though we have no way of knowing. At least, not without detaining him.”

  “Well, we can see about that,” La Forge said, keeping his attention on the Andorian. The chief engineer was uncomfortable with the idea of Diix working so close to the warp core. If Data was right about him, what, if anything, had the lieutenant done as part of potential contingency plans in the event he was discovered?

  La Forge’s eyes flickered to the main entrance and the two security guards stationed there. They were the best option for attempting to apprehend Diix, he decided. Crossing the floor of the engineering section, he pretended to study the padd in his hand in the event Diix turned to look in his direction. When he drew within earshot of the security officers, he made a point not to look up from the padd as he spoke.

  “Jeloq,” he said in a soft voice, “I need you to take Lieutenant Diix into custody and remove him from engineering, as quietly as possible.”

  The Bolian’s response was a quizzical look. “Sir?”

  “Commander Data thinks he may be an impostor,” La Forge said, knowing that Lieutenant Vale had briefed all of her people on the current situation with the Dokaalan and its possible ramifications for the Enterprise.

  Jeloq nodded in understanding. “Aye, sir. We’ll take him to detention,” she said, indicating for Forst to follow her. They wasted no time moving across the room to where Diix was still working at his console.

  “Lieutenant Diix,” she said, her tone quiet yet carrying an unmistakable authority, “we need you to come with us, please.”

  The Andorian turned from his own console, confusion clouding his features. “I do not understand. What is the meaning of this?”

  “Lieutenant Vale has requested your presence for a security briefing,” Jeloq replied. “We are expecting another contingent of Dokaalan visitors later in the day, and your name was listed as one of those who had interacted with previous groups. She wants to cover additional security concerns before they arrive.” She spoke with confidence, her voice unwavering even to the slightest degree, and La Forge could not help but be impressed at the practiced ease with which she delivered the completely fabricated explanation.

  Diix himself appeared convinced, as well, nodding as he did a moment later. “Very well, Lieutenant.” Glancing in La Forge’s direction, he added, “I will need to inform Commander La Forge that I will be leaving my station.”

  As his eyes locked with Diix’s, the chief engineer watched as the Andorian’s own expression seemed to grow flat and cold, and in that instant La Forge knew the ruse was over.

  Before he could shout a warning, say or do anything, the situation dissolved into chaos.

  Diix’s right forearm was a blur as it lashed out and caught Jeloq full in the face, snapping the Bolian’s head back and knocking her off her feet. Her phaser rifle dropped from her hands as she fell, with Diix moving even before her body hit the deck. His left leg came up and his foot struck Ensign Forst in the chest, the younger security officer stumbling backward until he struck another workstation mounted to a nearby bulkhead.

  Engineers throughout the room had turned to see what was happening as Diix bent to snatch the phaser pistol from the waist holster of the unmoving Lieutenant Jeloq. La Forge felt his blood chill as the Andorian glared at him, but Diix did or said nothing.

  Seeing some crew members moving closer, Diix fired several indiscriminate bursts with his confiscated phaser, high enough not to hit anyone but sufficiently low that everyone scattered for cover. At the same time, La Forge saw the lieutenant’s free hand move back to his console, fingers moving at a rapid pace over the keyboard.

  What was he doing?

  “Computer!” La Forge shouted. “Secure main engineering!”

  There was no response from the computer as Diix began moving toward the doors leading from engineering. Despite La Forge’s order, the chief engineer saw the doors open at Diix’s approach. His lockout command had not been accepted by the computer! Tapping his combadge, he yelled “La Forge to security! Intruder alert in main engineering!”

  “Vale here,” came the security chief’s response. “Teams on their way, sir. I’m activating intruder protocols now.”

  Diix heard the call, too, and he pivoted on his heel to aim his phaser at La Forge.

  The weapon that fired was not his.

  It belonged to Ensign Forst, who had regained his feet and retrieved his phaser rifle. Orange energy hit the Andorian high on his chest and neck. La Forge saw the lieutenant’s form shift and shimmer at the point of impact, with something black and metallic clearly visible only for the instant that the phaser beam washed over Diix’s body. Then it was gone, with Diix staggering momentarily from the force of the attack but not falling as he should have, stunned by the phaser’s effects.

  “What the hell…?” was all La Forge could say before he saw Diix turn toward the doorway once more, his free hand reaching out to tap a control pad positioned next to the entrance. Then he stepped through, pulling his communicator badge from his uniform tunic and tossing it back into the engineering room just as the doors closed.

  “Engineering sealed,” said the feminine voice of the Enterprise’s main computer. “Security lockdown measures are now in effect.”

  “Get a medical team down here, now!” La Forge yelled as he dashed across the room to where Lieutenant Jeloq had fallen. She had not moved since the fight had broken out, and even as he reached out to check her for injuries the chief engineer stopped. There was no mistaking the odd bend of the Bolian’s neck, or her wide open yet unseeing eyes.

  Diix had killed her with a single blow.

  “La Forge to security!” he said into his combadge. “Lieutenant Diix is an impostor and he’s just escaped engineering. He’s killed one security officer and he’s armed.”

  “He has also modified several of the ship’s security protocols,” Data said from behind him, and the chief engineer turned to see his friend working rapidly at his console, entering requests and instructions into the computer station faster than any living being could hope to duplicate. “Internal sensors are offline, as are security containment fields throughout the ship.”

  “Smart bastard,” La Forge said, noting Diix’s discarded communicator badge lying on the deck, “whoever he is.” Without the combadge, it would be that much harder to track the Andorian’s movements through the ship.

  He’s not Andorian, the engineer reminded himself.

  Turning from his console, Data said, “Geordi, he is a Satarran.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  KLAXONS WAILED in the passageway and alarm indicators positioned at regular intervals along the bulkheads flared crimson red. Kalsha knew that the entire ship would be alerted to the presence of an intruder by now.

  The corridor leading from engineering offered several directions in which he could run. Which way should he go? He knew he could not stay in this part of the ship. Security forces would already be converging here, trying to cut off all avenues of escape. He had bought himself a few minutes, at most, with his security lockouts to the main computer as well as the disabling of internal sensors so they could not track him. It had been an afterthought, occurring to him while working to retune the ship’s external scanning equipment in accordance with his superiors’ directives.

  Still, while he was pleased with himself for having ta
ken the extra time to carry out that task, he held no illusions that the android would not be able to circumvent those measures.

  I should have destroyed it when I had the chance.

  After failing to completely disable Data during his first attempt, Kalsha had requested further instructions from his superiors. Daeniq’s belief was that the task should be completed, but Lorakin had overridden him. The android’s incapacitation could, for a time at least, be attributed to something other than a deliberate attack, whereas a second attempt to neutralize him would undoubtedly be seen as suspicious.

  Kalsha at first believed that the risk was acceptable, given the alternative of having Data remain operational to any significant degree. His concerns gained strength when the android began to repair himself, but then Dr. Geliu had begun working with Data in her guise of the Dokaalan science minister. Effecting changes in the scheme to launch torpedoes carrying a Federation-created synthetic terraforming compound into Ijuuka’s atmosphere, subtly altering the chemical formulas without the android’s knowledge, was a brilliant strategy, he conceded. The results, if successful, would only serve to accelerate the completion of the reformation project and make the planet habitable for the Satarran people within Kalsha’s own lifetime.

  And yet, all of that appeared to be in jeopardy now.

  Reaching an access panel leading to one of the numerous maintenance conduits crisscrossing the bowels of the ship, Kalsha opened it and crawled inside. Even as he pulled the hatch closed behind him he heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. Security personnel were finally arriving.

  He knew that some of them would be sent to try and gain access to engineering, perhaps even using their weapons to cut through the doors he had sealed as part of his security overrides. The others, along with many more scattered throughout the vessel, would be fanning out in search of him. His mimicking shroud, which was still providing the outward appearance of Lieutenant Diix, would protect him from the ship’s passive sensors and the portable units carried by the crew, at least until such time as they determined how to penetrate the garment’s dampening field.

  How long would that take Data and the engineer, La Forge? They were both gifted individuals, Kalsha knew, and now that they had a purpose to focus on, there would be no stopping them until they achieved success. He had to find a way to escape the ship before that happened, but that would also prove a daunting task. Transporters were still offline owing to the effects of the asteroid field’s radiation, and the shuttlebays and escape pods would almost certainly be secured by now. He might be able to reroute security protocols so as to gain access to one of the pods, but that would take time he was sure he did not have.

  That left one option: acquiring an environmental suit and departing through one of the ship’s several docking ports. It was a dangerous avenue, he knew, but it was also the best of his dwindling number of alternatives. In order to exercise that option, of course, he would need to keep moving. As the entire ship had in all likelihood been informed that Lieutenant Diix was an impostor, which meant he would have to change his outward appearance.

  Reaching for the control pad concealed beneath his Andorian façade, Kalsha tapped a command sequence. Diix’s form stretched and wavered before the veneer was replaced by that of Lieutenant Tyler, the human female engineer he had first impersonated upon boarding the Enterprise. It was a disguise he knew would not hold up for very long, but he hoped it might allow him to move freely until he could devise another persona.

  He paused a moment to recall the technical schematics of the ship that he had earlier memorized. There were two airlocks on this deck, he knew, used by engineers tasked with performing repairs or other work on the exterior of the ship. Kalsha could not afford to be found in either of those locations, as even with his new appearance he would undoubtedly arouse suspicion. No, he decided, he would work his way toward a similar facility two decks up from his present location.

  Moving quickly through the maintenance conduit, he found a ladder that would allow him access to other decks. He perceived no signs that anyone else was in the tunnel with him, despite stopping at the intersection and listening for several moments. Satisfied that he was alone, he ascended the ladder, tracing back through the conduit until he found another maintenance hatch. Listening for signs of activity in the corridor beyond, he heard nothing. The shroud’s limited sensors also detected no one, so he opened the hatch and stepped into the passageway, taking a moment to get his bearings.

  Excellent, he thought. The airlock he sought was less than two sections away. He was not in the clear yet, but there was still a chance for his plan to succeed. Nodding to himself, he started down the corridor.

  Turning at the first intersection he came to, he nearly barreled into two Enterprise security officers. Both men, one human and the other Bajoran, were carrying phaser rifles and regarding him with caution. The Bajoran in particular seemed to be particularly wary.

  “Sorry,” Kalsha said, his voice filtered through the mimicking shroud and adopting the pitch and tone of Tyler’s thanks to the sample he had recorded from her. He also remembered to affect an air of nervousness and concern as he spoke. “Did you see him? I think he went this way.”

  “I just saw you in engineering a few minutes ago,” the Bajoran said, his brow furrowing. “You were trapped with Commander La Forge and the others when the doors were sealed. How did you get here?”

  “It’s him,” the human said, raising his phaser rifle. “The impostor.”

  Kalsha was faster, bringing his own weapon up and firing at the human. Orange energy washed over the man’s body even as the Bajoran ducked to his left, twisting his phaser rifle around and trying to aim it at Kalsha, who fired again. In seconds, both security officers lay unconscious on the deck.

  Now what was he going to do? Surely someone had heard the sounds of the fight, or else the weapons energy discharges had been detected. Someone would be here in moments.

  There was one course of action open to him.

  He tapped the control pad on his left arm. The mimicking shroud’s sensors scanned the body of the Bajoran officer, using that information to alter Kalsha’s appearance yet again. Gone was the image of Lieutenant Tyler, replaced with that of the Bajoran. Now secure behind yet another disguise, he looked around and saw another maintenance hatch nearby.

  Kill him and disintegrate the body, he ordered himself. You have no time for mercy.

  He shook the thought away. Too many lives had been needlessly taken already, he decided. Killing the guard in engineering had been an instinctive act born solely from training and experience, one Kalsha would question long after this mission was completed.

  Now hearing running footsteps approaching, Kalsha pushed the unconscious Bajoran’s body into the maintenance conduit, breathing through his mouth so as to avoid inhaling the man’s unpleasant scent. Bajorans, he realized, smelled nearly as bad as humans.

  As he closed the access hatch, he knew that it was possible that someone would find the stunned guard, but that was a chance he was willing to take. Either he would be away from the ship before the Bajoran was discovered, or he would be in the custody.

  There was just enough time to return to the stunned human, grab the Bajoran’s fallen phaser rifle, and kneel down next to the other man before a human woman and a Vulcan male rounded a corner in the passageway. Their own weapons were up and pointed in front of them, searching for threats.

  “What happened?” asked the woman, whom Kalsha recognized as the Enterprise’s security chief, Lieutenant Christine Vale.

  “It was him,” Kalsha said. “We caught him crawling out of a maintenance hatch. He stunned my partner and then ran off that way.” Playing the role as best he could, he pointed down the corridor in the direction opposite of the airlock that was his destination. “I fired at him, but I missed and he made it around the corner.”

  Kneeling next to the unconscious human, Vale’s companion looked up. “Carlson has been stunned, Lieutenant
, but his injuries are not severe.” Tapping his combadge, he said, “Sevek to sickbay. We have a casualty on deck fourteen, section seven. Send a medical team along with a security escort.”

  “Acknowledged,” replied a voice Kalsha did not recognize. “On our way.”

  Vale appeared to be satisfied with that, but Kalsha watched her jaw tighten in frustration. To him, he said, “Our guess is that this guy’s trying to make his way to one of the shuttlebays or an escape pod. He’s cut off internal sensors, but Commander Data and Commander La Forge are working on it. Until then, we have to do this the old-fashioned way.” She paused to check the power setting on her weapon before adding, “This guy owes me for killing Lieutenant Jeloq, and I want his head on a pike. Ensign Liryn, you’re with us. Let’s move out.”

  Shoot them!

  His mind screamed the command at him, but Kalsha opted against it. Tagging along with Lieutenant Vale’s team would provide ideal camouflage, at least until such time as his situation presented a better opportunity for escape.

  “Aye, sir,” he said as he fell in behind the lieutenant. “Let’s go find him.”

  “A Satarran? Are you sure?”

  Studying the image of his captain on the small display monitor above Data’s workstation, La Forge saw Picard’s brow knit in disbelief as he listened to the engineer’s report.

  “He was wearing Lieutenant Diix’s combadge, sir,” he replied, “which means that the real Diix is missing. Considering what happened to Jeloq, I’m afraid that doesn’t bode well.” Shaking his head and trying not to dwell on the likely fate of one of his people, he added, “We checked the logs of our earlier run in with a Satarran, and the description of the holographic mimicking suit he was wearing when we captured him is pretty close to what we saw down here.”

  Like every other member of the Enterprise-D crew, La Forge had also been affected by the mysterious sensor beam used against them by the Satarrans, which had blanked all of their short-term memories. Unable to remember their own names or positions on the ship, they had all been prime targets when an undercover operative was placed among them in the guise of the ship’s first officer, a fictitious Starfleet commander named Kieran MacDuff. It had all been part of an elaborate scheme to hijack the Enterprise and use it to levy a devastating, war-ending strike on the Satarrans’ longtime enemies, the Lysians. It was a plan that had come perilously close to succeeding.