Stardate: 70617:1830
Title: Scorched Earth (Part 1)
Author: Scott Deadilus
Time: During "Insight" to Current
Scene: Horizon Bridge, Runabout Britain and Virtual World (as appropriate)


As Ensign Cochran had relayed it, Ensign Varrn was still alive (even though his body lay in the Morgue a few decks below) and Ensign Sparky was again inside the Sphere's computer (and apparently beating it). The Captain couldn't deny that he was a little confused by the cryptic message, but would let the science and medical departments sort that one out! In the meantime, he had to worry about the computer taking over one of his own and the ongoing battle that threatened to destroy them all.

Skimming the damage reports, everything still indicated that the transporter and tractor beam systems were offline, although the weapons systems were now fully functioning again; he had no intention of going into a second round of combat with no weapons, knowing that the Engineering crews were spread thin as it were, repairing systems and sub-systems and investigating the sphere with Lieutenant Kehn.

~

As the runabout Britain continued to float silently in the space between them and the planet, the ever-decaying orbit of the smaller vessel prompted the entity inhabiting L'Cir to push even harder. The Lieutenant Commander clutched at his head, the last vestiges of his personality fighting a losing battle...

~

Three found himself once again engaged with the personalities of the crew of the Loyalty. As William Surect, Jeffery Kutter and the others strong enough continued to bombard the computer in the virtual world, Three assisted in every way he could, and areas the Loyalty crew had once been unable to access now lay open to them as the ex-Borg continued to repel the onslaught the computer threw at him and his long-dead colleagues.

~

"The Runabout Britain's orbit is decaying, Sir," Lieutenant Hill advised. "Should we move to a closer position to render assistance?"

Captain Deadilus thought for a moment before responding, a moment in which his Chief of Operations caught him off-guard.

"Captain, Dathan L'Cir appears to be no more. You heard what... 'he' said during that last engagement. I think our priorities should rest with recovering the away team, Ensign Sparky and the planet's inhabitants."

Scott looked across to his COO and trusted friend, and nodded slowly.

"Agreed. I think we've learned as much about this sphere as we are going to. Lieutenant Hill, hold position here. Lieutenant Falls, get a lock-on to the away team and Ensign Sparky and get them back here, and then liaise with Dr. Matthews and see what we can do about the inhabitants of the planet."

The Prime Directive had been discussed once before, and whilst the evacuation of these people could potentially be considered a breach of it, they had already been exposed to advanced technology and the Starfleet officers. Besides, any regulation that would stand by and allow these people to die was a regulation that the Captain intended to ignore.

~

As the Britain's orbit decayed even further, the part of the computer now resident inside L'Cir realised that the one hit the Horizon had scored had done enough damage to render the drive systems inoperable and irreparable. If computers could curse, it would have done so at not thinking of the probe launcher as a backup weapon and being a little TOO good at disrupting the Horizon's other systems...

With no way back to the Sphere and unable to obtain a lock-on to the lifesign of the host body, the small segment of the computer within L'Cir decided that if it couldn't have the world it now weakly orbited, then no-one else would.

Tapping the computer console, the once Chief of Security activated a secure and encrypted communications link to the Sphere's control centre.

"Authorisation L'Cir, Three Seven Sigma Two One Gamma One," he spoke weakly. The division of the computer between the control centre and the host body it had chosen had presented too much of a strain, especially with the ex-Borg Starfleet officer now penetrating his defences alongside those from the Loyalty he had helped to sustain.

They would all pay for their treachery...

~

The energy build-up that had been occurring through-out the sphere stepped up a notch as the computer charged the particle beams, ion disruptors and matter extractors...


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Captain Scott Deadilus
Commanding Officer
USS Horizon
NCC-72400
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