Sky Trek: Children of the Night

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“Commander?”

Riker blinked, shaking his head in a daze. His vision was too blurry to see anything, and the voice that called to him was distant and distorted. In the back of his mind, he could hear a high-pitched buzzing sound.

“Commander, thank the skies!”

He sat up, his vision coming to him. The first thing he noticed were metal bars in front of him. He quickly realized he was in some sort of cage. Outside of it was a surprisingly well-lit cavern, stalagmites hanging from the ceiling. Riker then winced. His entire body was a weird mixture of pain and numbness.

“Commander?” the voice called again. “Are you alright?”

Riker turned his head. In the cage with him was Tasha and a man who he didn’t recognize. No Worf in sight.

“Yeah,” Riker said, pained, before wiggling his fingers slightly. “Yeah, I’m good. I think everything’s working. Just feels like I was hit with a stun spell.”

Tasha raised an eyebrow. “When were you hit by a stun spell before?”

“Oh, it wasn’t in a fight or anything,” Riker said, coughing slightly. “I dated a mage once. She uh… needed a test subject this one time…”

Tasha deadpanned. “You didn’t.”

“She said it’d be low voltage,” Riker said innocently.

“And she was probably pretty,” the unknown man said casually. It was just then Riker noticed he was wearing a flight jacket. “Just a guess.”

Riker perked up slightly. “You wouldn’t happen to be a pilot would you?”

The man shrugged. “I don’t like to brag, but I know my way around a throttle.”

Riker noted Tasha suppressing a chuckle. Resisting the urge to smirk himself, he then looked the man over. There was a particular insignia on his uniform he quickly identified. “A Federation naval squadron leader, no less.”

The man smiled. “Like I said, I don’t like to brag.”

“He’s the airman who went missing two weeks ago,” Tasha said. “Commander Riker, meet Major John Sheppard.”

Riker raised his eyebrows. “No relation to Shepard? The MACO commander?”

“Common mistake,” Sheppard said. “I’m Sheppard with two Ps. We’ve worked together a few times, though - caused some confusion on the comms line.”

Riker chuckled. “No surprise.” He then looked around again. Nothing of interest was outside of their cage. They appeared to be alone. “What happened to Worf?”

“They wouldn’t say,” Tasha said sadly. “He might be held somewhere else. That or…”

“Let’s not go down that line of thinking,” Riker said. “Worf’s a Klingon Orc. Say what you want about them, but they’re sturdy.”

“Sorry, sir,” Tasha said, gazing downward.

“It’s alright, Lieutenant.” Riker said, clearing his throat. “So, anyone have any idea where we are?”

“A cave?” Tasha half-joked, obviously trying to lighten the mood. “Sorry, we have no idea. If they took us through the warpgate...”

“We still don’t know if that thing can teleport people,” Riker said. “Let’s not make any assumptions.”

“I think we’re still on Farpoint,” Sheppard said. “I’ve been stationed here for a year - kind of learned the smell of it. Just the right mix of sea salt and palm trees even in here."

“Were cave systems ever mapped around Farpoint?” Tasha asked.

Sheppard shook his head. “No, not that I know of. There’s no mountains here and no entrance to any sort of underground cave was ever found.”

“Because we didn’t want you to,” a familiar voice said, coming from the tunnel that led to their ‘prison’ chamber.

“Hi Teyla, nice to see you again,” Sheppard chirped.

“Sheppard,” she said in a neutral tone, walking towards the cage.

Riker noticed she carried a bowl of various fruits - all that happened to grow on Farpoint.

“Pineapple again? Guess you do like me,” Sheppard continued.

“Your jokes still haven’t grown endearing,” she sighed.

“Even with your headaches gone away?” Sheppard asked.

“No,” she sniped. “In fact, now I’m fully conscious as to how bad they are.”

“You hold me prisoner then insult my jokes,” Sheppard said. “You really don’t have mercy, do you?”

She glanced away from him. “Here, eat.” She then opened a small latch at the base of the cage, sliding the fruit in to her prisoners.

“We never did get done talking earlier,” Riker said. “What is all this about? Why did you attack our people - destroy the radar dish?”

“Why do you ask questions you already know the answers to?” Teyla said, annoyed.

Tasha blinked, confused. “I don’t understand. You’re acting like… like we attacked you or something.”

“Ooooh so you’re playing innocent?” Teyla laughed sardonically. “Uh huh. Nice try, human.”

“Technically, I’m not completely human,” she pointed out. “I’m actually 1/8th Vila.”

“That makes no difference to me,” Teyla said. “Human or not, you all despise us equally.”

“Despise you?” Riker said, genuinely surprised. “I don’t understand - what makes you think we have anything against you?”

“Stop playing dumb,” Teyla snapped, her tone growing darker. “Your actions are evidence enough. You weren’t happy with us being here so you built a weapon to drive us away!”

“Weapon?” Riker said. “What weapon?”

“And we didn’t even know you were here!” Tasha argued. “You’re good at hiding, remember?”

“More and more of you come to this island every year,” Teyla said. “You must have found out.”

“Don’t bother with it, commander,” Shepard sighed. “I don’t know what we did to piss em’ off so much, but whatever it was, they haven’t told me.”

“And confirm that your weapon works?” Teyla laughed. “Not happening.”

“Who are we going to confirm it to?” Riker said. “You have us locked away. There’s no way we could tell anybody. I don’t know what we did, but we can make it right. We just need to talk to each other. If you think we’re trying to drive you away, you’re wrong. The Federation isn’t in the business of imperialism.”

“Your Federation,” Teyla said, putting a spiteful tone on the word, “Has integrated Equestria into itself - those who drove us from our ancestral homes. It seems you seek to repeat history.”

“Wait, wait, wait,” Tasha said. “You’re the same Thestrals they exiled a thousand years ago?” She turned to Riker. “I thought that was just a legend.”

Teyla narrowed her eyes. “Either you’re lying or have foolishly made bed with those you know nothing about.”

“If we’re fools, couldn’t we have foolishly hurt you without you realizing it?” Riker asked.

Teyla blinked, gazing at him with an uncertain look. Then, she shook her head. “Even if you didn’t know, your expedition still attempted to exterminate us.”

Riker reluctantly nodded. “The Hiberians did a lot of horrible things - many of our nations did.” Riker lifted a finger. “But we’ve cast the old ways aside. Millions of humans have banded together not just with ourselves, but other species. Maybe you could-”

“Enough!” Teyla shissed. “Ronon warned me the Federation has weaponized not just the air, but the very words they utter. We will not speak of this again - not until someone with authority arrives.”

“To do what?” Riker asked.

Teyla narrowed her eyes. “To remove your Federation’s presence from our home.”

--

“Just a reminder, captain, using the mana engine at max power will generate a lot of EM interference. Long range communication ain’t happening,” Ensign Stone said matter of factly.

“Awwww,” ‘Charlie’ (Ensign Charlotte Magne) pouted.

“We won’t be doing it too often,” Picard said, sitting in his captain’s chair. “Just a test run to Farpoint.”

“You just want to put the pedal to the metal, don’t you?” Deanna smirked, sitting next to him.

Picard gave her a sarcastic look, before glancing out the front windows of the bridge. The skies in front of the Enterprise were clear, giving her a straight shot to the south-west. That didn’t mean they were clear all around, however. Many civilian crafts could be seen floating around her. Joining them were numerous maritime ships in the sea below - quite a few more than usual.

That fact was obvious to anyone listening to the radio Charlotte had playing in the background.

“So, Mike, only two minutes until the Enterprise launches.”

“Thaaaaat’s right, Jay.”

“Well, I know you’ve been super excited about it, so I got something super special for you at the seaport gift shop.”

“Wow, is that what I think it is?”

“Yep! An Enterprise t-shirt! Congratulations, you’re now an official walking Skyfleet recruitment poster.”

“Jay, I believe the proper term for it is ‘Skyfleet shill’.”

“Oh ****, sorry. I always confuse those two things.”

“It’s alright, buddy. But hey, I’m not the only one excited. Look at the crowd. Everyone waiting for the Federation’s flagship to start her great adventure… that they’ll probably read about in the newspaper from time to time then forget about.”

Picard raised an eyebrow, glancing his communication officer’s way.

“Sorry, sorry!” she squeaked. “I thought it was softer than that.”

Victor laughed. “You’re the last person I’d expect to like Red Letter Radio, Charlie.”

She smirked. “Vaggie got me into it. They’re so…”

“Cynical?” Deanna said.

“It doesn’t bother me,” Charlie said. “My optimism shines through it like a flare spell! They’re just so funny sometimes. Also, Mike's a Skyfleet junkie."

"It is nice to hear a civilian's point of view," Leia noted. "Skyfleet's future is contingent on it."

"Indeed," Picard said. "And I believe it's time to give them what they came for. Ms. Charlotte, have all sections reported ready?"

"Yes, sir!" she beamed enthusiastically. "All crew and requested supplies are accounted for! Chief LaForge reports all systems go."

"Excellent. Navigator, is our heading accurate?"

"As precise as a thread through a needle," Luna reported.

"Good, good. And Mr. Stone, are the skies as clear as they look?"

"Darn right, captain. No ships in our path. Doppler shows no serious weather for 50 klicks."

With that, Picard gave each of his bridge crew a rare, genuine smile. "Nicely done, everyone." He then turned towards his loan helmsman. "Ms. Hopper, power up all drive systems."

With a slight smile, the young, shy psychic complied. With both her hands and remotely with the power of her mind, she pulled various levers and wheels.

Picard glanced out of the windows of the bridge, watching his ship come to life. Steam billowed out of the small stacks in front and the whir of the mana engine powering up rippled through her. Everything began to vibrate, but not uncomfortably so. More like a massage chair than anything.

Deanna turned to Picard. “Captain, don’t forget--”

“Yes, I better get it over with,” he sighed. He then flicked a switch near his chair, toggling the intercom. His voice echoed through the ship as he began his speech:

"All hands. I know the on-board fanfare for this launch has been minimal, but know that in the eyes of the populace as well as in my own, it is still historic. Now is the time to hone our skills, to make sure that when we begin our mission, we are truly the finest crew in Skyfleet. No matter what awaits us beyond the horizon, let no one say we weren’t prepared for it.”

There was a pause as he cleared his throat slightly. “Prepare for maximum thrust. Picard out."

He flicked the intercom off.

Deanna smiled at him. "See? That wasn't so hard."

"Mph," Picard grunted. "Never did understand the point of rambling on about something everyone already knows."

Surprisingly, out of the corner of his eye, he caught Leia and Luna suppressing two light smiles at that.

“You’re the captain, sir,” Deanna said, her smile becoming a smirk. “You’re entitled to ramble.”

Picard raised his eyebrows, before gazing back towards Charlotte.

"All sections still reporting no problems, captain," she said.

He nodded with a determined look before gazing back at his helmsman. "Then Ms. Hopper, the time has come…" He raised a finger and dramatically pointed it forward. "Engage!"

She complied with a flick of her wrist, telekinetically moving the EOT (engine order telegraph) dial. A thunderclap rocked through the ship as the mana engine came fully to life, spitting forth a massive, blue flame that illuminated the stern of the ship like a miniature sun. Fortunately, the sheer weight of the ship prevented everyone on the bridge from being knocked off their feet, though Picard still saw a few people hang onto something, including Princess Luna.

“W-Well then,” she said, uncharacteristically uncomposed. “What is the expression these days? ‘That’s quite a kick in the posterior?’”

“Something like that,” Victor said, chuckling.

“And quite so,” Picard said. “What is our speed?”

Luna began reading her instruments. “W-We’re- we’re already approaching maximum speed. 150 k/m, 160 k/m …”

“Ludicrous speed,” Victor said, somewhat in awe.

Charlie laughed. “What speed?”

“Ludicrous,” Victor said.

“I vote that as its official name,” Charlie beamed.

“What? Seriously?” Leia said sardonically. “We are not calling max speed of the Federation’s flagship ‘ludicrous speed’.”

“Awww …” Charlie and Victor whined.

“Mmm, funny you should mention that,” Picard noted. “Chief LaForge actually had a name for it: ‘warp speed’.”

“But we’re not warping anything,” Deanna pointed out.

“The mana engine is,” Victor said. “It gives high speeds by taking massive amounts of raw, magical energy, compressing it, then ‘exciting’ it to give a hell of a lot of thrust. AKA, it warps it.”

“Ah, of course,” Leia smirked.

“Pffft, neeeeeeeeeerd,” Charlie said, sticking her tongue out.

“Oh for--” Victor sighed. “Am I the only one who paid attention in the Skyship Engines 101 class?”

“You were not the only one,” Luna said, surprising Picard.

“Booya,” Victor smiled. “Thank you, princess.”

She shrugged. “No need to thank me. It was quite fascinating. Modifying an electromagnetic field to do such a thing... My people never seriously considered integrating technology and magic to such an extreme. However, you humans …”

“It wasn’t just humans,” Picard noted. “A combined effort of all Federation species made the mana drive possible.”

“One wonders what we could achieve if we brought even more people into the fold,” Deanna said.

“A question I hope we answer,” Picard said, gazing out the frontal bridge windows as ocean white-caps passed them by below. He took one last look out the rear windows, watching as the skyscrapers of Axis Mundi slowly faded away, before gazing towards the future. “Let’s see what’s out there.”

--

Two Days Later

“There’s nothing out here, is there?” Jane sighed, her usual stoic tone turning to boredom. “Just ocean, ocean, and more ocean.”

“Hey now, no need to be so down,” Charlie said, her perky personality not diminishing an inch. “There’s clouds, too.”

Victor rolled his one human eye. “Hey, at least you guys have something to do. All radars have been clear the whole trip. Never thought I’d be happy to see a rain cloud, but at the moment...”

“We’re still in known waters, you two,” Deanna said, giving them a sympathetic smile. “We weren’t supposed to find anything too interesting this close to--”

“Woah, sorry, but hold that thought,” Charlie said, adjusting a dial on her equipment. “Picking up a faint transmission - Skyfleet channel. It’s really garbled though.”

“Let’s hear it,” Picard said, nodding her way.

Charlie turned another dial and flicked a switch, allowing the broadcast to come through the bridge intercom.

“Lieutenant Worf to …*Shhhhk*... situation *Shhhhk* make haste *Shhhhhhk...”

The transmission cut.

Picard raised his eyebrows. “Lieutenant Worf?”

“He might just be trying to check in,” Luna said. “Perhaps he isn’t aware of the mana engine’s interference.”

“Mmmm,” Picard said, striking a thinking pose. “I’m not so sure. From his profile, Lieutenant Worf was a top student at the academy. It wouldn’t be like him to overlook something so important.” He turned to his confidant. “Deanna?”

“Klingons can be very good at hiding their emotions at times,” she said. “However, there was agitation hidden underneath his stoicism. Could you sense it, too, Jane?”

She nodded shyly. “It’s subtle but… it’s there.”

“I sense something, too,” Leia announced, Picard now noticing she had her eyes closed. “A disturbance in the Force… dead ahead.”

The bridge crew turned to her in surprise.

“Wait, I thought we only had two Jedi aboard,” Deanna blinked. “Lady Tano and Padawan Solo. You’re one, too?”

“Somewhat,” Leia said, almost sounding embarrassed. “I have a connection with the Force, just no… formal training.”

“Even with your brother leading the academy?” Luna asked curiously.

“It isn’t something you just learn in an afternoon,” Leia chuckled. “It takes years of intense training, and you’re supposed to start young.” She shook her head. “No, I wouldn’t want to waste Luke’s time.”

Deanna gazed at her sympathetically. “It’s still nice that you have the connection.”

“I suppose,” she said neutrally.

“And that makes three of us who sense something’s off,” Deanna said.

“The more the merrier,” Victor said, before doing a double-take. “Er, well, I mean it’s good we have so many empaths, I mean.”

“Point taken,” Picard nodded. “Add that to the fact Worf was part of the team investigating sabotage… I think some due caution is in order. Ms. Hopper, drop engines to cruise speed - half-speed.”

“Yes, sir,” she said, a hint of excitement in her tone. Without delay, she turned the EOT dial half-way to the left. Though the effect on the ship’s speed wasn’t completely noticeable at first, the mana drive’s flames dying down certainly were. With its shine, It was as if someone had just turned off half the bridge’s lights.

“Ms. Charlotte, hail Farpoint - see if we can get Mr. Worf back on the horn,” Picard ordered. “Keep everything on bridge intercom.”

“Will do, sir!” she said, her fingers dancing across her equipment. “Enterprise to Farpoint. Anyone home?”

“Lieutenant Worf responding,” a stern, stoic voice replied almost immediately. “Have any of my previous messages been received? I was not sure if they could get through the interference.”

“Good to hear from you, Mr. Worf,” Picard replied. “We received one of your messages but it was unclear. Is everything okay?”

His voice was grim as he almost immediately responded with: “No sir, the opposite.” There was a short, but noticeable pause. Apprehension was quickly filling the room.“ Commander Riker and Lieutenant Yar have been captured.”