Chapter Text
The transporter room was quiet, all the aliens gone to engineering. Scotty entered the room and moved to the transporter controls as Erica scavenged though the items remaining, most of the medical supplies gone, but one medical tricorder was missed, resting at the edge of the platform.
Erica knelt next to Chapel and ran the tricorder over her. “Vitals stable, I am guessing it must have been some sedative." She gently shook her to no response.
“Maybe that?” Scotty suggested, pointing to an unfamiliar metallic device that was resting just off the platform, the opening containing a number of vent holes that seemed perfect for dispersing a chemical agent. Scotty ducked under the transporter control panel, opening a hatch that led to the internal wiring. “Will they wake?”
“I think so,” Erica replied as she scanned M’Benga whose vital signs seemed higher than Chapels. “Can’t say how long it will take.”
Erica moved over to Scotty crouching down as he ran some scans of the system through his PADD. “They didn’t use our transporters.” He pulled down the logs on the device. “Not alone at least. They overrode the system. An external signal that overrode the systems, transported straight through our shields.”
Scotty handed Erica the PADD to hold as he disconnected from the wiring in the panel.
“Are they leaving the same way?” Erica asked.
“Were. Not any more.” Erica gave him a questioning look. “Disabled the transporters entirely. They seem to need to piggyback off of our system to make it in. I only disabled them locally. If they try hard enough they’ll notice that it is down on our end. Maybe they can fix it. For now they’re stuck.
Erica stood up, looking over the space, wondering what and who they may have already taken. “If we can keep them contained…”
Scotty nodded in agreement. “We can isolate a section of the ship. Lock down a deck, a bay, reroute internal system, trap them where they are.”
“And wait for the crew to wake,” Erica finished.
“Aye. Ten of them, a whole ship of us once the crew is back standing.”
Erica looked down at the PADD, pulling up Scotty’s biosigns information. “They’re moving. Most of them are out of engineering.” She paused for a moment, “There’s another, but it’s odd. Not quite reading as human.”
“Pelia,” Scotty stated, his expression shifting instantly, both relief and worry seeing that she was up.
“You sure?” Erica asked, before handing it over.
“Aye, her readings always look a little…off. Lower baseline readings. I’ve noticed before.” He looked down, trying to confirm his suspicion. “They must have her.”
“And they seem to be following her around the ship. She must have some plan,” Erica said.
“If we could let her know to keep buying time…” Scotty began before trailing off.
They watched them move down the corridor, going room by room, pausing in each one. “We could move ahead to the Port Galley. It is several rooms ahead. Pretend to sleep, but communicate a message.”
Erica reached down and pulled off her boots, gesturing for Scotty to do the same. “Well travel quieter this way.”
For the first moment since they’d arrived at the ship Scotty began to feel just a bit hopeful that they would get out of the situation.
---
Pelia was observant. She immediately noticed who was Engineering and who was not. Scotty was noticeably absent. It took her mind several minutes to remember what happened before she fell asleep. It was only as she walked the aliens through the corridors, stopping in every room, discussing the value of every item, something her past experience dealing in antiques had prepared her for, that she remembered. The shuttle.
And there was the hope. Scotty and Erica, hopefully still off the ship, getting help.
Her confidence grew as she guided them through corridors and compartments. Offering them explanations that dragged on too long, talking about alloys and components that looked rare if you didn’t know their ship well.
The aliens listened. Argued among themselves. They scanned. Delaying their journey though the ship.
They reached the Port Galley, full of bottles and glassware and all sorts of small and difficult to transport things Pelia could sell. As she walked in she had to force herself not to pause in her step. Her hope dropped away when she saw Scotty sitting slumped forward at a table, Erica next to him. They must have already arrived.
She moved to go past, ready to expound on the wonder of Saurian Brandy and Romulan Ale when she noticed something. Scotty was in his socks as was Erica. She was confident that the aliens hadn’t noticed. She moved over to the bar. Picking up bottles, giving histories to their origins, presenting luxurious and valuable items to take.
As the aliens debated she stepped back, turning ever so slightly to face Scotty. He slowly opened his eyes and looked at her. He carefully mouthed, “Buy time. We have a plan.” Pelia inclined her head just slightly, enough to acknowledge him without drawing the aliens attention.
“On second thought, we have some more exciting items. Most of these have been opened. Reduces the resale value. Not worth the difficulty in transporting. Well unless you want them for your own collection. Probably not and we can return to them later.” They followed her from the room as she held in her internal relief that she wasn’t the only one standing between them and her crew anymore.
---
Erica and Scotty moved fast, developing their plan on the go. Accessing ship systems through an alcove, Scotty identified a location. “Cargo Bay Two is our best option if we can get them in,” he explained. “Currently unoccupied so no crew in danger. It has a main access point that I can hard seal when we get them inside.” Trap the aliens, wait for the crew to wake, attempt to repair comms for help if necessary.
“Can you access everything from here?”
“I’ll need the bridge to override the emergency release panels on the door.”
They moved past the crew quarters to the turbolift to the bridge. Erica taking point, checking for contacts at any open door or turn. They felt like they were in the clear when there was a sound behind them.
Erica turned with a snap, two of the aliens stepped out of a room, “Down!” Erica snapped as the alien raised its weapon.
There was no time, Erica lunged forward trying to knock it off balance, shoulder to its chest. The alien’s energy weapon shot out, slicing her arm as she knocked it away. The pain flared immediately, sharp. She didn’t stop as she twisted to fire her phaser at the other alien moved from the doorway. It dropped, stunned and unmoving.
The first alien shoved her into the wall as it turned to Scotty. He went down, hard, as a blast caught his leg. Erica pivoted and fired, the second alien collapsing next to the first.
Silence slammed into place. At first Erica didn’t move. Listening for any sounds in the distance as Scotty gripped his leg.
“Leg’s still there,” Scotty managed with a groan, breaking the silence. “Not letting me forget it.”
“We need to get out of the corridor. Stay there.” Erica turned to the two aliens. She began to drag the stunned aliens one by one into the room, which she immediately recognized as Uhura’s. They were heavier than they looked and awkward dead weights. By the time she hauled the second one clear, her arm was screaming in protest.
Then she turned back to Scotty who was trying to get to his feet. She put her shoulder under his arm helping him stand, practically dragging him to Uhura’s bed before closing the door.
“She’ll never forgive me for this,” Erica joked, trying to defuse the situation slightly. She closed the door. Hoping the aliens would remain down. There was no medkit, but the medical tricorder showed that the injury to Scotty’s leg was relatively minor, missing any major vessels or bones.
She grabbed a cloth and tore a long strip free, the fabric ripping loudly in the silent room. “Hold still, it’ll hurt.” She wrapped the cloth tightly around Scotty’s leg, compressing the wound the best she could. He couldn’t help but hiss out in pain. “It should stop the bleeding.”
She tore off another strip to bandage her arm, reaching up to try to do it herself, before Scotty grabbed the cloth. “I was shot in the leg, not the hand. I can help.” He wrapped the arm with practiced efficiency.
Erica reached down with her good arm, helping him stand, “Bridge?”
“Aye.”
Scotty sealed the door behind them, overriding the control panel. “That’ll hold,” he said, putting more confidence into the statement than he necessarily felt.
They moved carefully through the corridor to the turbolift to the bridge. The PADD showed no alien lifesigns up there and they hoped that held out. As they walked Scotty leaned heavier on Erica with each step, his jaw clenched in pain as he tried to avoid slowing them down. When they entered the turbolift he leaned heavily against the wall breathing heavily, as he avoided his bad leg.
When the door to the bridge opened, somehow the bridge lights and active consoles made the system even more unsettling. Spock lay motionless at science, leaning forward against the science console. Pike leaning to the side in the captain’s chair. La’an on the ground next to Uhura’s station, where she must have been talking before the gas impacted them. Una and Jenna asleep at the helm. Whatever drug impacted them must have hit fast before anyone responded.
Seeing the bridge crew all down made Erica’s chest tighten. “Just sleeping, not at all creepy.” She stated as she helped Scotty into the space and to an empty station.
He lowered himself into the chair with an exhale, relieved to be off of his leg. He got to work, testing the system, preparing their plan. Pulling up sensors to track the invaders on the display in front of him. Erica moved between crew members. Checking them with the medical tricorder, just confirming to herself that they were okay, just asleep.
“They are moving towards the transporter,” Scotty noted as Erica came over.
“We need to get them to the storage bay, preferably before they discover the transporter was down.”
“How long until you can interface with the systems to set our trap?” Erica asked
“Not long, a few minutes, assuming nothing interferes.” Erica nodded. Scotty looked up sharply, “What are you thinking?”
“We need to get them there. They need a reason to go in. I will give them a reason.”
“Be careful.”
“You too. And stay off that leg.” Erica moved to the turbolift. “If you need to, lock us in.” The door closed before Scotty could object. He didn’t like this, sitting in a room, surrounded by just the unconscious crew members. It was like being alone with ghosts watching over him. He got to work.
---
Erica moved to the transporter room, creeping along as if she was sneaking through the ship, but knowing she was moving right in their path of movement. She heard the aliens ahead. Looking at items Pelia was showing them behind an access panel, in this case a pair of flashlights she was suggesting was something else.
Erica turned the corner with a fake attempt at stealth. Moving too fast, too far. One of the aliens turned and spotted her with a shout. She turned to make a break for it, trying to sell her story. She dropped her phaser, hoping the lack of weapon would present her as not an immediate threat. The alien barreled towards her, slamming into her side and knocking the breath from her lungs as she fell to the ground. Trying to catch her breath she kicked out, hitting the alien hard in the leg.
Another alien approached from behind, grabbing her roughly by her injured arm, oblivious or inconsiderate of the injury.
She pulled back, gritting her teeth against the sharp pain and then allowed them to pull her forward. She didn’t think she could flee now if she wanted to.
Her plan was working.
Standing outside the transporter room she counted seven of the aliens. She hoped the two were still locked in Uhura’s quarters. One unaccounted for, but one was manageable.
They shoved her to her knees in front of Pelia. “Explain,” the alien stated.
Erica swallowed, breathing calm, pushing down the pain in her arm. “She’s lying to you,” Erica stated, looking up at the alien.
“Stop talking, Lieutenant.” Pelia said firmly, her eyes glancing at the wound on Erica’s arm, wanting to ask about Scotty. “How are you awake?”
“I wasn’t on the ship.”
That got their attention. “Lying. Didn’t detect nearby ships,” one of the aliens stated.
“I was in a shuttle,” Erica explained. “Running diagnostics. It was powered down when your ship arrived.”
The aliens looked to Pelia for confirmation. “It is conceivable, I don’t bother with trivial checks like that. She’s really nobody, doesn’t know what she’s talking about.”
Erica’s head snapped towards her, anger in her eyes. “Oh, I know exactly what I’m talking about.”
One of the aliens turned toward her, “Explain.”
“She’s lying to you,” her voice angry, the stress of the situation, the pain of the wound helping her lean into it. “Lying about what’s on this ship. About what’s worth taking.”
“You will be quiet,” Pelia demanded, trying to follow what she felt were the steps to Erica’s plan.
“No. I’ve been quiet long enough.”
The alien behind her pulled her to stand. “I’ve been listening to you,” Erica stated, pointing at Pelia. “To the deals you’ve been making. You’re offering them med kits, spare parts, like that’s all the ship has. Like that’s enough to buy our lives.”
“She’s confused. We’ve got nothing else and what you have already is more than worth the crew members’ freedoms.”
“I know about the crates,” Erica stated definitively.
“What is she referring to?” One of the aliens asked Pelia.
“I really have no idea,” Pelia responded.
“I know about your personal crates. The ones stored in shuttle bay two,” Erica continued, meeting Pelia’s eyes. “Your personal inventory. The things not on the log.”
“That’s enough,” Pelia snapped.
“Vintage items. Pre-Federation art. Items collectors would kill for.” Erica turned to the aliens. “She’s holding out on you.”
Silence fell over the group.
“Is this true?” The alien leader asked.
Pelia spoke slowly, measured, playing along. “They’re mine. Trinkets, keepsakes really from my years. Nothing of use to you. She is young, she doesn’t know the value.”
The alien stepped closer. “We’ll decide that.”
“I can show you where they are, please just promise you will let my friends go,” the anger in Erica’s voice dropped to a plea.
“Take us to the crates.”
Pelia’s voice was resigned, “Very well.”
---
Scotty watched the biosigns move through the ship. Seven of the aliens were clustered around Pelia and Erica. The final one elsewhere, frustratingly separate, but they plan would have to go forward.
Pelia’s biosign moved first, steady, unhurried. Erica followed close behind. The wound in his own leg seemed to pulse with pain and he couldn’t help but see a slight irregularity in the way Erica moved that worried him unhelpfully. The aliens followed behind them.
“Come on,” Scotty muttered to himself as they neared the room. “Just a few more meters.” His hand hovered on the controls to seal the cargo bay.
Pelia walked into the room first, followed by Erica, but then a frantic surge of biosigns as the aliens pushed in. He remembered Erica’s request, but he wasn’t willing to trap them in with their enemies.
Suddenly Pelia’s biosign fell back through the threshold of the door, Erica right behind. He slammed his hand down on the control, locking the door with an emergency override. The other aliens moved to the doorway, unable to leave.
“Got ‘ch,” Scotty said under his breath.
His relief lasted for exactly half a second. A new biosign appeared moving quickly. Fast, running towards the pair. “Ah, no, no, no…” The last alien raced towards the bay, running fast, closing in.
His mind raced of what he could do. Worried that any action might possibly unseal the doors.
Then it stopped, right next to Erica and Pelia. His pulse thudded in his ears and he waited for movement. Nothing from any of them.
He pulled up the comms. “Erica? Pelia? I could use some assurance right now.”
---
The storage bay doors sealed behind them with a hiss. Erica was ready, prepared. One alien still unaccounted for and her phaser gone. Her arm throbbed, the bandage stained red. Her ribs aching from the impact earlier. She was tense, ready, but she could feel every pain finally make itself known.
She was ready.
Then they heard it.
Footsteps. Loud. Pounding. Echoing off the walls, growing closer with every second.
Erica’s head snapped in that direction, listening to the growing footsteps, seemingly driven by fury. She braced herself. She wanted to turn, check on Pelia who was very silent and still behind her.
But she couldn’t turn away from the threat.
The alien rounded the corner at a sprint, weapon raised, eyes locked on them.
Erica braced herself. She didn’t dare to think about whether she could stop it, just that she had to keep Pelia behind her, protected.
A loud pop rang out from behind. The alien collapsed midstride, his continued momentum sliding him forward to stop at Erica’s feet.
Silence filled the space again. Erica stared at him for several seconds, not processing before turning to Pelia. She stood there, one hand raised. Holding a phaser or more the idea of one, cobbled together from parts of equipment, diagnostic tools. It was crude, but clearly functional. Also faintly humming in a way that was concerning. Pelia tossed it away and it sparked with a pop when it hit the ground.
“It worked,” Pelia observed mildly.
Erica blinked. “You built that?”
“You don’t think I’d just show them what they wanted to see.” She glanced at the wound on Erica’s arm. “Now, where’s Scotty?”
Before Erica could respond, Scotty’s voice crackled over the comms.
---
They found Scotty sitting on the floor of the bridge. Leg stretched out in front of him. The bandage holding, but a stain of blood slowly coloring the cloth. Pelia crossed the space quickly, dropping down beside him in care and concern. “You did good.”
“Aye, you know, just needed the pressure of the Enterprise incapacitated as I slowly bleed out on the floor.”
Erica eased herself down on his other side. Leaning back against the wall. Her arm aching fiercely, but she just appreciated the calm.
For a few minutes none of them spoke.
Erica turned to him, “You’ve no excuse to miss movie night now. You know that the doctor won’t let you move around on that leg for a bit.”
---
Sickbay was a mess, but injuries didn’t just disappear in an emergency. Chapel and M’Benga were back. Chapel tending to Erica and Scotty while M’Benga worked on directing repairs from the Engineering team. Erica sat still as Chapel treated her arm. Scotty occupied the next bed, leg braced, but mostly healed.
Pelia walked in just as Chapel finished. “Excellent timing. I’ve already reserved seats.”
“You reserve seats?” Erica asked.
“Of course.” Pelia replied cheerfully. “Front row always.”
“You’ve already seen it, haven’t you,” Scotty guessed.
“Three times, only once when it was originally out in theaters,” Pelia admitted. “How could one say no to a film with Humphrey Bogart? This time I am very interested in seeing how the plot works after living through something similar.”
Scotty cautiously pushed himself to his feet. “Only to the movie, no extra walking for next day,” M’Benga called out from one of the beds they were reassembling.
“You have no argument from me,” Scotty insisted.
“We’ll keep him in one piece. Come on, we don’t want to miss out on snagging a bowl of popcorn.”