Saurian Rescue

Weeks passed, and still no word from Nolan Rivas. Captain Anzyl Praxas, seated in his communications laboratory on the Dyson Sphere, was lost in his thoughts, anxiety gnawing at him. His mind raced through countless scenarios, each more dire than the last. The silence from Nolan was deafening.

A chirp from his combadge snapped him out of his reverie. "Subcommander Kaol to Captain Praxas. Please report to my office immediately."

Anzyl stood up quickly, his thoughts racing as he made his way to Kaol's office. The tension in his chest tightened as he wondered what urgent matter awaited him.

Arriving at the office, Anzyl wasted no time, his voice thick with concern. "Subcommander, how can I help you?"

Kaol, a tall, composed figure, stood from behind his desk and motioned for Anzyl to follow him. "We've intercepted new Voth military communications," Kaol said, his tone grave. "I believe they've outed your contact."

Anzyl's breath caught in his throat. "Nolan..." His heart sank. Without another word, he turned sharply and made for the communications lab in the Sphere's command center.

"Computer," Anzyl said as he entered, urgency in his voice. "Have any new files been received from Nolan Rivas?"

"One file received at 0530 hours today," the computer's polite female voice responded promptly.

Anzyl exchanged a quick, worried glance with Kaol before stepping forward. "Computer, play file."

The holo display flickered to life, and there, standing in front of them, was Nolan. His expression was weary, but his eyes burned with purpose.

"Dear Anzyl," Nolan began, his voice tinged with sadness and regret. "I'm sad at the thought that this may be my final transmission. I've enjoyed our talks together—having what you mammals call a 'pen pal'—but I came across something tonight that is too important to leave to chance."

He paused, the weight of his words settling in the air. "I was recently assigned to the Circle of Material Sciences. Apparently, my expertise in using isotopes to date archaeological finds qualifies me as an expert in chemistry… at least to the military personnel here."

Anzyl's gaze was fixed on Nolan, his mind trying to process the gravity of the situation. Nolan continued, his tone shifting as he grew more focused.

"One disadvantage of keeping disciplines separate is a lack of shared knowledge. When my new colleagues mentioned inverted Tetryon particles, I immediately saw a connection to Omega Molecules. A connection they were completely unaware of.

"On a small scale, my hypothesis yielded a small rift in subspace. But applied to the scale of this entire facility? This sphere was built to travel through subspace across the entire galaxy."

Anzyl's eyes widened. The implications were staggering.

"The Voth leadership was all too eager to learn of my discovery," Nolan continued. "Imagine a solar system full of ships, hiding inside this sphere. Imagine being able to teleport entire fleets anywhere in the galaxy in the blink of an eye."

Anzyl clenched his jaw, realizing the potential for destruction that this technology represented. Nolan's face reflected the same fear.

"I assure you," Nolan said, his voice shaking with intensity, "there are Voth battle plans in motion right now that involve this strategy. My people are under attack near our home sector. The fighting has reached a stalemate, but lives are still being lost. Every option is on the table, even the most extreme."

Nolan's expression darkened as he spoke again, his words weighed with moral conviction.

"As you know, Omega Molecules disrupt subspace, making faster-than-light warp travel impossible. But there are reports of them being weaponized—designed to destroy vast swaths of subspace, locking entire sections of the galaxy away from the rest. If the Voth succeed, they could fracture the galaxy beyond repair."

A tense silence hung in the room as Nolan's words sunk in. "I must put an end to my people's pursuit of this weaponry. I cannot be complicit in isolating the Voth from the rest of the galaxy, even at the price of a continuing war."

An explosion rattled the background of the transmission, and Nolan's voice faltered for a moment. "I'm… I'm destroying my laboratory and all my research. Hopefully, I will not follow suit."

"End transmission," the computer's neutral voice intoned.

Subcommander Kaol turned to Anzyl, a grim and resolute look on his face. "You have to go get him. Maybe we can find him before the Voth do."

Anzyl, fists clenched, nodded with determination. He tapped his combadge. "Captain Praxas to Hemmer. Beam me up, and prepare to depart. We have someone to rescue, and not enough time."

"Acknowledged, Captain," came the swift reply.

The next moment, the familiar blue light of the Federation transporter enveloped Anzyl.

—

The Sovereign-class vessel USS Hemmer swiftly undocked from the Dyson Sphere's docking bay. At full impulse, it shot into the vast, uncharted interior of the Dyson Sphere, a world so enormous that even its seemingly infinite expanse held an eerie emptiness.

On the bridge, Anzyl sat in the central chair, his First Officer, Alia, an Aenar with telepathic abilities, stood to his right. Behind him, Tactical Officer Neil O'Reilly stood at the ready, his eyes scanning the viewscreen.

"On course to your contact's last known position, sir," the comm officer announced.

Anzyl sighed, his voice tinged with frustration. "Full impulse, Ensign. Too close to go to warp, but still so far at impulse…" He leaned back in his chair, the weight of the situation pressing down on him.

Alia, calm and always proactive, spoke up. "Reroute all available power to the engines. Push those impulse engines as hard as we can!"

Anzyl gave his First Officer a grateful smile, then nodded to the helm. The USS Hemmer, a sister ship to the famed Enterprise-E, zoomed across the endless, empty world of the Dyson Sphere's interior.

—

The ship raced over old and new battlefields, skimming past both Voth and Khitomer Alliance ships engaged in combat. The ongoing power struggle for control of the Dyson Sphere played out below them. The Hemmer approached a debris field, a remnant of a recent battle.

"Sir!" Neil O'Reilly's voice rang out from tactical. "I'm reading a shuttle off our port bow, in the debris field. One Voth lifesign aboard. It's moving at one-fifth impulse, away from the battlefield, with three Voth fighters in pursuit."

Anzyl's eyes sharpened. "Move to intercept. Lieutenant, hail that shuttle immediately."

As the massive starship approached the small shuttle, the viewscreen flickered to life. The face of Nolan Rivas appeared, his expression a mixture of relief and exhaustion.

"Anzyl! Oh, thank you for finding me!" Nolan exhaled in relief. "I've been hiding out in this debris, praying my Voth brethren wouldn't find me first. After everything that's happened… I feel guilty, knowing I may have steered the Voth toward destruction on such a massive scale."

His voice faltered as he spoke, the gravity of the situation weighing heavily on him. "If they succeed… we could lose the galaxy. It's too terrible to contemplate."

He paused, looking directly into the camera. "I request asylum with you and your crew. I want to help the Alliance prevent this technology from falling into the wrong hands."

Anzyl's face softened with understanding and empathy. "Yes, my friend, of course. We'll protect you." He turned to his officers, his tone commanding. "Beam him aboard, right away!"

—

Back aboard the USS Nexus, Anzyl and Nolan sat together in the captain's quarters, looking at the data pad that contained their long-distance correspondence. What had started as a mere exchange of letters had blossomed into a strong bond of friendship.

With a sigh of relief, Nolan leaned back in his chair. "And that, as they say, was that." He took a fresh ripe chunk of cubed Pineapple from the bowl of "Dessert" and plopped it into his mouth.

Anzyl nodded, a fond expression on his face. "And that was that," and smiled at him, "And you REALLY love pineapples huh? You eat at least two of them every time you come. I have several planted in hydroponics just for you!" 

Nolan laughed, "It's so good though! Sweet and tart, with a little tingle in the back of the tongue! We don't have anything like them on Voth Prime. Or on the-"

But before either of them could say more, Anzyl's combadge chirped urgently.

"Helm to Captain Praxas," Lusaalli's voice crackled through the comms.

"Go ahead, Helm."

"We've arrived at the Dyson Sphere port of entry, but our path is blocked by a ship. It's… quite sizable."

Anzyl and Nolan exchanged a quick glance, a shared sense of unease settling over them. They both stood abruptly, dropping their napkins on the table.

"Be right there!" Anzyl called.

—

Two flashes of white light, and Anzyl and Nolan materialized on the bridge of the Nexus. As the view on the main screen came into focus, Nolan's blood ran cold. He froze, his eyes locked on the massive vessel blocking their path.

"The Fortress…" Nolan whispered, his voice a mixture of horror and disbelief.

Anzyl turned to face the ship, a deep dread settling in his chest. The real battle, it seemed, was only just beginning.