Showdown: The Hunt For Jake Grey Part Fourteen

TorGal carried Ahz over his shoulder as he and Grey entered the turbolift to go to the bridge of the ship that had picked them up. Ahz's dizziness from being beaten on the head by TorGal had cleared, and now he can hear the distinct hum of a warp drive at maximum speed. Grey looked at the Wanderer, still imprisoned in the magical force field. "Welcome aboard the U.S.S. Cairo Mr. Ahz. I'd give you the tour of coruse, but prisodners don't get that kind of luxury. After I've relieved the commander of his command and place myself in the cpatian's chair you're going to see your new home for the remainder of your time with me." Grey's tone was that of a mother telling her child what his new bedroom was going to look like. This jovial tone slightly annoyed Ahz. he atcually would've preferred the man continue speaking like a homicidal maniac.

-

Meanwhile, on the Archangel, the fight was nearly over between the two fleets. Badly battered, both sides began a full retreat. While all the native STU ships that had joined the Revanche in the battle headed for the nearest repair bases, the Revanche herself, badly scarred, but otherwise undamaged, flew to meet with the Arhcangel. Keith was on the bridge now, and was now kneeling next to Rita, quietly chatting with her. Greymoran walked over to Jackson. "Any progress on the comm system? I'm absolutely certian Jerry is trying to hail us right now." Jakcosn shook his head. "The few repair bots we have left are working on the outer hull. We had about a hudnred micro-breaches all over the ship. If they aren't fixed quickly, the next time we get hit by something, or jump to warp we'll have a massive strucutral failure on our hands." Gryemoran sighed. "Well, good thing she's a Defiant or she'd be scrap metal by now. I'm goign to Ahz's lab to see if he returned. I'm a little worried." Just he turned to head for the turbolift, a shimmer of light appeared. Three beings were transporting onto the bridge. Hudzen initlaly grabbed for his rifle but stopped when he saw the familiar figures of Commander Durgin, Cheif Mac, and Haer-Dalis form. The human and the Tiefling were armed for combat while the Chicken crouched low, carrying a tiny engineering repair kit. Durgin smile dwhen he saw Greymoran. "Thank God! When you didn't answer our hails we'd feared the worse." he held up his finger, then tapped his communciator. "Captain, this is Martin. The Archangel is clear of any hostiles. Her crew is alive and we-" He stops and notices the bandage around Gryemoran's stomach and chest. "Um, alive anyway. Durgin out." Mac stepped out. "Eh, looks like she took quite a wallop 'ere didn' she?" Greymoran nods. "Our communciation system is destroyed. We may have to have it replaced entirely. Sorik will have the full damage report for you in engineering. Mac nodded then jogged off towards the Turbolift. Greymoran went to join her. "I'm going to the science lab to check on Ahz. He hasn't reported back, and Ryo-O was seriously wounded in the battle." Durgin nods as the doors close. He turns to Jackson. "Things are finally starting to go our way. Did you hear about XFU3?" Jackosn shook his head, and gave Durgin a curious look. Durgin smiled. "The Saitn Helens, this carrier we'd thought had been destoryed had actually randomly entering and exiting Grey controlled universes and raided his stockpiles. he kept those lightly defended and hid them all over the place. We even managed to find one a few months back. Had enough firepower there to support five or six planetary armies! We even managed to blow up a factory that made photon torpedo casings. Anyway, The St. Helens must've made some serious piecemeal upgrades while she was in hiding. She had equipment I've never seen on a WCU ship before, including a long range cloaker that made her invisible to long range sensors. By the time an enemy saw her coming she'd have the element of surprise. She also has some STU type fighters on her now. They destoryed a repair dock Grey had set up in XFU3. Every ship he'd kept there was in orbit over Earth but the dock was over Mars so by the time they got there to defend it is was crashing down." Jackson smiled. "Awesome. What about the attacking Grey ships?" Durgin laughed. "About a dozen Terran Confed ships. WCU stuff. Saint Helens may have outnumbered, but she had them outugnned. Not one ship escaped. Thing was we didn't even really know about her till recently. She'd been hidden well. Until XFU3 anyway. One of our monitoring satellites that we'd rebuilt caught the whole thing, and in no time flat some XDCA troop transports landed on Earth and booted Grey's people out. Whole thing took less than 12 hours."

Mac flaps her feet into engineering.

You are the Chief Engineer of the Revanche, am I correct?

"Aye."

I believe we met once before.

He bends down and hands Mac a padd.

The starboard nacelle has been badly damaged and is incapable of any sort of activity, and our maximum safe cruising speed appears to be no more than Warp 3.

He sweeps a coil, unattached to anything but which looks like it should be, off a table and and onto the floor.

Not to mention the general... clutter around the place.

Well, I guess that since we're on such friendly terms, you should call me by my first name...

Valenteneze Alkenonella Zeehack Shushe la Boheras

Pauses and takes a breath.

Gombigonara Blue Stratavari Tallentrent Piere Andre Tartenhamos LaBarovinchi Baldos George Doiltsal Keiser III.

My friends call me Ahz, and you are not. So you can't.

Grey smiles and laughs. "Ah, but you see, I'm the one with the magical weapons that imprison youso I can call you whatever I wish. I think Ahz will suiffice for now, agreed TorGal?" "Of course my master. Shall we take him to the brig?" "Yes indeedy do we shall my Trollish friend!" Grey replied with mock child-like enthusiasm. "Bring the sodium pentathol and the nani-critters as well. And the extra magic field stone. Just in case."

-

Greymoran enters Ahz's lab, and the place is a shmables. Desks, tbales, and computers, are knocke dover. The bark-like walls are scorhced and peeling, the leaves appear to be dying. He hears a distinct moaning. Ryo-O is clearly is pain. "Ryo-O! You're back abaord the Archangel. Is there anything we can do to help? Where is Ahz?"

Ok Commander, anything I can do right now?

Durgin shrugs. "Everything seems to be going OK. We'll tractor the Angel to the nearest repair dock. We'll put a priority on her. We took a lot of loses out there."

I would imagine so. We're just glad you got there when you did. We wouldn't have lasted much longer out there by ourselves.

Grey, TorGal, a human in a gold Starfleet uniform, and Ahz are together in the Brig. Ahz has been thrown into on eof the cell,s it's force-field reinforced by two of Grey's magical sheild stones that keep Ahz from escaping, either by passing through the standard energy sheild, which he could do easily, or by opening a portal, which he is still too weak to do. Grey and the others stand there, smiling at him. Grey raises two fingers and waves them at the crewman. He nods and hits button on his console. The cell begins to fill with gas. "Sodium pentathol, altered into a gaseous form. Truth serum. It works on most humanoid races actually. Even Elven races. Of course it just takes more of it to get it to work. Now, you are a Wanderer as we all well know. So in addition to them," he waves again and the gold shirt hits another button. An army of ants, pour out of a tiny hole in the floor. Or at least, they look like ants. "Nanobots. They're programmed to enter your body and essentially break down any biological enhancements to you nasal passages and asophagus, and a bunch of other medical stuff. I would've made a lousy doctor." He laughs. The crewman and TorGal nerovusly join him. When he stops they stop. "Theretofore, the gas WILL enter your system. In a few hours, I figure, I will get what I want, then space you. You can survive in a vacuum I'm sure by nature, but even if you can't, if you take a deep breath you'll have 30 seconds before you suffocate and freeze. Maybe you'll have enough strength to open a portal by then, then you can have a funeral for your pathetic tree ship." Ahz sturggles to swipe the Nanos away, and holds his breath. As a Wanderer he can hold twice as long as any Elf, three times as long as most humans, but the gas keeps pumping. A small beep distracts Grey. He pulls out his communicator. "I told you not to bother me!" he shouts. An indistinct voice nervously rpelies, and Grey smiles. "Excellent news! I shall tell TorGal NOT to kill when I send him up to the bridge." He clicks it off and puts it back in his pocket. "Grab me that PADD, and patch it into the bridge viewscreen. I want to see this for myself." Ahz closes his eyes, and a tiny computer screen appears behind Grey and the crewman as TorGal exits the room. The two humans don't notices it, as they gleefully watch. Ahz shuts it down once he knows what they are looking at. A massive sphere, with dimensions similar to the Macedonia 1 that the alternate Jake Grey died destroying. Ahz began planning an escape, hoping it wasn't too late.

Surrounded by dozens of ships, the Archangel took the point in returning to the minefield. Methodically the ships broke off into smaller fleets and began smashing the mines into oblivion, removing Jake Grey's best advantage in this universe.

-

Back on his ship, Grey walked back into the brig where Ahz was being held wearing a new robe. Ahz was feeling weak. His nose was bleeding from the nanobots invasion. An hour had passed, and although the drug that Grey would use to make him betray Greymoran hadn't yet taken it's full effect, he could feel his mental resolve breaking down. Grey stepped right up to the edge of the force field. "Hmm, that looks rather nasty. I like it. It adds character to you Ahz."

Several hours later...

Greymoran, the last of the mines has been destroyed. The fleet is regrouping. Orders Cap-

Suddenly, the world around Hudzen changes. His tactical console disappears. In fact, everything disappears. Hudzen looks around at his surroundings. He is floating in the inky blackness of space, stars surround him on all sides. Then, he hears a voice speaking to him. He immeadiately recognizes it, a voice that he has come to hate, belonging to the man he has sworn to destroy. He turns to see the representation of Jake Grey, also floating.

Greyvirus: Hudzen, Hudzen, Hudzen. It appears that this program is winning the battle. Soon I will control you and you will be Grey's again. Doing his job for him. The Archangel crew will die and Grey will not have to do anything to accomplish it.

Hudzen shakes his head and looks away.

No, you will never control me. And I will not turn on my shipmates. My...
Greyvirus: Friends?
Hudzen: Friends.
The virus smiles.
Grey: Hudzen, you surprise me. I didn't know you were even capable of having friends. It doesn't matter. When Grey is in charge, they will no longer be your friends. You will view them as he does. Pests that need to be exterminated. The very fact that you are here shows that you are close to losing the battle. Your programming is being overrided. You will soon be mine.
Hudzen: NO!

-tain. Hudzen blinked. He was backk on the Archangel. Almost no time had passed. Hudzen calculated that his small conversation had lasted for .000439 seconds. A very disturbing small conversation it was.

Captain Greymoran. I need to speak with you.

Greymoran unclips his commlink from his belt and clicks it on. "I'll be up there in a second." He clicks it off. "Ryo-O, respond, what happened to Ahz? If you can't speak for whatever reason use text on a monitor."

Jackson, sitting in the captain's seat, says
Good job, people.

Jackson looks at Hudzen
Is there anything wrong?

Ahz was suddenly surrounded by a number of glowing red balls. They all began bouncing off of the force field. When a ball didn't penatrate, it withdrew for a moment and tried again.

Meanwhile, onboard the Archangel, Ryo-O's image appeared on the viewscreen.

Ahz was hunting for Jake Grey on the attacking ships. I lost contact with him onboard ship 1740.
An image of the ship in question appeared on next to her.
Shortly after contact was lost, there was a dimensional incursion and the ship was destroyed. I have am interfacing with Ahz's equipment to locate him.

Back on Grey's ship, one of the energy balls passed through the force field. Ahz smiled.

Returning once again to the Archangel...

There he is!

Ryo-O's image vanished. At the same time, the Dimensional Dive activated itself, and the Archangel vanished.

Jake Grey witnessed this event and stormed through the damaged force field and slammed the still weak Ahz against the wall, and stabbed a long thin needle into his head. He attached a wire to the handle of the needle. "Begin download. I want Gryemoran's brainwave pattern. NOW!"

-

The Archangel appeared right next to the cruiser that housed Grey and Ahz, and the crew stood in shock as they saw what loomed out the fornt viewport. "Oh my god," Keith muttered. Rita's jaw dropped open. "Please tell me I'm hallucinating." Floating before them, was what Ahz had seen earlier. Another massive battle station, just like the one the alternate Jake Grey had destoryed a few months ago. Greymoran swallowed hard. "Not good."

Ahz grabbed Grey's arm and his eyes focused on Grey for a moment.

Congrats on your victory.... you deserve a hand....

A grin flashed over his face.

You'll need one.

A silver sphere appeared around Ahz and quickly collapsed to a single point. Everything inside the sphere was displaced to Ryo-O, the back wall, the ceiling, the floor, and Grey's arm.

Ahz appeared on Ryo-O, standing on piece of floor, attached to a piece of wall, with a piece of wire attached to his head, and holding a an arm, cleanly severed at the elbow. Ahz collapsed to the floor as the Archangel's dimensional drive activated itself again. Ten seconds after arriving in this universe, it departed again.

TorGal watched Grey fall to the floor. Not dead, but in shock. "FIND THEM!" he bellowed, causing the man next to him's eardrum to collapse.

The Archangel was suddenly right back in the repair dock where it was before. They received a hail. "Redding to Archangel! What the hell just happened!" "Greymoran to Redding, no time to explain. Gather the fleet. Gather all the fleets. Get every Gods forsaken ship that can fly and shoot at the same time, and take them to Avalon." Jackson looks confused. "The XDCA home planet?" "Yes Jackson. Jerry, don't waste time do it. Now!" He cut the communication before Redding could ask for more information. "That thing of Grey's looked unfinished. I could see through an unfinished patch of hull where we were. We were right where the main base station used to be. X-SS-47." Carrie's face appeared on the screen, shocked. "The sonuvabitch is building his new monstrosity right over Avalon!" she chimed in. Greymoran walked over to Hudzen's console and looked at him. "Hudzen, we're going to need you more than ever now. We can't afford to miss. Download all data we have on Macedonia 1. Considering the rate of construction my guess is that they started that second thing the other Grey blew up the first one so it may have the same weaknesses. Get to work on a firing solution." He walked back over to Rita. "I want you off this ship. We'll put on you on one of the ships that isn't fully fucntional yet and give them orders to hide you. This mission is too high stress and I don't want to cause a miscarriage." Rita started to protest, but Keith walked over to her and stopped her with a hand on the shoulder. "Do it. For our daughter. Please." He looked to Jackson for support, hoping he would agree with him.

Bio-readings beeped in time with Ahz's heartbeat and breathing, as Ahz lay on a biobed in his lab. Ryo-O stood over him looking concerned as several small Medi-bots floated around. As she interfaced with the equipment, she could see the damage to Ahz's body through the Medi-bots' eyes.

First off, there were a large number of nanobots in his nasal passageways, and removing them would take time. In addition to that, there was a drug, in almost dangerous quantities, in his system. There was also the small hole in his head where Grey had inserted the needle, but nothig was damaged.

A Medi-bot floated over and injected Ahz with a hypospray. Ahz's eyes fluttered open.

Ahz: "Ryo-o... I'm so glad... to see... you."
Ryo-O: "Shhh... just rest now, Ahz. The drugs and nanobots are being purged from your system."

Ahz tried to grab her hand, but he passed right through the image, since there was no way for her to form a physical manifestation outside her hull.

Ahz: "Place a... M.D. field... around the lab. Prevent... further programming..."

But that was all Ahz could get out before passing out again. Ryo-O quickly searched through Ahz's database for the M.D. field, and quickly found it. The Multi-Dimensional field would isolate the lab from the rest of the multi-verse. Ahz was obviously worried that Grey would somehow send more dangerous instructions to the nanobots. She decided to leave the field up until they were completely purged from his system.

Jackson looks at Keith and Rita
In most cases, I would say no, since we'll need our best pilot. In this case, I'd have to say yes. If something should happen to either Rita or the baby, Keith and the rest of the crew would be devestated.
Jackson glances over to Greymoran
What do you think, sir? I could take over Rita's post if needed. I've shown I have some fancy flying moves myself...

Greymoran nods. "Do it Jackson. Keith, escort Rita to the transporter bay. Now. Greymoran to Engineering. Sorik, I want you to get us ready for battle, fast. I need us at 110% battle capacity."

Aboard the partially complete Macedonia 2, Jake Grey awakes in his throne on the recently finished throne room in the central structure. TorGal was standing over him. "My lord," he said, "I have ordered completetion rushed, and placed all outside ships on the highest battle alert." Grey, still a little woozy tried to stand up, reaching out his arm to grab the rail of his throne to help him up, and fell onto the floor. He looked, and remembered violently what happened. That arm was gone, yet he still felt it. "Dammit Ahz. I'll see you suffer for this." "The Archangel crew knows where we are sir." Grey looked up at TorGal as the troll aided his master to his feet. "What?" he exclaimed. "Sir, the Archangel appeared, right inside the Macedonia 2's ship bays and beamed Ahz out." "How did they find us?" "It wasn't a standard XDCA portal they arrived through sir. I beleive Ryo-O had something to do-" "RYO-O!!!!" Grey screamed in anger. "•••• them! TorGal, find out where they went. Now. We're going after them!"

Hudzen stared down at his console.
Captain, I ca-
He heard the Grey program's voice
Grey: Kill them Hudzen. End it all now. You have the power to. The means.
Hudzen: No Hudzen spoke with such softness that the rest of the crew hadn't suspected he had talked.
Grey: Kill them. With Greymoran and the Archangel out of the way, peace will finally reign in the galaxy.
Hudzen: No, I will never fall to you. I will terminate my programming before you conquer me. Now LEAVE!!!!!!!!! The bridge crew all turned to Hudzen as he exclaimed. Grey's voice faded from his head. Hudzen turned to Greymoran.
It is okay Captain, I am fine. Shields and weapons are ready.

All the crew's eyes remained locked on Hudzen. Greymoran coughed. "Hudzen, I don't know what's going on but we can't afford mistakes right now. I'm transferring weapons control to Jackson's console. I want you confined to your quarters. If we absolutely need you, I'll come and get you personally."

Captain, no, I'm fine for now. Please sir, I'm asking you as your security officer and your... friend. Trust me. I am in control.

I advice you to return to your quarters as well, Mr Hudzen.

Everyone turns to see Sorik has just entered the bridge. He turns to Greymoran.

I have the ship ready for battle, Captain.

He then turns back to Hudzen.

In fact, I suggest you deactivate yourself temporarily or something. We don't want you to blow up the ship, or act as a spy or anything.

Jackson looks at a PADD.
My software that I installed into Hudzen is still in him. It looks like the Jake Grey program is trying to reassert itself.
I think they're right about this, Hudzen. If the Grey program breaks through your defenses, who knows what might happen.
Would it be possible to place him in a suspended animation tube for the time being as well as deactivating him? If we simply deactivate him, the Grey program could take over, causing who knows what havoc. With suspended animation in the mix, I don't think he can get into trouble...
I might also recommend that computer access for him be restricted for the time being, just in case...

Greymoran nods, reluctantly. "Yes, these are all good suggestions. Sorik, transfer engineering control to the bridge. I'll need you here." Hudzen dejectedly, Hudzen enters the turbolift. "Sorik, establish a security lock on Hudzen's quarters' doors once he's inside." He turns to Jackson, now seated in Rita's chair, to ask him to plot a course. Before he could do it however, a portal opened, and a massive metal ball, the Macedonia 2, with cheap, crude, and poorly assembled plating over the unfinished sections, exited. The station put up it's sheilds, and those damaged ships with working engines tore away at the fastest speed they could manage, which, sadly for most, wasn't much. But Grey ignored them. On board his ship, with his remaining free hand, he pushed a button on a panel, and an orange beam of lightning lances towards the Archangel's bridge. It pierces the sheilds and the hull as if they weren't there, and strikes Gryemoran. He freezes in place, and falls to the ground eyes wide open.

Greymoran finds him self standing, no, floating, in an infintie darkness. He looks around and can see nothing but his hands and the bottom of his robe. Suddenly a figure appears before him. Jake Grey sits in a floating throne, with both his arms. "Ah the astral plane is such an amazing place isn't it?"

Keith runs up to Greymoran and grabs his arm, and is immediately launched backwards against a bulkhead by a powerful electrical charge. Keith is knocked unconscious. Jackson, who was going to try and pick up Greymoran, stopped and lept over the wizard to help Keith instead. Carrie's face appeared on-screen. "I registed massive psycho-kinetic energy from that blast. I think the captain has been trnasferred to the astral plane. Anything that happens to him there will happen to his body here." The Macedonia 2 locks a tractor beam on the Archangel, and pulls it through a portal. Carrie realizes where they are going, and Hudzen recognizes the planet in the distance. In unison they speak. "Avalon."

So what do we do know? Attempt to escape, and possibly be destroyed, or stay where we are, and possibly be destroyed?
Carrie, is there any way to send somebody into the astral plane to help Greymoran?

You will have to make a decision soon Mr. Dupree. With the captain out, you are in command.

Avalon? Avalon is a mythical place, not a real planet.

I realise that the Captain's recent... predicament might be a shock to you more emotional humans, but this is hardly a time to discuss Terran legends.

Sorik, in this case, Avalon is the name of planet that was once the home of the XDCA. Now, it's under the control of Grey.
Carrie, if we attempted to escape, would that harm Greymoran in any way?

As you undoubtedly noted Mr. Sorik, it was Carrie and myself who spoke of Avalon. Neither of us are humans.

Grey's taking us right into the heart of his stronghold. Right where he wants us.

And if we escape, we may have no chance of rescuing Greymoran...

Carrie's face shifted back and forth as the conversation went one. It took her amoment but she got her bearings. "Jackson, the answer to that is an honest I don't know. I've never seen a machine that could take someone to the astral plane, and Jake Grey has no inate powers, magical or otherwise." The ship shudders as she slides forward after the tractor beam disengages. A rather large number of ships from various universes have shifted and turned and rearranged themselves to trap the Archangel in an inescapable locking on of wepaons systems. "Uh-oh," Carrie murmurs, knowing full well that it is a serious understatement.

Grey walks right up to Greymoran, or rather floats. "Well, well, well, face to face for the first time, well, since my pansy double decided to kill himself in a pathetic attempt to stop me. Tell me wizard, how is your brother? I understand he went a little off the deep end." He laughs. Greymorna unexpectedly swings his arm and connects his right fist to Grey's chin. On board the Macedonmia 2, unbeknowest to TorGal or anyone on the Archangel, Grey's body, also frozen in place, grows a nasty bruise on it's chin. On the Archangel only Sorik sees Gryemoran's right hand develop a bruise on the knuckles.

Carrie, launch a message buoy detailing where we are and what we know and send it to the current whereabouts of Captain Redding. Maybe he can launch a rescue mission.

Any message buoy or probe that we launch will undoubtedly be intercepted and jammed as soon as it leaves this ship. The ship's comm is also being jammed as well.

Mr Dupree, look at this. Greymoran is somehow being telekinetically harmed.

If his mind is elsewhere, perhaps if I attempted a Vulcan mind-link it would bring him back?

Carrie's panic begins to show. "Like a probe would do any good. Even if it didn't get shot it would just hit the hull. We're INSIDE Grey's battlestation!" Her face on-screen makes the motions, and the ship's speakers make the sound of someone taking a deep breath. "Sorik, I honestly don't know. No one has ever tried anything like that before."

Grey stood up. "You know wizard, it amazes me your crew trusts you." Greymoran angrily stepped forward. His magic was uselss in the astral plane, and Grey was the superior pugilist, so he knew he needed to keep his advantage. He kicked Grey in the leg, but Grey responded by swinging as he hit the ground, taking Greymoran to the ground with a kick to the chins. His chins bruised back on the ship, but his robes covered the wounds.

Jackson looks down at Greymoran and then at Sorik. He makes his decision.
Mr. Sorik, do it.

Sorik gently lifts up Greymoran's head with his right hand, and spreads his left hand across the side of Greymoran's face

My mind to your mind... your thoughts... to my thoughts...

Everyone else on the bridge watches as Sorik seems to lose himself in Greymoran's mind. He then clearly loses consciousness and slumps down next to the wizard, still holding onto his face.

Sorik appears next to Greymoran in the other plane.

Captain, I have entered your mind.

Grey turns to look at Sorik.

Jackson looks down at Greymoran and Sorik.
Good Luck, Sorik. Carrie, keep tabs on their lifesigns. Do we have anything in sickbay to pull Sorik out if we need to?

Carrie frowns. "No. The MedLab is only stocked for physical injuries."

Grey reaches into the void behind him and pulls out a large stick. "Mastering the Astral Plane ain't easy, but once you do you can do just about anything." He thwacks Sorik on the head. On the bridge a lump appears behind his left ear. Greymoran counters by pulling a cartoonishly large boxing glove out of his robe and sends Grey flying back with a punch. "You forget my background Jake. I can do anything you can do."

How juvenile. This other plane of existence appears to be the world of animation. That explains those bizarre light shows.

whispers to Greymoran
Captain, I wish to point out that not only can you do anything he can, but I can do some things he cannot. The Vulcan neck-pinch for one?

Greymoran nods. He then looks around. "What lights? The Astral Plane is completely black except for the color generated by us. Only a master of this plane can do things like what Grey and I have done. I have him on the run. Just get back to the ship. They'll need an engineer. Where are we, by we I mean our physical selves, anyway?"

Sorik, Sorik, what's going on in there?
Just then, the dimensional sensors start beeping. Jackson goes over to look.
Dimensional portal opening? Maybe Redding found us after all.
All eyes focus on the viewscreen, and indeed, a small portal opens. But instead of Redding's ship, a large building emerges from it.
Jackson: From what I can tell, it seems to have come from the LICC dimension...Wait, we're getting a message from them...
R and Absurd: HHHEEEELLLPPP!!!
Just as suddenly, another portal opens, and the building is swallowed inside and the portal closes.
Jackson: Well, that was different..

Perhaps this plane is perceived differently for Vulcans than it is for humans.

And we are on the Archangel, inside Mr Grey's battlestation.

Suddenly, out of the darkness Grey swoops down on a hang-glider, and strikes Sorik in the head with the hard wooden tail of the glider. The Vulcan is knocked nearly unconscious. Greymoran, using his advanced knowledge of Astral Combat summons a massive boulder that chases the still flying Grey. "Sorik, get the hell out of here! If you die here, your body will die too."

Jackson looks at the screen that is monitering Sorik's lifesigns.
We need to find a way to stop the mind meld! Carrie, if we pull his hand away, what sort of mental damage would each of them incure?

"Interupting a mind-meld is VERY dangerous Jackson! Back off now." The lights on the Archangel dim, then go red. The standard computer voice begins to chant. "Intruder alert." "Aw hell," Carrie groans. "Several Klingon troop carriers juswt decloaked and attache dto our hull. We got shock troops, at least 3 dozen, filling up the lower decks. Activating defense systems. Force fields going up, turbolifts deactivated, jeffries tubes lcoked down, life support being cut to the levels. Unless they're wearing oxygen gear, or unless they're robots, I've just bought us some time." Keith pulls out his phaser. "This is very, very bad." he mutters.

-

Greymoran thought for a moment about what Sorik said about lights, but was distracted by Grey cackling. He had now summoned a Civil War era gatling gun and was aiming it at the wizard and the Vulcan. Gryemoran dived to the side and shoved Sorik the other way as he began to fire. Greymoran slowed his bretahing, closed his eyes, and the 'bullets' began to slow, and eventually fall into the vast blackness of the astral plane. "Go Sorik. NOW! That's an order Lieutenant Commander!"

Close all bulkheads between sections, too.
Replicate the most powerful and largest conventional weapons we have in the database. I want us to be prepared up here.
Also replicate a variety of bombs and other detonation devices and transport them to where the Klingons are. I don't want their trip up here to be easy.
I wonder if I still have any Instant Redshirts around here somewhere...

Keith reached under the captain's chair and pulled out a box. "I don't know about the Spidership Jackson, but on most ships I've served on replicators can't make energy weapons or bombs." He opened the box and pulled out three small Type-I phasers, and slips one into his pocket as a backup weapon. He tosses one to Jackson and one to Hudzen, who was already loading his rifle. "Besides," Carrie cut in, "I said the SHIPS were Klingons. We don't actually know what race or races the troops are, assuming they're not robots."

Ahz heard the alarms but was still too weak to acknowledge them. The process of removing all the nanos and repairing the damage done to his body by Grey and TorGal was nearly done, but still quite uncomfortable. Carrie's voice blared loudly into Ahz's lab. "Intruder Alert Ahz! Arm yourself. We don't know what we're up against so be extremely careful."

Hudzen turned to Kieth and Jackson.
The Archangel's replicators are capable of creating materials needed for bombs but not the bombs themselves. They can also create projectile weapons but this takes extensive modifications. We don't have time for that. Now...
Severals weapons pop out of various areas of Hudzen, mostly his arms and parts of his torso.
We need to defend the ship. Keith, Jackson, at least one of you must stay on the bridge with Commander Sorik and Captain Greymoran. Carrie, are internal sensors functional? Can you detect the invaders' lifesigns? Or if they have any? We need to know how many there are and where they are.
Hudzen could still hear Grey's voice. He'd have to push it back for now...

Suddenly, on the bridge, Sorik opens his eyes and releases his grip.

The Captain is in another dimensional plane, fighting with Jake Grey.

Let's hope he wins the day, then.
Sorik, we have a problem. A whole bunch of Klingon ships have docked with us and have released an invasion force. As Hudzen just said, we need at least one person, maybe two, to stay here and help Greymoran.
Jackson touches his wrist and shimmers. His casual clothes disappear, replaced by his Cyberarmor. Various weapons emerge from the armor, much like Hudzen demonstrated.
I'm glad I still have this on. I'm also glad this thing has a massive weapons system.
Jackson presses another button and a tiny wormhole opens next to Jackson. He reaches inside and pulls out a bracelet.
YES! A Exo-skeleton bracelet! They thought of everything! Thank you Rocket Ranger!
Jackson slaps on the bracelet, but doesn't activate it for now.

Carrie, in a panic, almost didn't hear Hudzen's request as she tried to lock down the ship. "OK, I'm reading, uh, 20, no 21 large life signs. No solid ID yet but whatever they are they're big and can barely fit in the hallways. I guess this works in our advantage cause they can't use the crawlspaces. Hudzen, I'll try to beam you and Jackson behind the groups closest to engineering, because they seem to have split up into smaller groups."

-

Down below, carrying an energy whip, TorGal whipped the Predators into four groups of five each. "Alright hunters, hunt!" He shouts. The Predators hang their heads and begin to wlak in four seperate directions. They wer eonce proud creatures, simply hunting and appreciating nature when Grey and his pet troll had captured them and enslaved them. One day they would fight back. But for now, they would hunt for their desingated prey. A man in armor, a robot, and a simple scientist. The last one, the one the thrid group was to attack, was the most offensive to their sensibilties. What harm, what challenge could a man of science, a human no less, provide them?

Carrie, show me a schematic of the area in question.
On a nearby screen, a map of the section is shown. Jackson studies it, points to an area and says
Could you beam us right there?
Ten minutes later, after beaming Hudzen and Jackson, Jackson walks around a corner, almost running into the Predators. He says
Hi guys. Looking for something?

Jackson!
The predators move with lightning speed. Jackson's head is almost taken off, but Hudzen pulls him out of the way.
Predators.
Hudzen and Jackson waited for the predators to come around the corner. And waited. And waited some more. After about 20 seconds they still hadn't appeared. Hudzen took a quick look. The predators were no longer there.
They're gone. We have to get out of here. Predators are some of the best hunters in the Multiverse. They know where we are now. They can be almost undetectable with the best of sensors. Almost. They undoubtedly know several different ways to kill both of us, and probably at least 30 while you still have your suit on. Let's go.

Right.
Jackson touches his wrist gauntlet and disappears. A panel in the ceiling opens and Jackson jumps down.
Sorry about scaring you, but I did have a plan...
You just saved a hologram of me. I was planning to use holograms to confuse the Predators, and then we could attack or something...

Carrie's voice comes from Jackson's wrist. "No good. These guys are not only professional hunters, but I noticed energy whip markings on their armor. I think their being abused and forced to do this. Maybe you can use that to your advantage?"

-

Keith had left Sorik alone to watch over Gryemoran. He climbed through an access hatch to the level just above the closed-off section. He walked to a panel and began to switch around a few wires. "OK, Jackson," he says into his communicator "I'll send a burst of ultraviolet radiation throuhg the lower levels. That should take care of the Predator's cloaking sheilds. Hope it helps. And watch their arm packs. They carry nukes, unless Grey took them out, which wouldn't surprise me." He turns off the comm and hit a button. He closes his eyes as bright pink particles begin to generate from the internal sensors. Three massive figures suddenly appear to Keith right after blowing a hole in the floor. They are uncloaked. "Oh shit," he murmurs. The lead Predator hurls a bladed discus at him and he narrowly ducks it as it effortlessly slices through the door behind him. "Aw hell" he yells as he dives into a nearby hallway, narrowly avoiding the blade as it begins to return in the direction it came from. "This is VERY bad."

Keith starts to lose his breath as he rounds another corridor. Suddenly loud foot steps spur him on a little furhter. The lead Predator's disc flies past him, clipping his arm sending blood spraying onto the bulkhead. Keith screams in pain as he grabs his wounded arm. Suddenly he notices that the blade has become embedded in a nearby weapon's locker door. It vibrates as it tries to return to it's owner, but stops. Keith ehars the Predaotrs slow their approach. Desperate he does the only thing his panicked mind can think of. He leaps out and reahces his strong hand into the three large finger holds on the disc, and yanks it out. It comes lose, but only after Keith strains a muscle in that arm, and when it comes lose the disc slahses past him, almost taking his scalp off but instead leaving only a tiny gash on the top of his head. The lead Predator comes around a corner, decloaking himself, just as the disc slams right into his neck. Neon green blood spray all over the bulkhead as the creature's head comes clean off. Kieth slumps to the ground. He starts to pull out his phaser but doesn't have the strength to set it to kill, as he was now wishing he'd done on the bridge. The other three Predators stop and stand over their fallen leader. One of them begins cerimoniously removing his weapons and armor, and he begins to wlak towards Keith. He closes his eyes, and mutters under his breath everything he could think to say about Rita, and how sorry he was he didn't stay alive for her. He suddenly feels waited down as something falls into his lap. He looks down. The lead's armor, and weapons were lying atop Keith's legs. He looke dup in time to see the three remaining Predator's walk away, turning on their stealth sheilds. Just before heading back the way they came. The last he heard was a guttural, non-human voice saying, "Thank you." Keith Yeager just sat there dumbfounded. He grabbed the arm mounted dual-jagged claw weapon he'd seen in the brief film clip Carrie had shown him. He checked to see if it would fit, then somehow found the strength to use his communciator. "Carrie, beam me and everything I'm carrying to sickbay please." He then passes out.

Ahz: "What's going on out there?"

Ryo-O: "The ship has been boarded. A number of aliens, known as Predators have infiltrated the ship."

Ahz sat up in bed.

Ahz: "Great. No doubt my little disarming stunt has put me on top of Grey's hit list. What is the lab status?"

Ryo-O: "Sealed."

Ahz: "Unseal it, and prepare the defences."

Ok Hudzen, here's what we do...
Jackson explains his plan to Hudzen, and a little while later, Jackson and Hudzen appearently are confronting a small group of Predators
Tag! You're it!
The Predators begin firing at the heroes, but the weapons fire just passes through them. Hudzen and Jackson disappear, only to reappear right behind the Predators. They fire, heavily stunning the Predators.
I told you holographic figures would still work, if only as a distraction...

TorGal climbed aboard the last Klingon troop ship. He'd hoped that the several empty carriers would fool the Arhcnagel crew into spreading their resources too thin. The Predators would make short work of them. As he closed the hatch, something burhsed past him. He looked around, but saw nothing. He shurgged it off. Trolls are notoriously unobservant, so he didn't see the two blurs that appeared then disappeared when the door closed and the lights shifted. He walke dup to the bridge of the small ship, one deck up, and took the controls. He didn't hear the click of buttons being pushed behind him becuase he was chuckling, a horrible sound to come from a troll. Suddenly, without warning, the airlock below blows open. The ship shudders, and dives, slamming hard against the super-structure of a Star Destroyer, narrowly avoiding destructionwhen TorGal pulled up. Suddenly four powerful arms raise him out of his chair and throw him against the rear of the bridge. The two Predators that had given those weapons to Keith unstealthed in front of him. In a grumbling voice one of them says, "Time to hunt."

I was skeptical that the plan would work, but good job Jackson.
Behind them, four predators decloak behind Hudzen and Jackson and raise their weapons inches away from the pair's backs.
It seems that it didn't work as well as we thought.
Jackson and Hudzen wait to be shot. Suddenly, another predator decloaks in front of the group and begins to speak to the predators behind Hudzen and Jackson. The translator doesn't work on the language. The other predators lower their weapons and cloak, leaving the two Archangel crewmen alone in the corridor.

Carrie watched the internal sensors very closely. SO closely she almost hadn't heard Keith's call. She was worried about him, but she knew her EMH was working better and would take care of him for the time being. Suddenly something cauhgt her attention. Two escape pods with two heavy lifesigns suddenly launched from one of the lower decks. "Carrie to Jackson. Carrie to Hudzen. Repsond. Was that you in those pods?"

Hudzen here. I was not aware that any pods were ejected from the ship. Are you able to identify the life forms aboard?

Carrie's voice comes across Hudzen's comm. "Not really. There's some kind of distortion inside Grey's base keeping me from getting a clear reading. And to top it off one of Grey's troop transports nearly crashed out there a moment ago, and I had to beam Keith to sickbay." Jackson looks at Hudzen. "We better get back to the bridge before things get worse."

-

Greymoran had used his knowledge of altering the astral plane to make it look like 20th century San Fransisco, where he lived during half the years of his now offiically over retirement. He could hear Jake Grey's incessant cakcling, but he couldn't pin-point exactly where Grey was. Grey had too much of an advantage. The wizard had discovered moments ago that Grey was using some kind of device to aid his astral abilities. It was quite simply impossible for a human with no magical or telepathic training to do what that madman was doing. Greymoran was now focused on trying to find a way out. "OK, if I were a trap door, and EVERY astral plane has a way out, where would I be?" He muttered to himself. Up above him, too far up above him to be easily seen, Grey watched as the wizard made his towards the glowing apparation that was the astral version of the Golden Gate bridge. Grey smiled to himself. "Soon you'll be mine wizard."

TO BE CONCLUDED...