Lieutenant Tom Sargent was already sprinting through the corridors towards the Medical Lab, phaser drawn. He rounded a corner and ran into Lieutenant Dathasa, with the bandages from her last encounter still partially visible behind the hem of her uniform undershirt. “What’s wrong?” she asked him as he skidded to a stop in front of her. 

“That creature is loose.” Tom growled, his eyes full of intense rage. “It’s already killed one nurse.”

“I’ll follow you.” she replied, and she fell in behind him without hesitation, her hand already moving to one of the disruptors at her waist. 

He’s breaking through the door! Came Thalen’s voice over the comms. 

“God fucking damn it.” Dathasa hissed, “I knew this would happen. We should have killed that thing on the surface.” 

They rounded the last few corners at a dead run, with the sounds of the creature beating and tearing at the door growing louder and louder. They found Nurse Thalen cowering against the wall beside the door, whimpering feebly. Dathasa pulled her roughly to her feet while Tom started firing his phaser through the hole the creature had made in the door. 

“What happened?” Dathasa asked Thalen, shaking her shoulders. 

“The – the IV came loose w-when the s-ship got hit,” she stammered. “The se-sedative didn’t h-hold.” she took a breath and steadied herself. “We dropped the containment field to re-sedate him manually.”

Dathasa let go of her shoulders in shock. “You went in with hyposprays?!” she asked, astounded.

Thalen nodded her head sheepishly. “And it tore through the metal restraints.” Just then, the door finally gave way, and Subject Epsilon barreled into Tom, bowling him over and tearing off down the corridor. Dathasa pulled her disruptor and fired a few rounds after it, but it dodged the bolts and they landed in the bulkhead as the creature disappeared around a corner. 

Tom staggered to his feet, slapping the combadge on his chest. “Security to Captain Bowman. Subject Epsilon is loose. Dathasa and I are on its trail. Send backup.”

Scott was sitting behind the desk in his ready room, staring at the monitor on his desk, MESSAGE SENT flashing across its screen. If it did work, and the message actually made it to the Cardassian leaders, he wondered how long it would take for them to respond. Would they even believe him? The question swirled around his head, and he closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger. 

His combadge chirped. 

Security to Captain Bowman. Subject Epsilon is loose. Dathasa and I are on its trail. Send backup. 

Scott swore under his breath. He stood from his chair and hurried from his ready room. The doors of the bridge hissed open as he strode determinedly back into the center of the room. “Report, Number One.” he said in a clipped tone. 

“No changes, Captain.” Bema responded. 

“Good.” Scott said, nodding his head curtly. “I need you and Vail to rendezvous with Tom and Dathasa on Deck Seven. Epsilon is loose, and I need that thing taken care of before it hurts anyone else on my ship.” He looked at Bema and Vail with a grave expression. “No hesitation.”

“Understood, Captain.” Bema said, nodding once, and the pair of them left the bridge at once. They stopped at a small hatch in the wall which slid open, revealing a small cache of phasers. They each grabbed one and hurried onwards towards the Medical Lab.

Vail tapped her combadge. “Tom, this is Vail. Where are you?”

We’re currently following the beast towards Engineering. He replied. 

“Okay.” Vail said, “we’ll head straight there, maybe we can cut him off.” She looked at Bema who nodded in agreement, and the two both sped up their run. They dove into the turbolift and shot upwards towards the engineering deck. 

Tom and Dathasa were hot on Subject Epsilon’s trail as it tore through the ship, knocking people over as it twisted and turned through the narrow corridors and crawled through jeffries tubes. Every time they managed to get close to it, they fired their weapons hoping to slow it down or stop it, but it seemed resistant to the bolts of energy. 

Dathasa was breathing heavier now, and she seemed to be wincing with effort whenever they made a sharp turn or climbed a ladder. “What will it take to kill this thing?” she panted, turning her phaser up to its highest setting. 

“Are you alright?” Tom asked her, as he noticed small patches of green blood starting to stain her undershirt. “You appear to be bleeding.” 

“I’ll be fine when that thing is dead.” she said through gritted teeth, still matching his pace. 

They rounded another corner, but they were stopped in their tracks, because at the other end of the hall, Bema and Vail were standing with weapons drawn, and the creature was directly in between them. It gnashed its sharp teeth and screamed, then lunged for the wall and sank its claws into the durasteel plating. Sparks flew as it tore through power conduits, and the lights above them began strobing wildly. Tom gave Bema a nod, and the four of them raised their weapons to aim at the beast, then fired at it in unison. Subject Epsilon let out another piercing screech, causing them all to flinch as it crumpled in a heap to the floor.

 Vail was the first to move. She took a few cautious steps towards it, with her phaser still trained on its body, which lay unmoving on the floor. When she got close, the creature snarled suddenly, taking a desperate swipe at her with one of its clawed hands, but she was ready for it. Two quick bolts leapt from her phaser, directly into the subject’s head. With a last pathetic gurgle, it finally stopped moving. Vail exhaled deeply, letting the phaser in her hand fall to her side, then she gave a wild shout, stepped forward and kicked the creature hard in the ribs with the heel of her boot, but it did not move again. Bema walked up beside her, holstering his phaser. “Alright,” he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. “It’s safe to assume this thing is dead. Let’s get rid of it.” 

Back on the bridge, the amber lights of the Yellow Alert still strobed softly in the background. Scott stood behind his chair, leaning on the back of it with his hands. The patched hull of the Krevak hung silently in the center of the viewscreen. Its lights dimmed and stuttered, and another feeble burst of phaser fire from the Krevak was absorbed by the Erikson’s shields. 

“Our shields are holding steady, Captain.” Ensign Pym said from Vail’s tactical console. 

Scott let out an exasperated sigh. “He’s still trying to provoke us, I think.” He pinched the bridge of his nose again. 

“Any change in orders, Captain?” Pym asked.

“No Ensign.” Scott said, moving around to sit down in his seat. “As long as he poses no threat, we do not return fire. Keep sending him the loop of the treaty signing and hold position.” 

“Captain…” Pym said slowly, “Why don’t we fire back? I mean he fired at us first so wouldn’t we be justified if…”

“Because, Ensign, we are not barbarians.” Scott cut in, raising a hand to stop Ensign Pym finishing his thought. “It is pretty clear that he is just lost out here, abandoned by his government. He just needs to go home, that’s all.” Scott’s answer was direct, but not cold or admonishing. 

 A ping from the Communications console re-centered the group on the bridge. The Comms officer whirled around in his chair. “Captain, we’ve just received word from the Cardassians. They’re sending a message to both our ships.” 

Scott sat up in his chair. “Hail the Krevak.” he said. Gul Sarvek’s tired, eyepatched face showed up on the viewscreen a moment later.

“I see you still have not moved, Captain.” He sneered, his tired voice creaking like a rusty gate. “Do you not believe I will destroy your vessel, and everyone on board?” 

“Frankly, Gul Sarvek, no I do not.” Scott replied. “We’ve had the time to scan your ship, and I know that you are running low on power, among other things.”

“I do not need your pity, Captain.” Sarvek replied. “What do you want?”

“We have received word from Cardassia, Sarvek. You should be receiving it now, too.” Scott answered. He turned to the comms officer. “Put it on the screen, please.”

He nodded, and typed the command into the console. A few moments later, the words of the message from Cardassia Prime were superimposed on Gul Sarvek’s face. 

TO: GUL SARVEK, COMMANDER OF THE KREVAK

This message is relayed by the order of the Detapa Council. The Dominion War ended twenty-seven years ago. Cardassia Prime is free. The Founders are no longer in control. The Federation is NOT your enemy. Your service is remembered. Stand Down Gul Sarvek, your war is over. Come home. 

The message disappeared from the screen. Sarvek’s face seemed to grow older as he read the message in its original Cardassian glyphs. It became less sharp and stern, and the lines grew deeper. He looked less like a warrior now, and more like a survivor. He didn’t say anything for a long moment after he had finished reading. Then, a single sob left his throat, and he turned away from the viewscreen. 

Scott stood, and straightened his uniform. When he spoke, he used the polite, diplomatic tone he usually reserved for political envoys and allied Captains. There was no hint of harshness or hostility left. “Gul Sarvek. It has come to our attention that you may be in some sort of trouble. We have detected low energy readings from your ship, and I imagine you’re running short of food and water. As a Starfleet Captain, it is my duty to offer you and your crew whatever aid I can. I am sending over a supply of rations, and some power cells that your engineers can use to get you home.”

Gul Sarvek turned back towards the viewscreen, his remaining eye wet with tears. He straightened up and cleared his throat before he spoke. “Thank you, Captain Bowman.” He said, his voice still thick with emotion. “We will prepare to receive your goods, and we thank you for your assistance.” 

“Anytime, Commander.” Scott replied, giving a wave before the feed cut off. He tapped his combadge. “Lieutenant Beckett, can you please prepare some rations and power cells for transport to the Krevak as soon as possible, please?” 

Yes, Captain. Garion replied diligently. Scott resumed his seat while he waited. A minute or so later, Garion’s voice came back over the comms. 

Ready to send, Captain.

“Excellent, please send it over now.” Scott said. Another moment passed, then the Krevak turned slowly around, its engines pulsed brightly, and it disappeared from view. Scott turned to Craig, who was still sitting at the Science console. “Mr. Cruikshank, you have the bridge. I’ll be in my ready room. Take us home, please.” 

Captain’s Log – Supplemental

Gul Sarvek and his ship the Krevak are on their way back to Cardassia Prime with fresh power cells and a decent supply of rations. I can only hope for his sake he receives a hero’s welcome when he gets home. Subject Epsilon has been terminated, and sent back to the planet. We had hoped in vain when we brought it onboard that it could have been rehabilitated, but that mistake cost us the life of Nurse Pelham, who will be missed. I have forwarded all of the relevant information on to Starfleet Command, and it is up to them now to decide whether they should be sealed or not, though I suspect we won’t hear about the Winslow or Project Epsilon again. The Leif Erikson is currently headed to our new home at Starbase 86 for a crew rotation and resupply, and we should be arriving in a few weeks. Let’s hope, for our crew’s sake, they are quiet. It appears I am late for a date in the lounge. End log.