Star Trek Prometheus -Fire with Fire Read online

  CONTENTS

  Cover

  Also available from Titan Books

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Dedication

  Prologue

  1

  2

  3

  4

  5

  6

  7

  8

  9

  10

  11

  12

  13

  14

  15

  16

  17

  18

  19

  20

  21

  22

  23

  24

  25

  26

  27

  28

  29

  30

  31

  32

  33

  34

  35

  36

  37

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  About the Authors

  Appendix

  Also by Bernd Perplies & Christian Humberg

  STAR TREKTM

  PROMETHEUS

  FIRE WITH FIRE

  Also available from Titan Books

  Star Trek Prometheus:

  The Root of All Rage (May 2018)

  In the Heart of Chaos (November 2018)

  STAR TREKTM

  PROMETHEUS

  FIRE WITH FIRE

  BERND PERPLIESCHRISTIAN HUMBERG

  Based on Star Trek and Star Trek: The Next Generation created

  by Gene Roddenberry, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine created by

  Rick Berman & Michael Piller, Star Trek: Voyager created by

  Rick Berman & Michael Piller & Jeri Taylor

  TITAN BOOKS

  Star Trek Prometheus: Fire with Fire

  Print edition ISBN: 9781785656491

  E-book edition ISBN: 9781785656507

  Published by Titan Books

  A division of Titan Publishing Group Ltd

  144 Southwark Street, London SE1 0UP

  First edition: November 2017

  1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. The publisher does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for author or third-party websites or their content.

  ™ & © 2016, 2017 CBS Studios Inc. STAR TREK and related marks and logos are trademarks of CBS Studios Inc. All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

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  To all fans worldwide,

  you have kept Star Trek alive… since 1966

  PROLOGUE

  STARDATE 1966.9

  U.S.S. Valiant, exploring the Lembatta Cluster

  Space, the final frontier.

  The universe was formed almost fourteen billion years ago from a single point, expanding to a diameter of more than ninety billion light years. The Milky Way, home galaxy of the United Federation of Planets, is but one of the tiny, bright specks within this black void.

  The Federation was formed in 2161, a union of peace-loving races that had explored a tiny fraction of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants during the century since its founding. Still, every passing day starships and their crews pushed the boundaries further into uncharted territories on a mission to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before.

  One such ship was the Constitution-class cruiser, the U.S.S. Valiant. She hadn’t advanced to the outer frontiers of known space yet. Much to her newly promoted captain’s dismay, the Valiant had been assigned the task of charting and cataloging the discoveries of others.

  The crew members under the command of Science Officer Linda Nozawa eagerly fulfilled their duties, but Captain Jeremy Haden found that this journey did not live up to the expectations he had harbored regarding his first assignment after his promotion to command of a starship. His hope was that they would face a greater challenge once they had finished their current charting expedition in about three weeks’ time.

  In the meantime, he gratefully welcomed any distraction— such as the transmission from an old friend from Starfleet Academy that they had received as part of their latest data package from Starfleet Command.

  Following the end of his shift, Haden returned to his cabin, dimmed the lights, and poured himself a glass of Saurian brandy. Raising his glass, he inserted the red data chip his communications officer had provided into the desk’s computer console.

  The display flickered to life, showing the Federation’s emblem—white stars surrounded by stylized laurel branches before a blue backdrop. Then the image shifted to that of a human the same age as Haden, clad in the gold uniform of command.

  “Jim Kirk,” Haden said in a low voice.

  James Tiberius Kirk, captain of the U.S.S. Enterprise, smiled, as if he’d heard Haden say his name, though of course it was a prerecorded message. Both the Enterprise and the Valiant were too far out in deep space for direct communications— with each other, or with Starfleet Command.

  Haden had always envied Kirk’s smile. Sometimes it seemed boyish and innocent; sometimes it was suave and charming. Haden had felt instantly comfortable in Kirk’s presence when they had met during a party on Baker Beach in San Francisco as cadets.

  Today, his smile expressed sincere delight and appreciation, along with a certain mischievous twinkle in his eyes. “I heard congratulations are in order, Jerry. Captain of the Valiant. You really deserve that promotion. Now the easy life in the backseat is over and you get to be responsible for your own starship. Headquarters will keep you inundated with paperwork, and you’ll have to be wary of any Klingon who might get the bright idea to pick a fight.” The smile fell, and his expression turned grave. “Most important, though, is that you will be responsible for the lives of four hundred men and women.” Kirk’s smile came back. “Still, it does have its merits. You get your own yeoman—which will help with that paperwork that I mentioned—and you can lead the landing parties.” Kirk raised his left arm, showing off the gold bars on the cuff that indicated his rank. “These three gold stripes make an impression anywhere in the galaxy.”

  Haden looked down at his own cuff, where he had his own matching rank insignia.

  “Still, don’t expect too much of the first few months as captain. Starfleet has a habit of sending their new commanders on journeys that Zefram Cochrane definitely did not have in mind when he said we should boldly go where no man has gone before.” Tilting his head Kirk chuckled and looked at his friend. “To give you an idea, when Admiral Noguchi appointed me captain of the Enterprise, my assignment was to ferry a bunch of vaudevillians through the sector! Maybe you’ve heard of the Warp-Speed Classic Vaudeville Company of Amelia Lukarian.” He shook his head. “You really don’t w
ant to know what a starship looks like when you have all sorts of artists and carnies running around. Anyway, I sincerely hope your first mission is different… more meaningful and—”

  A chime interrupted the message, followed by the voice of Haden’s friend, first officer, and helmsman, Mark Edwards. “Bridge to Captain.”

  Placing his glass on the desk, Haden stopped the replay, and pressed a button on the table’s surface. “This is Haden. What’s up?”

  “Captain, you might want to come to the bridge. Lieutenant Nozawa has discovered something strange.”

  “On my way.” Haden’s brandy and Kirk’s message were quickly forgotten as he rose to his feet and hurried out of his quarters and into a waiting turbolift.

  Where Kirk had had a vaudeville company for his first mission, Haden at least had something a bit closer to Starfleet’s mission statement, as established by Cochrane, the inventor of warp drive, whom Kirk had quoted. They were cataloguing the Lembatta Cluster, an agglomeration of twenty-four ancient giant stars. Long-range sensors by other starships had found no signs of life, and the nearest spacefaring nation, the Klingon Empire, had evinced no interest in the region. What few civilizations they had encountered on the periphery of this cluster had yet to achieve space travel, and so contact with them was off-limits per Starfleet’s Prime Directive.

  The turbolift soon arrived at the Valiant’s command center. When the door hissed open, Edwards leapt out of the captain’s chair to make room for his superior officer. Haden settled into his seat while Edwards relieved the ensign at the helm.

  Haden looked at the viewscreen in front of the navigation console. The twenty-four celestial bodies in the cluster menacingly illuminated the nebulae that floated in space between the stars with a red glow. The red glowing dots twinkling from the viewscreen reminded Haden of the eyes of demons from some of Earth’s mythologies. Adding to this impression was the fact that the Valiant’s sensors were frequently jammed by the red giants’ radiation, leading to ghost readings. It was as if something was lurking out there that was hiding from their prying eyes.

  Looking over his left shoulder at the science station, the captain asked, “What have we found, Lieutenant?”

  The petite Japanese woman dressed in the science division’s blue uniform turned to face him. Smooth black hair framed her slender face that was slightly reddened with excitement. “Captain, I’m picking up a very strange radiation in Star System LC-13, which is the system directly ahead of us.”

  “Define ‘strange’ please, Lieutenant.”

  Nozawa shook her head. “I’ve never seen anything like it. It doesn’t fit anywhere into the electromagnetic wave spectrum. The characteristics don’t add up. I could list all the contradictions, but simply put, it’s an unfamiliar energy form that doesn’t match any of the physical parameters of the Lembatta Cluster.”

  “Are you trying to tell me that we have discovered something extraordinary?”

  The scientist nodded. “I’m sure of it.”

  Grinning, the captain turned back to face the viewscreen.

  He glanced at the navigator, Peter Schwartz, who sat to Edwards’s right. “Mr. Schwartz, plot a course to LC-13. Mr. Edwards, warp seven.”

  “Aye, Captain,” both men said in unison.

  “ETA?” asked Haden.

  “Forty minutes,” answered Schwartz.

  “Very good. Drop out of warp when we reach the edge of the system, and then we all keep our eyes peeled. I want to know what caused that radiation, whether it’s natural or a hostile ship.”

  “It’s unlikely to be a ship,” said Nozawa. “No propulsion system is able to emit an energy signature so strong that we could pick it up across this distance, particularly considering the background radiation in the cluster.”

  No known propulsion system, Haden thought with an almost irrational thrill of anticipation while leaning back and crossing his legs. Aloud, he said, “We should still be careful. You never know what’s waiting for us out there.”

  * * *

  An hour later the Valiant assumed a standard orbit around the second planet of System LC-13, which Nozawa had pinpointed as the origin of the strange energy readings. LC-13-II was a reddish-gray planet, slightly smaller than Earth but with greater mass.

  “That’s weird,” said Nozawa. She stood stooped over the science console, the blue glow of the sensor hood bathing her face.

  Haden rose from his command chair and joined her. “What did you find out?”

  Nozawa looked up. “LC-13-II is a remarkably friendly environment. There’s water, vegetation, and an atmosphere that’s breathable, at least for a short period of time. Still, I can’t find any higher life forms down there. It’s possible that there are some lower life forms in the oceans—the background radiation makes it impossible to sense the depths with any clarity. But considering the age of the primary star and the conditions on the planet’s surface, I would have expected to find at least basic forms of fauna to go with the flora.”

  “Is it possible that your strange radiation led to the extinction of all life?”

  “Possible, I suppose, but unlikely. If the radiation had biotoxic effects we wouldn’t find such lush vegetation on the planet’s surface.”

  “Right,” conceded the captain. “Very peculiar.” Thoughtful, he stared at the screen, where the southern continent’s jagged coastline slowly passed by. “Have you been able to locate the source of the radiation?”

  Nozawa nodded. “It seems to originate on the southern continent, and it’s increasing by the minute. We should be right above it any moment now.”

  “Magnify the radiation source on the main viewer, Mr. Schwartz.”

  “Zooming into area,” the navigator said.

  The coastline jolted closer and more details of the landscape became visible. Gray waves lapped against red rocks. Several kilometers inland, Haden saw something that appeared to be the edge of a forest. Amidst the olive green plants, stony structures rose.

  Edwards pointed at the viewscreen. “Jeremy, look at that!”

  “Magnify,” Haden ordered. “Mark, keep us in a geostationary orbit.”

  “Aye, Captain.”

  The silhouettes of the structures grew bigger and more distinct. Haden turned to the science officer. “Any idea what this is, Lieutenant?”

  Taking a step forward, Nozawa rested her hands on the red handrail that separated the rear consoles from the command center. “They look like the remains of an ancient city. So there must have been life on LC-13-II, a civilization even.” Excitedly she turned to face Haden. “Sir, with your permission I’d like to inspect those more thoroughly. This might be a xenoarcheological find of epic proportions.”

  “What about the radiation? Is it dangerous for us?”

  “The sensors show no indication of imminent danger, sir, as long as we keep our exposure short. I recommend only an hour on the surface, and then we beam back and rest for a day to make sure there are no ill effects.”

  “Good idea. We’ll also take Doctor Bhahani along with us… just in case.” Haden turned to Edwards.

  Edwards winced from the helm control console. “Oh, no, Jeremy, don’t do that to me.”

  Haden grinned. “I’m sorry, Mark, but someone has to run the ship, and when the captain is away that has to be the first officer. But I promise you, I’ll bring you a pretty stone from the surface as a gift.”

  The blond man grimaced. “Well, thanks a bunch.”

  * * *

  Several minutes later, five figures materialized on the planet’s surface: Haden, Nozawa, the chief medical officer, Doctor Bhahani, and two security guards, Franco and Clarke. The captain and both security men drew their phasers, while Nozawa and Bhahani raised their tricorders. Haden scanned the area with his eyes while his science and medical officers took their readings.

  They stood on the edge of a clearing within a forest consisting of tall, high trees with dark, fernlike fronds. Before them spread the ruins of a complex bui
lt with anthracite stones that reminded Haden of an Aztec temple. Most of the structures were compact, except for the central building, which had been erected in tiers and stretched up to the red and cloudless sky.

  “Look at that,” Haden murmured. “The ruins of a long-lost civilization.”

  Slowly, the landing party made their way toward the stepped pyramid.

  Nozawa pointed her tricorder toward the large structure. “The source of the radiation is directly in front of us.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive.”

  Haden gazed at the complex. Alien symbols had been carved into the heavy stone blocks that formed the foundation. Curiously, while all the other buildings had been covered by vines and a violet ivy, the central structure was not overgrown, its surface untarnished.

  The captain looked at Bhahani. “Doctor, what’s your take on this?”

  The medical officer shrugged. “There’s only one thing I can tell you with any degree of certainty: There are absolutely no higher life forms on LC-13-II. My readings only detect several insect species living in the trees and bushes. Doctor Denning will be very interested in them, for sure.”

  Haden nodded. “We will inform the xenozoological department about the creepy crawlies once we return to the ship. What about the radiation?”

  “It’s too strong for my instruments, Captain. I recommend not exposing ourselves to it for too long.”

  Frowning, Haden said, “You’re not helping very much, Doc.”

  “I’m doing as much as I can, sir,” Bhahani said, “but we are faced with something completely new.”

  “We’re Starfleet officers—we’re always faced with something completely new.” The captain was unable to explain why, but the doctor’s response left him annoyed… much more annoyed than would be appropriate. Go easy, he reprimanded himself. “Well, let’s take a closer look at this structure.”

  They walked across shattered stone slabs that probably had been used to pave the walkways between the smaller buildings. Haden wondered if it had been a temple, built to worship some god or other, or perhaps some kind of tomb.