ROBOTREK:
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THE SURVIVAL POSIT
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A Robotech/Star Trek cross-over
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by
--
Aubry Thonon
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Episode 05
"Q-bic"
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[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]
Picard: What game are you playing now?
Q: You do not listen Jean-Luc - that has always been your
problem. This is not *my* game, I am merely an observer.
As should you be.
Picard: We are *not* going to simply sit by and watch a war unfold.
Q: "And thus the native hue of resolution
Is sicklied o'er with the pale cast of thought;..."
[Bright flash of light - Q disappears but his voice lingers on.]
Q: "...And enterprises of great pith and moment..."
[All over the bridge, light go out, panels go dark.]
Q: "...With this regard their currents turn awry,
And lose the name of action." (*)
(*) William Shakespear, 'Hamlet', Act 3, Scene 2
[Opening sequence music.]
Picard (VO): Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the
starship Enterprise. Its on-going mission; to explore
strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new
civilisations, to bodly go where no-one has gone before.
[Opening sequence.]
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]
[Title: Q-bic.]
Thornely: Invid Assault Carrier defolding complete.
Max: Main batteries, fire at will. Energise Pin-point Barrier
System. Rick, sit down and keep quiet.
Rick: Huh?
Max: My ship, my show. And Lisa would kill me if I let anything
happen to you.
Rick: I don't know what you mean.
Max: You trying to tell me you weren't thinking about tiptoeing
down to Bay 5 and commandeering a Veritech?
Rick: ...
Max: Thought so.
Bernard: Range co-ordinates are in. Main turrets firing, bringing
ship around for Main Gun to bear...
Srepde: Delta and Omega squadron to launching positions. Green and
Indigo squadron to section twelve...
Thornely: Incoming fire, seven seconds. Enemy mecha in active range.
Max: Srepde, launch all squadrons.
Srepde: All squadron, launch. Defensive maneuver.
Rick: Status report on the Zentraedi cruiser.
Linerva: Computer tags it as the Qistra-Hesp. It was reported to
have been lost during the Zentraedi rebellion against
Edwards. Obviously, it was not destroyed.
Max: Obviously. Did we get all of the base's personel of the
planet?
Srepde: Yes sir, but...
Max: But?
Srepde: They had been transfered to the Garfish, sir. There was
more room for them there.
Max: Great, just great.
[Ext. shot, Mordred above planet. Beams of energy lance past it, one
connecting with an AA turret.]
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]
Linerva: Enemy fire from six O'clock low. They're behind the planet.
Max: How'd they hit us?
Linerva: Computer says they used the difraction effect from the
planet's atmosphere to hit us.
Rick: That's not normal Invid tactics. It's not even Zentraedi
tactics.
Max: Take a look outside, Rick - this is not your normal
everyday scrape.
[Mordred Bridge shakes.]
Max: Shields up.
[Large plates of metal descend on the Bridge's windows and enclose them.
A large display screen comes to life.]
Max: This is not looking good.
[Ext. shot, space. Large number of mecha are flying in loose formation.
There are Valkyries, Alphas, Qedlunn-rau and others in the formation.
Camera focuses on two Quedlunn-rau.]
Worf: How are you doing, Commander?
Riker: Not too bad, but I get the feeling this cockpit was jury-
rigged.
Worf: I have the same feeling. It seems these controls were not
the original design for this craft. Nonetheless, they
suffice.
Riker: Yeah? Well don't get too used to them. First chance we
get, we break for the Enterprise.
Worf: Commander!
Riker: That's an order, Worf. This is no time to think about
Honour and a glorious death. We want to avoid loss of
life, remember?
Worf: Yes, Commander.
Derini (VO): Attention all Qedlunn-rau pilots. Your target is the
accused micron ship Mordred. The other pods will keep the
micron's veritechs occupied. There is no movement from the
white ship, but keep an eye on it all the same. Fullfil
the Imperative!
Riker: A little bloodthirsty, isn't it?
Worf: I find her rather... refreshing.
Riker: !?
Work: For an alien, of course.
Riker: Of course.
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]
Picard: Dammit Q, return power to my ship!
Q: Why, Captain, you know I can't do that.
Picard: Why not?
Troy: Captain, I sense a sort of duplicity from Q. He's hiding
something.
Data: Even if we did have power, our weapons where not meant for
use against thousands of small crafts. We would not be
able to lock onto and destroy them fast enough to prevent
our own demise. As our previous encounter showed, these
Invid have a way of overloading our shields faster than we
can deal with them.
Picard: So we have no options but to sit and wait?
Data: Essentially. However..
Picard & Q: Yes?
Data: ...
Picard: Go ahead, Data.
Data: In my spare time, I have been reviewing the Moriarty
Holodeck program in an attempt to isolate the events that
brought him to life. My search in this area has proven
fruitless so far, but I have discovered something which may
be of use. During his time on the Holodeck, Professor
Moriarty wrote several treatices, including one titled
"Dynamics of an asteroid."
Geordi: I remember that. According to the Doyle stories, Moriarty
was a genius in several fields, including Mathematics. But
Doyle only named a few of his papers - chief amongst them
was the "Dynamics". In Doyle's world, the paper was
suppressed by the Scientific community. No-one knows for
sure what the paper was about.
Data: That is essentially correct. Another writer, Isaac Asimov,
several decades later wrote a story based upon the mystery
behind the title of the paper. The final analysis was that
the paper described, in details, the final moments of a
planet situated in orbit around the Earth's Sun between
Mars and Jupiter, and that the reason for the suppression
of the paper was the mathematics explaining how to
reproduce these events.
Picard: Moriarty had written a paper on how to destroy a planet?
Data: Essentially.
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge. Smoke fills the air.]
Bernard: Heavy casualties on decks Five through Twenty, section
twelve.
Bron: Main engines have taken a direct hit. I'll have to take
them off-line or they'll go critical.
Max: The Fold System?
Bron: Still operational - but don't let them give us any more
love-bumps like that last one.
Max: No promises.
Thornely: I don't get this. Zentraedi and Invids are as close to
hereditary enemies as you can get. Why aren't they blowing
each other out of the sky?
Rick: The answer's simple - they hate us more than they hate each
other.
[Ext. shot, Mecha battle port of Mordred.]
Riker: Mister Worf, are you ready?
Worf: Yes, Commander. There is a manual airlock on Deck twelve.
If we can reach that, we should be able to get into the
Enterprise.
Riker: And the suits?
Worf: We *will* have to abandon them. However, the emergency
oxygen supply and masks we have been provided should give
us sufficient protection during our transfer.
Riker: You know, I'm kind of sad. I was begining to like this
oversize puppet.
Worf: ...
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]
Geordi: No wonder the paper was supressed. Imagine what would
happen if a way of destroying a planet was made public.
Picard: We don't have to imagine it. Doyle had Moriarty, Starfleet
had the Genesis Project.
Q: Yes, Humans and Klingons came so close to declaring war on
one another. Only your Captain Kirk pulled you back from
the brink, didn't he? A pity he died so tragically in space.
Picard: Q, get off my ship!
Q: No. And you can't make me.
Picard: Continue, Data.
Data: Thank you, Captain. As I was saying, I have found this
treatise within our computer banks and proceeded to read
it. It is quite simple to follow and does indeed give
specific directions on how to destroy a planet of medium
size.
Geordi: How would that help us?
Data: We may not be able to shoot the enemy crafts, but we may be
able to catch the majority of them in a blast of planetary
proportion. With your help, I am certain I could replicate
Professor Moriarty's directions.
Troy: What about the crew on the planet's outpost? Surely that
would kill them.
Picard: They were evacuated after the first attack. That is an
intriguing idea, Data.
Data: But one which must, nonetheless, remain so. Without power,
it would be impossible for us to proceed.
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]
Bernard: Captain, I have an incoming transmition from the Invid
ship.
Max: On screen.
[Main screen on bridge flickers, then steadies to show an Invid standing in
front of a Living Computer (an oversized brain).]
Phsaq: I am Phsaq, Commander of the Invid Assault Carrier
Dephinar. For historical purposes, I must ask you to
surrender.
Max: And with all due respect, Commander, for historical
purposes: "Nuts!" Mordred out.
Rick: I do believe this is the first time I've ever heard an
Invid *ask* for a surrender.
Max: Yes, they generally demand you do so.
Rick: I wonder why the sudden change in heart?
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge. Turbo-lift doors open and Riker and
Worf step out of it.]
Troy: Will!
Picard: Number One! Mister Worf! Where have you been?
Riker: It's a long story, Captain.
Picard: I'll expect to see it in your report tomorrow.
Riker: Yes, Sir.
Worf: Excuse me Captain, but why is the Enterprise sitting here
with its power cut off?
Picard: Courtesy of Q.
Q: Always a pleasure, Jean-Luc. Or is that "Jeen-Luck"?
Picard: Q, You're getting on my nerves!
Q: Temper, temper. Remember, you're here as guests.
Picard: Yes... and so are you.
Q: Jean-Luc? What are you up to?
Picard: You are a guest here, same as we are. You made a point of
telling us that we were here as observers. But so are you.
Isn't that right, Q?
Q: Well, I wouldn't quite-
Picard: And if someone, or something, can impose such a condition
on you, surely even you would not dare break it. Isn't
that so?
Q: There is nothing I cannot do!
Riker: Is that so?
Q: Yes.
Riker: Then, get lost!
Q: ...
Picard: Mister Data, I want you to start work on the Moriarty
equations. Mister Worf, open a hailing frequency to the
Mordred.
Troy: But Captain, we don't have any -
Worf: Hailing frequency open, Captain.
Picard: It was all a show, wasn't it Q? You could not interfere in
this Universe, you said so yourself. You're not allowed to
interfere - even with the spectators.
Q: Trust me, Captain - it would be better for you to remain on
our host's good side.
Picard: Why should I believe you, Q? You've been lying to us all
the time. Mister Worf, on screen. And Q...?
Q: Yes?
Picard: Get off my ship.
Q: Well!
[Bright flash of light, Q disappears. At the same time, Max's face appears
on the Bridge's screen.]
Max: You rang?
Picard: Captain, we are about to attempt to make the planet we are
orbiting explode. I would suggest that staying in this
vicinity would not be a good idea.
Max: Reading you loud and clear. How long do we have?
Data: The planet will begin to desrupt in exactly six minutes
from... now. A safety distance of 36 Astronomical Units
would be advisable.
Max: Thank you for the hint. Mordred out.
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]
Max: All hands to Fold positions. Engineering, I want as much
power diverted to the Fold engine as you can spare. You
have five minutes to achieve potential.
Bron: But...
Max: Five minutes, Bron. If you can't do it in five, don't
bother writing a resume - you won't be alive long enough to
use it. Srepde?
Srepde: Yes Captain.
Max: Pass the word along to the surviving squadrons. In four
minutes I want them to break off their attack and land on
the Mordred's hull. Anybody who doesn't is liable to be
left behind. Thornely?
Thornely: Captain?
Max: Try to bring us closer to the Enterprise and put us between
it and the attacking ships. The last thing we want is for
the Enterprise to be blown up while she's trying to win
this one for us.
Thornely: Aye aye, Captain.
Max: Move it, people. Time's a-wasting!
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]
Geordi: The theory is pretty simple. We extend our warp field
backwards until it encompasses the core of the planet, then
move the ship into Warp. The resulting backlash should
disrupt the core of the planet, resulting in its explosing
roughly fourteen seconds later.
Data: The only danger comes from our being caught in the
gravitational horizon of the planet itself. A feedback
from our warp engine may emplify it beyond our capacity for
escape. However, the chances of this happening are minute.
Picard: Make it so.
Riker: All hands to battle-stations. Red alert.
[Int. shot, Qistra-Hesp Bridge.]
Siniya: Kalidar, the micron ship is preparing for a fold.
Magiso: Fold trackers, lock on micron ship. Bring Fold system up
to potential. Prepare for crash fold-entry. All squadrons
to return. And shoot those engines!
[Int. shot, Dephinar Bridge.]
Brain: Fold potential is increasing geometrically within the enemy
ship. Meltran ship bringing their Fold engines on-line.
Probable cause: escape by target craft.
Phsaq: Recall all crafts. Prepare to enter Fold.
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]
Bron (VO): Maximum Fold potential achieved.
Srepde: All Veritechs within Fold Horizon.
Linerva: Planet core beginning to break up. Explosion imminent.
Thornely: Enemy ships preparing for Fold!
Max: Initiate Fold procedures!
[Ext. shot, Mordred. Ship begins to glow, then triple-shift.]
[Ext. shot, Qistra-Heps. Ship begins to glow, then triple-shift.]
[Ext. shot, Dephinar. Ship begins to glow, then triple-shift.]
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Shuttle Bay. Fold engine begins to glow.]
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]
Data: Planetary core beginning to give way. Warp engines steady.
Geordi: We can't keep it up for much longer, Data. Core
temperature is reaching critical.
Data: Five more seconds.
VO: Security to Bridge.
Data: Shutting down Warp field.
Picard: Picard here.
VO: Captain, the Fold engine in the Main Shuttle Bay has
started to glow, sir. We think something may have
activated it.
Picard: Data?
Data: Scanning.
Scanners detect the presence of three overlapping Fold
fields. I would suggest the Fold engine in the Shuttle Bay
is reacting to these fields.
Riker: Which means?
Data: Unknown, at present. However, if things continue the way
they are, we will initiate a fold at the same time as the
other ships - but I do not know to where.
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge.]
Bron (VO): Captain, the engines have gone wild, something's
interfering with them.
Linerva: Astrogation confirms. I can't lock down Fold
co-ordinates.
Max: Can you locate the interference?
Bernard: There are strong Fold fields emmanating from the Zentraedi
and Invid ships. However, the interference is comming from
the Enterprise.
Max: The Enterprise?
Rick: The Fold engine they picked up!
Max: Helm, can you compensate?
Thornely: Negative, Captain. We're going in wild!
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Bridge.]
Data: Mordred initiating Fold.
Riker: All hands, brace for impact.
[Ext. shot, Mordred winks out of existence.]
[Ext. shot, Qistra-Hesp winks out of existence.]
[Ext. shot, Dephinar winks out of existence.]
[Int. shot, Enterprise Main Shuttle Bay. Fold Engine triple-shifts.]
[Ext. shot, Enterprise winks out of existence.]
[Ext. shot, different starfield. Enterprise winks into existence.]
Picard: Mister Worf, damage report.
Worf: Minor damage to exterior bulkheads around the Main Shuttle
Bay. No casualties.
Data: I have Starfleet's time markers on-line again... We have
been gone for a total of one point three four eight seconds.
VO: Security to Captain Picard.
Picard: Picard here.
VO: Captain, the Fold engines have disappeared. They vanished
from the Bay right after the Fold.
Picard: Mister Worf, Mister LaForge. If you would investigate,
please? Mister Data, re-align our computers to the time-
marker and lay out a course for Noltim VII - we are awaited
with, I am sure, great impatience.
Data: Are we not reporting this incident to Starfleet, sir?
Picard: We have no proof, Commander. I have a strong feeling we
won't find the Fold engines again, and no-one is likely to
believe us anyway - even with the log records on our side.
No, Mister data, this one we log under "inexplicable and
unreproducible" and continue on our way.
Data: Course laid in for Noltim VII, Warp Factor 2.
Picard: Engage.
[Int. shot, Mordred Bridge. Smoke fills the air and sparks emit from
various consoles.]
Max: Damage report!
Thornely: Helm sluggish. We've got some response, but don't ask for
anything fancy.
Linerva: Sensors are out, radar is out. We're blind, sir.
Max: Bron?
Bron: The main engines are off line, and I'll want to do a
complete check on the Fold System before we use it again.
We're currently running on batteries and auxilliary
thruster controls.
Thornely: Great. No wonder she's sluggish.
Srepde: All squadrons have reported heavy casualties, but we only
lost two Veritechs in the Fold.
Rick: We're doing better than I expected.
Bernard: Captain, I'm getting a message on a hyperwave carrier.
It's not one of ours, but it's not Zentraedi or Invid.
Audio only.
Max: On speaker.
VO: ...are on a collision course with us, pull up! This is
Babylon 5 Control to unidentified ships. You are on a
collision...
[Ext. shot, Mordred, Qistra-Hesp and Dephinar falling towards Babylon 5
station.]
Neoculture (Crash-Test Dummy On The Information SuperHighway)
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Dans le froid glace de l'Olympe noir | Dans le vide de l'espace infernal -
Les Dieux malins ont en vain | Fatigue, lasse, vainqueur -
Use de leur puissance, leurs pouvoirs| Ulysse pres d'une Aurore Boreale
Contre Ulysse 31. | Rechauffe un peu son coeur.
-------------------------------------+-------- Aubry.Thonon@qed.qld.gov.au