Living in box

Posted on Wed Sep 24th, 2025 @ 4:49am by Captain Mac Sullivan & Lieutenant Alijas Dyrgen
Edited on on Wed Sep 24th, 2025 @ 5:17am

2,375 words; about a 12 minute read

Mission: Regula Gambit
Location: Space Lab Regula One
Summary:
Timeline: Mission Day 1 at 0000

[Space Lab Regula One]

The cards slapped against the makeshift table as Reeves dealt another hand, the security team's laughter echoing through the cramped quarters they'd set up in Regula One's auxiliary lab. Weeks of this assignment had worn down their initial vigilance to a dull routine of waiting while their "specialist" did whatever it was he did with those Genesis databases.

"Full house, ladies and gentlemen," Rodriguez declared, slapping down a winning hand while Chen groaned and Morrison muttered something about "damn lucky streaks." Reeves was already shuffling for the next round, and even Ka'rel's stoic expression showed the faintest hint of what might have been amusement.

Behind them, unnoticed, a proximity sensor began its silent red pulse on the wall display.

"Hey Dyrgen," Reeves called over, shuffling the deck again. "Thought you cracked Marcus's encryption yesterday. Shouldn't the database recovery be complete by now?"

"You're more than welcome to give it a try, Mister Reeves," Dyrgen called back. Truth be told, he didn't so much mind the security officer's jabs...except that they called attention to a fact which, increasingly, proving a frustration to him - namely, that he had yet to access the database. It was clear that Dr. Marcus was an intelligent man. Not only had he been one of the driving forces behind Genesis, he had also had the foresight to plan ahead for the protection of their work (at least insofar as their digital security was concerned). But this kind of coding wasn't his area of expertise (or anyone else's on the team, either, as far as Dyrgen was aware). The breakthrough from the previous afternoon should have given him the access he needed...but it hadn't.

Leaning back in his chair, Dyrgen closed his eyes and tried to clear his head. He had to remember he wasn't just dealing with the raw coding here. The science team had dumped everything rather hastily ahead of Reliant's arrival, meaning they likely did not have the time to fully implement whatever security protocols were in place. On top of that, there was evidence that Khan's followers had made several (rather clumsy) attempts to 'brute force' their way into the files, despite not being familiar with the technology or the system. Either of those circumstances could have explained why he wasn't seeing what he'd hoped to when he'd signed on that morning.

Ka'rel's pointed ears twitched almost imperceptibly as he laid down his cards. While his human colleagues continued their banter about Rodriguez's apparent luck, the Vulcan's enhanced hearing had detected something they had missed: a subtle electronic pulsing that did not belong to the ambient hum of the research station's systems.

"Curious," Ka'rel murmured, his dark eyes scanning the room methodically until they settled on the wall display behind Morrison's shoulder.

"What's curious?" Chen asked, following the Vulcan's gaze. "Besides Rodriguez's sudden streak of..." His words died as he too spotted the blinking red light on the proximity sensor. "Oh, hell."

Reeves was on his feet instantly, his casual demeanor evaporating as years of security training kicked in. "Ka'rel, how long has that been active?"

"Approximately four point seven minutes," the Vulcan replied with characteristic precision, already moving toward the sensor console. "A vessel is approaching the station, no identification beacon, and since the communications array failed last week, I am unable to hail them from here."

Morrison swept the cards off the makeshift table in one fluid motion, while Rodriguez and Chen quickly began checking their equipment. The weeks of boredom had just ended with the kind of abrupt reality check that made security teams earn their pay.

"Could be a supply run that lost comms," Rodriguez suggested hopefully, though his hand was already resting on his phaser.

"Or it could be someone who doesn't want to be identified," Reeves countered grimly. "Ka'rel, get me a visual on whatever's out there."

Ka'rel's fingers moved efficiently over the sensor controls, his expression remaining neutral even as the readings became more concerning. "The approaching vessel is approximately two thousand kilometers and closing. Configuration suggests a small transport or courier vessel. However, its approach vector is... unconventional."

"Define unconventional," Reeves said tersely, his focus entirely on the small display screen as Ka'rel worked to get them a visual.

"They are approaching from the station's ventral blind spot, utilizing the asteroid field for concealment," Ka'rel reported. "This suggests either intimate knowledge of Regula One's sensor array... or deliberate intent to avoid detection."

Reeves felt his jaw tighten. After weeks of routine boredom, his instincts were screaming that this was no coincidental supply run or lost courier. "Right, that's it. Rodriguez, get to the shuttle now. Get a message to Starfleet Command. Tell them we've got unidentified visitors and our situation may be compromised. Use the emergency channels. And try to warn off that approaching ship while you're at it."

"On it, boss," Rodriguez replied, already moving toward the door.

"Chen, Morrison, break out the equipment locker. I want everyone armed and ready in two minutes. Ka'rel, keep tracking that ship and give me updates every thirty seconds." Reeves turned toward where Dyrgen was still hunched over the Genesis database terminals. "Dyrgen! We've got company coming, and I don't think they're here for a social visit. You need to arm yourself and be ready to move if this goes sideways."

The security chief's voice carried the kind of authority that came from years of dealing with situations that could turn deadly in an instant. Whatever was approaching Regula One, they weren't taking any chances.

A dozen thoughts swirled through Dyrgen's mind as Reeves issued orders to his team. Only moments earlier, he had been trying to put himself in the headspace of the station's scientists (trying to parse out what they were thinking when they attempted to wipe the database), in the hopes that it would help him figure out how to access it. Now, he didn't have to wonder. He was experiencing it first-hand. The clock was ticking, and already, they were behind...

Dyrgen did his best to remain focused on the task at hand. There was no sense in continuing his attempts to break through the encryption, as the unknown vessel would reach them before he'd made any meaningful progress. Likewise, there really was no way for him to download the files at this point, as they were much too large to fit on his tricorder (and he had not prepared the data transfer unit). That left only one thing - making it as difficult as possible for anyone else to access it. He immediately set about backing out of the avenues he'd opened into the system, throwing in a roadblock or two of his own as he worked to shut it down.

"Dyrgen!" Reeves barked, his voice sharp with urgency. "Forget about whatever the hell you're trying to do and arm yourself! We need every phaser ready now!

"Yes, yes," Dyrgen replied, "I know..."

With one hand, he continued to manipulate the interface, while the other reached for his tricorder and the phaser that had been set down on the console next to him. He held both devices against the side of his chest, rising slowly to his feet as he entered another sequence of commands.

Ka'rel's fingers flew over the sensor controls, his usual Vulcan composure showing the first signs of strain. "The vessel is closing rapidly. One thousand kilometers and decreasing. The station's sensors are... inadequate, but I believe their weapons systems are charged and prepared to fire."

Just then, Rodriguez's voice crackled over the hand communicator clipped to Reeves's belt. "Boss, this is Rodriguez. Everything's being jammed. I can't get through to—" His transmission cut off in a piercing scream just as the entire station lurched violently to one side.

Emergency lighting flickered as the overhead illumination failed, casting the room in intermittent red shadows. Through the deck plating, they could feel the deep rumble of massive structural damage somewhere near the docking bay.

"The shuttle..." Chen whispered, steadying himself against a console.

Another blast rocked the station, this one closer, sending equipment tumbling across the room as Regula One groaned under the assault. Ka'rel gripped his console tightly, his knuckles white against his green-tinged skin.

"They are targeting the docking bay," the Vulcan reported grimly. "It appears they wish to ensure we cannot escape."

A third impact sent a shuddering vibration through the station's superstructure, and suddenly every console, every display, every system indicator winked out of existence. The normal hum of the station's power grid died with a mechanical sigh, leaving only the dim red glow of emergency lighting and the whisper of minimal life support systems.

Dyrgen's console went dark mid-command, the Genesis database interface vanishing into electronic oblivion. The room fell into an eerie, deathly silence broken only by the distant groan of stressed metal and the soft hiss of air recyclers operating on backup power.

For a long moment, nobody moved. The security team stood frozen in the crimson twilight, weapons half-drawn, listening to the alien quiet that had replaced the familiar background noise of a functioning space station.

Ka'rel was the first to break the silence, pulling his tricorder from his belt with practiced efficiency. The device's soft chirping seemed unnaturally loud in the hushed atmosphere as he began scanning. "Four life signs," he reported quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "Humanoid. They have boarded the station at docking port seven." He paused, adjusting the tricorder's settings. "One human male, one Orion female, one Andorian, and..." his eyebrow raised slightly, "one Nausicaan."

Reeves felt his blood run cold. Nausicaans didn't travel with mixed crews unless serious money was involved. And Genesis technology was worth more than serious money; it was worth starting wars over. He looked around at his team in the dim red emergency lighting. Chen and Morrison had managed to retrieve exactly two hand phasers from the equipment locker before the power died. Two phasers against four armed boarders, including a Nausicaan. They were going to die. There was no question about that.

But they didn't all have to die.

His eyes fell on the storage containers stacked against the far wall—the same boxes Khan had used to conceal Captain Terrell and Chekov during his takeover of Reliant. The crates had some kind of shielding that made them nearly invisible to most scanners. They wouldn't fool a Starfleet tricorder at close range, but civilian equipment would have to get very lucky to detect anything inside.

It would have to do.

Moving quickly, Reeves snatched Ka'rel's tricorder and grabbed Dyrgen by the arm, pulling him toward the nearest crate. "Get in," he ordered, sliding open the container's door.

Dyrgen opened his mouth to protest.

"Shut up," Reeves hissed, shoving the communications officer into the container and pulling the phaser from Dyrgen's grip. "We're trying to save your life. We'll make a good show of it, no matter what happens to us, but you don't make a sound. Understand?"

Ka'rel moved closer, his voice barely audible. "The automated distress signal may have transmitted before the jamming began. However, the nearest Starfleet vessel is at minimum twenty-six hours away."

Reeves nodded grimly and slid the container door shut, then turned to face his remaining team. Chen and Morrison stood ready with their phasers, while Ka'rel had drawn his own weapon. Now they each had a phaser—four security officers preparing to make their last stand.

"All right, people," Reeves whispered, checking his phaser's power cell. "Let's give them hell."

[[SIX-AND-A-HALF HOURS LATER]]

Dyrgen jerked awake. It was difficult to say whether he had actually been sleeping (or simply drifting around that strange place in-between). Either way, he was up now…and he hurt. His arms and legs were tingling. The sudden movement set off a fresh throbbing in his head. And he was pretty sure he’d tweaked his neck trying not to hit it against the side of the container.

Even though his blood was rushing (and he could hear the sound of his heart pumping in his chest), everything else was silent. It had been that way for the better part of the last five hours – silence, punctuated by the occasional crackle of energy, the sound of something clattering to the deck, or a low metallic groaning. He could only imagine what it looked like outside his little hiding place…and he wasn’t sure that he wanted to. The visions in his head were already more than enough.

…which was partly why he had been trying not to fall asleep. Every time he started to drift off, every time he allowed his attention to wander, his mind took him back…

He would recall how, no sooner had Reeves shoved him into his little box, than all hell had broken loose. Shouting, scuffling, energy discharges. Dyrgen had tried to make out what was being said, but it was difficult (what with the insulation of the container and the added noise of the fight). At one point, he thought that maybe they were gaining the upper hand…until he heard the first body fall. Though he could not know for certain, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach told him it was one of their own.

It was followed a few moments later by another body. For a while, he could hear the sound of a single phaser, firing back intermittently in response to the four weapons representing the mysterious attackers. And then, even that one had fallen silent.

Dyrgen forced himself back to the present.

Shifting as best he could within the confines of his hideaway, he reached for one of the two tricorders lying in his lap. At the push of a button, the top portion popped up, and the display activated. Its light was not nearly enough to illuminate the entire inside of the container, but it did give him something to look at. His eyes turned to the readout as he opened up one of the files stored locally on the device’s memory and continued from where he’d left off…

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