Lifeforce: A Star Trek Discovery Horror Story

A Tale of Terror (I)

Captains Log, Stardate 3125.8

A Federation sensor beacon has detected an unknown object of massive size. It appears to be moving under its own power at sublight speeds, however it has somehow evaded detection by any Federation ships or outposts along its trajectory. I'm diverting the Yamanaka from its previous course to investigate....

Captains Log, Stardate 3125.9

We've taken up a parallel course with the object. It's immense. Sensors put it at nearly two-hundred and fifty kilometers at length. Scans are unable to penetrate the object, but it appears to be under the control of some type of intelligence. So far, it has shown no sign that it is aware of our presence. All hails go unanswered. Since our transporters are unable to penetrate the hull, I've ordered an exploration team to try and board the craft...

Captains Log, Supplemental:

...immense...the interior...mostly empty space...there's no internal layout as we understand it. No decks or quarters...my god, are those...Yamanaka, I think we've located the crew, or the residents...like nothing we've encountered before...the tricorder doesn't recognize them as any known race in the Federation's databases...Stand by...what are those? How could...Yamakana, prepare a research lab. We're bring back specimens, and...we've discovered human bodies...they seem still alive, I think...have medical teams standing by...

Captains Log, Stardate 3126.4

We are maintaining course and speed with the craft until we can get long-range communications up and can inform Starfleet of this discovery. While we have made no further expeditions to the ship, the crew remains on edge. Commander Collins is deeply critical of my decision to bring back specimens of the ship's crew as well as the men and the woman we found in stasis there. He has made it clear that he will be filing his official protest with Starfleet as soon as we re-establish communications.

Captains Log, Stardate 3126.6

The systems failures have spread throughout Yamanaka. I am forced to confront the fact that the overwhelming evidence points to a member of the crew as a saboteur. If this is the case, it should be a relatively easy matter of identifying the guilty party. More troubling are the mysterious cases of fatigue that are crippling my crew. Doctor T'Lok has been unable to ascertain the cause of the affliction, and internal sensors and bio filters have detected no alien contaminants. I am hopeful we can get long-rage communications online in short order, and can broadcast a distress call...

Captains Personal Log, Stardate 3126.9

I have to offload the crew. The surviving crew. They will drain them all, I know it. Their needs are so...prodigious...I have to take care of the crew now, while I still have the will to do so. While I still care.

Captains Personal Log, Stardate 3127.2

They don't understand. They couldn't possibly understand. They've never felt a love like this, a love so intense that it's like standing naked before a star. The kind of love that will make you do anything, anything at all...

There had been more log entries at some point, but they'd been scrubbed, and Landry didn't have access to the equipment necessary to recover them. "Goddamn it," she swore quietly at the inexpressive screen before her. "You were supposed to make this whole situation make more sense, not less. Now what the hell does any of this mean?" Frustration was bubbling up in her. Every step she took just seemed to throw more mysterious in her path and it had stopped being fun hours ago. She seriously considered blasting the comms station just let off some steam. She rested her hand on the grip of her laser gun.

"Lieutenant?" King's slightly breathless voice came over her suit's speaker.

"Go for Landry."

"We got the transporters functional, and, uh, they're beaming someone over."

"What? Who?"

"I don't...It looks like..." His voice was replaced by Warrener's gruff bark.

"The thing was pre-set to activate once it became operational. Coordinates are about twenty meters off the port bow."

Close enough to be within their shields, Landry thought. "I'll be right down there."

"They're not beaming in here, Lieutenant."

"What? Where—" She broke off as a brilliant column of light appeared in the center of the bridge, then coalesced into a human form. A moment later, a compact Asian woman stood before her, eyes darting about the bridge, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Captain Paredes," Landry said. "Welcome back."

The woman's endless, dark eyes locked on her like a firing solution. "We've got to get out of here," she panted. "Before they find us!"