The early morning sun rose over the bustling spires of First City, the capital of Qo'noS. Fireworks still crackled in the upper atmosphere and the rhythmic thrum of ceremonial drums echoed through the streets, signaling the second day of the Tour de la Galaxie.
In a small, ransacked park near the embassy district, the celebration's aftermath was less majestic. Three men were slumped over a stone table littered with empty bottles of vintage bloodwine.
"There you three are," Tegris said, his voice flat and entirely unamused. He approached the toppled forms of Neil, Veirik, and Gaimmak, prepping a medical hypospray with clinical efficiency.
He administered a "Morning After" cocktail to each of them in quick succession. "This will neutralize the ethanol toxins. The Captain wants everyone at their stations before our launch window opens."
"Ugh... my head..." Neil groaned, clutching his temples as the medicine began to hiss through his system. It was, by his estimation, the worst hangover in the history of the Delta Quadrant.
Veirik sat up next. He winced, then his skin began to take on a dull, glowing red hue. His Illyrian augmentations were physically incinerating the impurities in his bloodstream. A few seconds later, the glow faded, and he shook his head, good as new. "Whew! Now that is what I call a party!"
Gaimmack sat up groggily, rubbing his jaw. "I have not feasted like that since I was named Lord of the Bulwark Mountain. I don't remember much of last night... but I remember the… the... hehe... Most of it."
Tegris remained unimpressed. "Regardless of your festive accomplishments, we launch in two hours and twenty-eight minutes. This leg isn't a short one. Get to the ship. Pronto." He clapped his hands sharply to startle them into motion. "And stop by the Melting Pot. Tuvix says he's prepared a 'Breakfast of Champions.'"
—
In high orbit, the USS Nexus sat amidst a sea of contenders. As one of the largest vessels in the fleet, it was already drawing looks from the other captains; the rumor mill had officially dubbed it the "One to Beat."
—
Inside the ship's lounge, the Melting Pot, Tuvix had truly outdone himself.
"I have high-protein fruit smoothies," the galley-keep said enthusiastically, escorting the Captain and their Zakdorn referee, Qiln, along the buffet line. "Scrambled eggs, Hirogen sausage, sautéed Denobulan tubers, and my personal favorite I learned from the Delta Quadrant—Banana Pancakes."
Qiln, the Zakdorn referee, gawked at the spread. "My, my, Captain. This is quite the smorgasbord. Is the Nexus always provisioned with such... luxury?"
Anzyl chuckled as he filled his plate. He knew Qiln was a referee, but he was also a guest. "Not every day, Qiln, but today is special. Tubix likes to make sure the crew is fueled for the long haul."
"Well, eat up, Captain," Qiln said, checking his chronometer. "Your launch window opens soon, and I still need to address the crew regarding the specific parameters of this stage."
—
On the bridge, Captain Praxas took his seat with Neil to his right and Qiln to his left. He signaled Heluna to open a ship-wide channel.
"Good morning, everyone. This is the Captain. It's day two of the race, but today is where the real work begins. Yesterday's sprint was a formality—we're sitting in twelfth place—but today, we climb the ladder. Our guest and referee, Mr. Qiln, has the floor."
Qiln stepped forward, his tone shifting to that of a professional adjudicator. "Today's stage is the 'Beta Bend,' a Time Trial. Ships will launch at one-minute intervals, racing exclusively against the clock. This is also the first elimination stage; only the top sixty-four times will proceed to Stage Three.
From Qo'noS, you will head southwest to the Nakura System. From there, you'll bank north to Risa, continue through the Vulcan system, and finish at Spacedock One in the Sol System. The stage spans eight sectors.
Again, Maximum warp is capped at 9.990. No transwarp. No weapons fire against other racers."
Veirik leaned forward. "And if they aren't racers? We're skirting Tholian territory."
Qiln looked at him. "You may defend the ship if absolutely necessary, though I advise against provoking the Assembly."
"And if the other racers shoot first?" Veirik pushed.
"Then I record their signatures and disqualify them on the spot," Qiln replied matter-of-factly.
Anzyl nodded. "You heard the man. All hands, to your stations. Let's queue up."
—
The Nexus crept through the launch queue, one of dozens of giants waiting for their turn. One by one, ships vanished into the distance, their impulse wakes shimmering in the morning light. Finally, the Nexus moved to the front.
"Everyone, steady," Anzyl said. "Lusaalli, the second we get the green, I want full impulse."
"Course locked, Captain. Standing by."
The beacon flashed. Red. Red. Yellow. Green.
"Go!"Anzyl cried out, and the race was on.
The Nexus' impulse engines flared, but the ship was a dreadnought, not a scout. It felt like an eternity for the massive vessel to claw its way up to speed in the vacuum.
"Divert all non-essential power to the engines," Anzyl ordered.
"Structural integrity and deflectors are holding, but I've throttled weapons and auxiliary to ten percent," Keten reported.
"Can we go lower?" Anzyl tapped his comms. "Engineering, I need every Joule we've got. We have eight sectors to burn."
"What does he think we've been doing for a month?" Stitch's voice blurted back over the comms.
"Excuse me, Stitch?" Anzyl asked.
"He means it's already handled, Captain," Tey'un's voice cut in smoothly. "Computer, initiate Protocol: 'Tey'un Go Brr' at the ten-kilometer mark."
Anzyl shared a confused, slightly worried look with Neil.
As the Nexus approached the warp-threshold, the computer chirped: "Activating Tey'un Go Brr."
Instantly, the bridge lights dimmed to an emergency amber. The holodecks, replicators, and internal climate sensors shut down. Even the secondary processors in the science labs went dark. All that remained was life support, the navigational deflector, and the massive thrum of the warp core.
"Weapons and auxiliaries are at zero percent!" Keten shouted over the rising hum. "Deflector at maximum. Engine output is at 178 percent!"
As the ship crossed the threshold, Anzyl gripped his armrests. "Do the thing! Maximum warp!"
The Nexus didn't just move; it vanished.
"Sustaining Warp 9.989742!" Lusaalli called out, her hands flying across the helm. "I've never seen the core handle a load like this without redlining!"
Even Qiln looked impressed. "This is a formidable pace, Captain. But how long can the Nexus maintain this output?"
"Bridge to Engineering," Anzyl said, a grin forming. "Tey'un, how long can we keep this up?"
"As long as we need to," Tey'un replied, his fingers dancing across his console in Main Engineering. "We've spent the last month re-aligning the dilithium flow and tasking the nanites to perform real-time micro-repairs on the housing." He looked at Stitch with a proud grin, "We can do this all day."
Anzyl leaned back, watching the stars blur into a solid tunnel of light. "Then keep her pinned. Helm, steady as she goes. We're heading for Nakura."
"Entering Tholian territory in three minutes," Lusaalli reported.
Anzyl's smile sharpened. "Let's see if they can catch us."