Chapter Eleven: They're Coming to Get You, Da'mi'en

 The air was thick and still as the stars cast a dim glow over the field.The late summer humidity hung over everything like a living creature, trying to hold them in place. Some 200 meters away, the run down farmhouse afforded the only shelter. Between two Starfleet officers and that house, there was... movement.

The captain changed his grip on his lirpa, keeping it across his body with the blade low as he tried to sniff the air, hoping to determine the safest path.

"There!" Lieutenant Starr hissed out a rough whisper. 

Da'mi'en spun and pulled up his lirpa. Out of the corner of his eye, he just barely caught the movement of a humanoid form. Before he could swing his weapon, the form was struck through the eye with an arrow, stopping it in its tracks. 

It's partially decomposed face registered a look of mild confusion before the undead opponent slumped to the ground.

"That one was mine, Lieutenant," D'arko whispered.

"Sorry, Captain,"Starr replied with a smirk.

The sound alerted the rest of the hoard surrounding the pair and dozens of shuffling, lumbering ghouls turned and lurched toward them.

"You're welcome to the rest of them, if you like, Sir," Syndella chuckled out loud as she drew another arrow from her quiver, nocking it to her bow and swiftly taking aim and firing in one, fluid motion; the loosed shaft piercing another adversary through the temple.

"Funny, Lieutenant," Captain D'arko said wryly, swinging the blade of his lirpa across the neck of yet another of the shuffling herd, cleanly removing the creature's head, smashing the blunt weight of the other end of the lirpa into another's face.

Da'mi'en's combadge chirped.

"Bridge to D'arko," Klortho's terse voice cut through the current attack.

"Go ahead, Commander," the Captain felt an arrows glance along his right antenna on its way through the throat of another of the coming flesh-eaters.

"Captain, we are twenty minutes from orbit of Wadi homeworld. "

"Acknowledged. Lieutenant Starr and I are on our way."

D'arko sighed  

"Computer, freeze program!"

The undead horde surround the officers immediately paused.

"I'm afraid I'm going to need to take a rain-cheque on this workout, Lieutenant," Captain D'arko said to his security chief.

"Of course, Captain. The duties of Captaincy never end. Computer, save program Starr-sixty eight. End program."

The expected fade-out of the holographically generated scene didn't immediately happen. The horde remained frozen in place, still fully formed.

The captain stepped closer to the nearest virtual ghoul, his antennae perked slightly.

"Computer, "he began.

Suddenly, the creature in front of him lurched back to life, biting D'arko's shoulder with a growl, tearing a chunk of flesh from him. With a howl of rage and pain, D'arko spun his lirpa toward his attacker...

Who had disappeared. 

The glowing emitter grid of the holodeck was all that remained. Starr had already found herself aiming an arrow where the creature had been as the captain's blood dripped heavily to the floor.

Through a pained scowl, Da'mi'en grunted to Lieutenant Starr, "Go to the bridge, tell Commander Klortho I'm in sick bay and then have Chief Crad report to me there."

Bow still in hand, the Security Chief left for the bridge.

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