The Star Eagle Adventures: EVS-2 - Crossing Over
- Thread starter CeJay
- Start date
Excellent story - I look forward to how you resolve this conundrum.
I think the "Bajoran Problem" was the beginning of the end for the utopian view of the galaxy for the Federation and Starfleet. The many years of relative peace and quiet had created a sense that any problem could be solved through diplomacy and reason. In a mere decade, the Borg incursion, the return of the Romulans, the Klingon civil war, and of course, the Dominion War changed all that.
The rise of the Maquis was symptomatic of the Bajoran's disillusionment with the Federation's unwillingness to soil their hands until it was nearly too late.
Enough pontificating on my part - you're doing a wonderful job with these short-stories. I envy your ability to capture the various UT characters and portray them so well. Kudos!
I think the "Bajoran Problem" was the beginning of the end for the utopian view of the galaxy for the Federation and Starfleet. The many years of relative peace and quiet had created a sense that any problem could be solved through diplomacy and reason. In a mere decade, the Borg incursion, the return of the Romulans, the Klingon civil war, and of course, the Dominion War changed all that.
The rise of the Maquis was symptomatic of the Bajoran's disillusionment with the Federation's unwillingness to soil their hands until it was nearly too late.
Enough pontificating on my part - you're doing a wonderful job with these short-stories. I envy your ability to capture the various UT characters and portray them so well. Kudos!
“They have come to take away our homes, to enslave our people and mine our world bare. They have killed thousands of our own in their tireless effort to dominate us in every way. Robbing us of our home has not been enough for them. They seek us out wherever we may be, trying to spread their terror, violence and subjugation onto every Bajoran soul in the galaxy.”
Orta’s voice carried undeniable passion and flair, which even the artificial synthesizer wasn’t able to mask entirely.
But the crowd that had gathered around him and the five kneeling Cardassians looked on mostly with indifference. Only a few of the younger ones were roused by his rhetoric most others seemed more fearful of possible Cardassian retribution for what was about to happen here.
Orta paid no attention to their lack of enthusiasm and made up for it with his own. “But they will learn that we will not sit by quietly to watch the destruction of our race. They will learn that they will have to pay a bloody price for their arrogance, for we will kill as many of their people as they have taken from us. Mark my words, every single life will be repaid in full until the Cardassians return to their own worlds,” he said and leveled his phaser rifle at the first of the kneeling soldiers who, like the others, had his hands tied behind his back while his head hung low.
“And the repayment begins here,” he cried just before he pulled the trigger.
The man’s lifeless body sagged to the ground instantly.
Orta moved to his next prisoner who was met by the same exact fate.
The crowd hardly reacted to the executions. There were those who turned away and even a few who left the scene entirely, not wanting to be any part of this. There were also a small number of bystanders who appeared to enjoy the gruesome scene but for the most part the audience remained mum and unexcited.
“Glory to Cardassia!” the fourth solider was able to scream from the top of his lungs just before he was cut down like his compatriots before him.
That left only Rovat.
Orta took his time to look over his handiwork, four dead Cardassians, lying face down in the dirt, before he moved on to their leader.
Laas had been watching the entire spectacle from only a few short meters away, leaning casually against a prefab wall and keeping her hand close to her blade. She had looked on quietly while the rebel leader had executed his prisoners one by one even while the feeling in the pit of her stomach was threatening to make her sick.
It wasn’t an entirely new sensation for her. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but the same feeling had plagued her for a long time now and most often when it came to killing Cardassians. She herself had hardly done any killings at all since she had left Bajor but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t been witness to a number of very similar public displays on half a dozen different worlds.
It was impossible to tell any of this by judging the unreadable facial expression she maintained throughout the spectacle.
Orta leveled his rifle so that the emitter cone pushed into the back of the Cardassian’s head. “How does it feel to be the one on your knees for once, Rovat? Don’t worry, that sense of shame and defeat won’t last much longer. I promise.”
The glinn appeared to try hard to remain stoic but he wasn’t completely successful and the telltale sounds of sobbing could be heard as he was nearing his own death.
Orta found this amusing. He turned to look at the young Bajoran woman to see if she was taking similar pleasure from this. He found her seemingly disengaged. “Laas, you are missing out on all the fun over there,” he said. “After all we have you to thank for these prisoners. Why don’t you take the honor of finishing off this bag of scum yourself? I’m sure you could think of plenty of entertaining methods to bring this show to an end. Use that handy knife of yours.”
Laas stared back at him but didn’t speak.
“How about it?”
With Orta distracted, Rovat saw his one and only chance to live.
He jumped onto he feet and immediately kicked backwards, hitting the rebel leader square in the right knee and causing him to stumble to the ground.
Rovat understood that he didn’t have time for a follow-up strike, not if he wanted any chance of getting out of this alive. So instead he made a run for it. Straight into the crowd.
Furious, Orta picked himself up to take aim at the Cardassian but before he could fire, Laas had stepped up next to him and pushed down his rifle.
“By the Prophets, what do you think you’re doing,” Orta screamed, his modulated voice heavily distorted, the synthesizer not being able to handle the volume. “He’s escaping.”
She gestured towards the fleeing glinn who was pushing himself through the crowd which did little to further help or hinder his escape. “And how many of your own people are you willing to kill to stop him?”
“I’m not going to let him get away.”
“He won’t,” she said and took off. But not after Rovat. Instead she was heading into a different direction and towards one of the lower shacks. She easily jumped onto a tall crate and from there leaped onto the roof of the building. She instantly changed direction, jumping from roof to roof like a wild animal getting itself into position to strike. Within moments she was on his tail.
It didn’t take a great amount of effort. Even after the Cardassian had cleared the crowd, he still stumbled more than he ran, his hands still bound behind his back never allowed him to properly set his balance. He was also not nearly as familiar with the many narrow alleyways of the settlement as she was.
Within just a few minutes of pursuit, she had him exactly where she wanted him.
She took a dive from the roof and landed directly on top of him, dragging them both to the ground. Rovat’s fall was multiple times less graceful than hers and she managed to pull herself up again easily, quickly drawing her blade and then putting all her weight on top of him to keep him pinned, her razor-sharp weapon mere inches from his throat.
When she heard the familiar sounds of transporter beams she immediately knew she was in trouble. But when she looked up she didn’t see the amber-colored Cardassian pillars of light she had expected. These ones were blue and they gave away to the coalescing forms of Starfleet officers.
The very same she had encountered the day before. And once again they were being led by Krystine Leone. Her security officers had their phasers out in an instant.
It wasn’t because of her, Laas quickly realized.
Orta and his men had caught up with her and were now approaching from the opposite direction and all of them were armed with phaser rifles, which they pointed squarely at the newcomers.
“Go home, you’re not wanted here, Starfleet,” Orta spat as he took a step closer.
“Not a problem,” said Leone with a little smirk. The woman was the only one in the team who didn’t hold a phaser rifle in her hand. Laas thought that to be either extremely foolish or extremely confident. “As soon as we have taken Glinn Rovat here into custody for the crimes he has committed we’ll be on our way.”
“You’re not taking anyone.”
“A Bajoran freedom fighter trying to protect a Cardassian solider?” said Lieutenant Elannis. “That doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.”
“Trust me, protecting him is the last thing on my mind,” said Orta, eliciting chuckles from his men. “But I’m not letting you have him.”
“Haven’t you killed enough Cardassians for one day?” Leone said.
“No such thing.”
Krystine focused on the angered resistance fighter. “I may not agree with your blood lust but I understand it. But think about this. What will you achieve by killing Rovat? More Cardassians coming and looking for him? And once they realize what you’ve done, they’ll want revenge and if they can’t find you and your people do you really think they won’t hesitate to exact their vengeance on the settlers? Let us take him. That will send a clear message to the Cardassians that they will not be able to harass this sector without repercussions.”
Orta seemed to consider Leone’s words for a moment. “Nice speech, Starfleet. But that’s all it is. And that’s all you Federation people seem to be good at. Making pretty speeches. But a speech has never stopped anyone. And it won’t this time. We’re not afraid of the Cardassians. Let them come here and try and claim more victims. All they will find is blood. Theirs.”
“If you don’t care about your own fate at least think of that of your people,” Leone said.
“I am,” he said and then looked at Laas who was still positioned in-between the Starfleet away team and Orta’s men. Still with her dagger hovering over Rovat’s throat. “Laas, finish this. Kill him.”
She brought the blade closer until it began to draw blood.
Krystine Leone took a step towards the young Bajoran causing both her own people and Orta’s men to flinch nervously. “Laas? Are you sure you want to do that?”
The Bajoran looked up and into Leone’s sparkling eyes.
“Step away from her,” Orta said and pointed his rifle at the Starfleet commander, immediately aware that this caused every single weapon of the away team drawing a bead on him.
Krystine ignored the man. “I’m not going to pretend to know what you’ve been through but I can tell from looking at you that it wasn’t pretty. That you had to fight for your right to exist from a very early age. But you left that life behind you, didn’t you? You wanted something better for yourself. Or maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe your parents were lucky enough to get you off Bajor so that you didn’t have to live that life anymore. They must have loved you very much in order to have the strength to see you go.”
Laas looked at her but had no words to offer.
“Don’t listen to her. Do what you do best. Kill him,” said Orta.
“You told me that you didn’t care about revenge anymore,” said Leone. “But that’s exactly what you’re doing by killing this man. And you’ll perpetuate a cycle which will lead only to more bloodshed and death.”
“What happens …” Nora Laas began but lost her voice for a moment. “What happens if I don’t kill him? What will you do with him?”
“He’ll stand trial in a Federation court for the crimes he has committed both to Federation citizens and property and also to the Bajorans living in this system.”
Orta spat. “A trial? What a joke. This man is guilty and he deserves to die. Right here and now. You put him into one of your courts and they probably let him go on a technicality. Maybe he’ll spend a week in a low-security prison not worthy of the name.”
“There is solid evidence against Rovat,” said Dawkins. “He’s looking at a minimum sentence of thirty years.”
“I’d rather see him dead. Cut his throat, Laas. Do it already.”
“Sure,” said Elannis. “You’d be doing him a favor, sparing him the humiliation of being a prisoner to the Federation.”
The Bajoran teenager didn’t move either way.
Orta couldn’t believe it. “There is nothing to think about here, Laas. There is no choice to be had. Kill him or I’ll do it myself. But if you don’t, if you betray me, you’ll betray your entire people. Your life will be forfeit.”
“Nice friends, you’ve got here,” said Ariel, which garnered her a frosty glare from Orta. “Should I be scared? You think this is the first time I’ve gotten that kind of look, big boy?”
“You always have a choice, Laas. Always. I can tell you’ve been looking for a purpose. Let me help you find one.”
At that Orta uttered an ugly, distorted laugh. “And do what? Join your Starfleet? How about it, Laas? Feel like prancing around in those bright little outfits like those whores,” he said, starring right at the well-endowed half-Orion woman.
“You are criticizing what I’m wearing?” said Ariel with a bemused smile while taking in his wardrobe, which mostly consisted of layers of scrappy, mismatching fabrics. “Because I gotta tell you, if this was a competition –“
Elannis was cut off by a stern look from her CO. She shrugged in response and held on tighter to her phaser rifle still pointed at the Bajorans.
Leone focused in on Nora Laas again who had said very little since the Starfleet team had shown up. She had listened to all parties patiently and yet her focus on the Cardassian at the edge of her blade had never wavered.
Krystine took another tentative step towards her, ignoring the increasingly nervous Bajorans who continued to have their weapons trained on her. “Laas, look at me.”
And very slowly the young woman did, unable to miss the motherly warmth in her eyes.
“All I’m saying is that you do have a choice here. And I don’t think it’s about whether Rovat lives or dies. This is about who you are and what you can be. You can continue your life here amongst your people and take your cues from men like Orta who will spend the rest of their lives looking for vengeance. Or you can try to become more than that. Stand for something you can truly believe in.”
For just a moment the Starfleet commander a few feet in front of Laas vanished only to be replaced by a smiling Nora Leena and that smile was as gentle and loving as she remembered it. She didn’t speak but she didn’t have to. It was perfectly clear what she had wanted for her. What she had always wanted for her. What she had given her life to try and give to her.
“Slit his Prophet’s forsaken throat!” Orta roared, spittle flying, his voice barely recognizable.
And yet Laas didn’t hear him anymore. He had already become part of a life she knew she was leaving behind.
She threw the dagger away, the blade burying itself into the ground right in front of the resistance fighter’s feet.
Leone reached out a hand toward the young Bajoran and Laas took it to let the Starfleet officer help her back onto her feet.
The rest of the away team quickly surrounded the two women to secure the prisoner and shield them from the furious Bajorans.
“I’m going to snap your little treacherous neck,” Orta screamed but didn’t make a move, apparently not liking his chances while faced with the heavily armed Starfleet away team.
Krystine looked at Laas. “Ready to go?”
The Bajoran took in the settlement one last time. A crowd of Bajorans had gathered around them by now but they looked as defeated and passive as they always had. An entire people who had given up on the galaxy itself. She looked towards Orta’s hate filled eyes but found that she cared little for his anger. Then she finally looked back at Krystine and nodded.
The commander tapped her combadge. “Leone to Potemkin. Beam up away team and prisoner. Plus one.”
Orta’s voice carried undeniable passion and flair, which even the artificial synthesizer wasn’t able to mask entirely.
But the crowd that had gathered around him and the five kneeling Cardassians looked on mostly with indifference. Only a few of the younger ones were roused by his rhetoric most others seemed more fearful of possible Cardassian retribution for what was about to happen here.
Orta paid no attention to their lack of enthusiasm and made up for it with his own. “But they will learn that we will not sit by quietly to watch the destruction of our race. They will learn that they will have to pay a bloody price for their arrogance, for we will kill as many of their people as they have taken from us. Mark my words, every single life will be repaid in full until the Cardassians return to their own worlds,” he said and leveled his phaser rifle at the first of the kneeling soldiers who, like the others, had his hands tied behind his back while his head hung low.
“And the repayment begins here,” he cried just before he pulled the trigger.
The man’s lifeless body sagged to the ground instantly.
Orta moved to his next prisoner who was met by the same exact fate.
The crowd hardly reacted to the executions. There were those who turned away and even a few who left the scene entirely, not wanting to be any part of this. There were also a small number of bystanders who appeared to enjoy the gruesome scene but for the most part the audience remained mum and unexcited.
“Glory to Cardassia!” the fourth solider was able to scream from the top of his lungs just before he was cut down like his compatriots before him.
That left only Rovat.
Orta took his time to look over his handiwork, four dead Cardassians, lying face down in the dirt, before he moved on to their leader.
Laas had been watching the entire spectacle from only a few short meters away, leaning casually against a prefab wall and keeping her hand close to her blade. She had looked on quietly while the rebel leader had executed his prisoners one by one even while the feeling in the pit of her stomach was threatening to make her sick.
It wasn’t an entirely new sensation for her. She wasn’t quite sure what it was, but the same feeling had plagued her for a long time now and most often when it came to killing Cardassians. She herself had hardly done any killings at all since she had left Bajor but that didn’t mean that she hadn’t been witness to a number of very similar public displays on half a dozen different worlds.
It was impossible to tell any of this by judging the unreadable facial expression she maintained throughout the spectacle.
Orta leveled his rifle so that the emitter cone pushed into the back of the Cardassian’s head. “How does it feel to be the one on your knees for once, Rovat? Don’t worry, that sense of shame and defeat won’t last much longer. I promise.”
The glinn appeared to try hard to remain stoic but he wasn’t completely successful and the telltale sounds of sobbing could be heard as he was nearing his own death.
Orta found this amusing. He turned to look at the young Bajoran woman to see if she was taking similar pleasure from this. He found her seemingly disengaged. “Laas, you are missing out on all the fun over there,” he said. “After all we have you to thank for these prisoners. Why don’t you take the honor of finishing off this bag of scum yourself? I’m sure you could think of plenty of entertaining methods to bring this show to an end. Use that handy knife of yours.”
Laas stared back at him but didn’t speak.
“How about it?”
With Orta distracted, Rovat saw his one and only chance to live.
He jumped onto he feet and immediately kicked backwards, hitting the rebel leader square in the right knee and causing him to stumble to the ground.
Rovat understood that he didn’t have time for a follow-up strike, not if he wanted any chance of getting out of this alive. So instead he made a run for it. Straight into the crowd.
Furious, Orta picked himself up to take aim at the Cardassian but before he could fire, Laas had stepped up next to him and pushed down his rifle.
“By the Prophets, what do you think you’re doing,” Orta screamed, his modulated voice heavily distorted, the synthesizer not being able to handle the volume. “He’s escaping.”
She gestured towards the fleeing glinn who was pushing himself through the crowd which did little to further help or hinder his escape. “And how many of your own people are you willing to kill to stop him?”
“I’m not going to let him get away.”
“He won’t,” she said and took off. But not after Rovat. Instead she was heading into a different direction and towards one of the lower shacks. She easily jumped onto a tall crate and from there leaped onto the roof of the building. She instantly changed direction, jumping from roof to roof like a wild animal getting itself into position to strike. Within moments she was on his tail.
It didn’t take a great amount of effort. Even after the Cardassian had cleared the crowd, he still stumbled more than he ran, his hands still bound behind his back never allowed him to properly set his balance. He was also not nearly as familiar with the many narrow alleyways of the settlement as she was.
Within just a few minutes of pursuit, she had him exactly where she wanted him.
She took a dive from the roof and landed directly on top of him, dragging them both to the ground. Rovat’s fall was multiple times less graceful than hers and she managed to pull herself up again easily, quickly drawing her blade and then putting all her weight on top of him to keep him pinned, her razor-sharp weapon mere inches from his throat.
When she heard the familiar sounds of transporter beams she immediately knew she was in trouble. But when she looked up she didn’t see the amber-colored Cardassian pillars of light she had expected. These ones were blue and they gave away to the coalescing forms of Starfleet officers.
The very same she had encountered the day before. And once again they were being led by Krystine Leone. Her security officers had their phasers out in an instant.
It wasn’t because of her, Laas quickly realized.
Orta and his men had caught up with her and were now approaching from the opposite direction and all of them were armed with phaser rifles, which they pointed squarely at the newcomers.
“Go home, you’re not wanted here, Starfleet,” Orta spat as he took a step closer.
“Not a problem,” said Leone with a little smirk. The woman was the only one in the team who didn’t hold a phaser rifle in her hand. Laas thought that to be either extremely foolish or extremely confident. “As soon as we have taken Glinn Rovat here into custody for the crimes he has committed we’ll be on our way.”
“You’re not taking anyone.”
“A Bajoran freedom fighter trying to protect a Cardassian solider?” said Lieutenant Elannis. “That doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense.”
“Trust me, protecting him is the last thing on my mind,” said Orta, eliciting chuckles from his men. “But I’m not letting you have him.”
“Haven’t you killed enough Cardassians for one day?” Leone said.
“No such thing.”
Krystine focused on the angered resistance fighter. “I may not agree with your blood lust but I understand it. But think about this. What will you achieve by killing Rovat? More Cardassians coming and looking for him? And once they realize what you’ve done, they’ll want revenge and if they can’t find you and your people do you really think they won’t hesitate to exact their vengeance on the settlers? Let us take him. That will send a clear message to the Cardassians that they will not be able to harass this sector without repercussions.”
Orta seemed to consider Leone’s words for a moment. “Nice speech, Starfleet. But that’s all it is. And that’s all you Federation people seem to be good at. Making pretty speeches. But a speech has never stopped anyone. And it won’t this time. We’re not afraid of the Cardassians. Let them come here and try and claim more victims. All they will find is blood. Theirs.”
“If you don’t care about your own fate at least think of that of your people,” Leone said.
“I am,” he said and then looked at Laas who was still positioned in-between the Starfleet away team and Orta’s men. Still with her dagger hovering over Rovat’s throat. “Laas, finish this. Kill him.”
She brought the blade closer until it began to draw blood.
Krystine Leone took a step towards the young Bajoran causing both her own people and Orta’s men to flinch nervously. “Laas? Are you sure you want to do that?”
The Bajoran looked up and into Leone’s sparkling eyes.
“Step away from her,” Orta said and pointed his rifle at the Starfleet commander, immediately aware that this caused every single weapon of the away team drawing a bead on him.
Krystine ignored the man. “I’m not going to pretend to know what you’ve been through but I can tell from looking at you that it wasn’t pretty. That you had to fight for your right to exist from a very early age. But you left that life behind you, didn’t you? You wanted something better for yourself. Or maybe it wasn’t you. Maybe your parents were lucky enough to get you off Bajor so that you didn’t have to live that life anymore. They must have loved you very much in order to have the strength to see you go.”
Laas looked at her but had no words to offer.
“Don’t listen to her. Do what you do best. Kill him,” said Orta.
“You told me that you didn’t care about revenge anymore,” said Leone. “But that’s exactly what you’re doing by killing this man. And you’ll perpetuate a cycle which will lead only to more bloodshed and death.”
“What happens …” Nora Laas began but lost her voice for a moment. “What happens if I don’t kill him? What will you do with him?”
“He’ll stand trial in a Federation court for the crimes he has committed both to Federation citizens and property and also to the Bajorans living in this system.”
Orta spat. “A trial? What a joke. This man is guilty and he deserves to die. Right here and now. You put him into one of your courts and they probably let him go on a technicality. Maybe he’ll spend a week in a low-security prison not worthy of the name.”
“There is solid evidence against Rovat,” said Dawkins. “He’s looking at a minimum sentence of thirty years.”
“I’d rather see him dead. Cut his throat, Laas. Do it already.”
“Sure,” said Elannis. “You’d be doing him a favor, sparing him the humiliation of being a prisoner to the Federation.”
The Bajoran teenager didn’t move either way.
Orta couldn’t believe it. “There is nothing to think about here, Laas. There is no choice to be had. Kill him or I’ll do it myself. But if you don’t, if you betray me, you’ll betray your entire people. Your life will be forfeit.”
“Nice friends, you’ve got here,” said Ariel, which garnered her a frosty glare from Orta. “Should I be scared? You think this is the first time I’ve gotten that kind of look, big boy?”
“You always have a choice, Laas. Always. I can tell you’ve been looking for a purpose. Let me help you find one.”
At that Orta uttered an ugly, distorted laugh. “And do what? Join your Starfleet? How about it, Laas? Feel like prancing around in those bright little outfits like those whores,” he said, starring right at the well-endowed half-Orion woman.
“You are criticizing what I’m wearing?” said Ariel with a bemused smile while taking in his wardrobe, which mostly consisted of layers of scrappy, mismatching fabrics. “Because I gotta tell you, if this was a competition –“
Elannis was cut off by a stern look from her CO. She shrugged in response and held on tighter to her phaser rifle still pointed at the Bajorans.
Leone focused in on Nora Laas again who had said very little since the Starfleet team had shown up. She had listened to all parties patiently and yet her focus on the Cardassian at the edge of her blade had never wavered.
Krystine took another tentative step towards her, ignoring the increasingly nervous Bajorans who continued to have their weapons trained on her. “Laas, look at me.”
And very slowly the young woman did, unable to miss the motherly warmth in her eyes.
“All I’m saying is that you do have a choice here. And I don’t think it’s about whether Rovat lives or dies. This is about who you are and what you can be. You can continue your life here amongst your people and take your cues from men like Orta who will spend the rest of their lives looking for vengeance. Or you can try to become more than that. Stand for something you can truly believe in.”
For just a moment the Starfleet commander a few feet in front of Laas vanished only to be replaced by a smiling Nora Leena and that smile was as gentle and loving as she remembered it. She didn’t speak but she didn’t have to. It was perfectly clear what she had wanted for her. What she had always wanted for her. What she had given her life to try and give to her.
“Slit his Prophet’s forsaken throat!” Orta roared, spittle flying, his voice barely recognizable.
And yet Laas didn’t hear him anymore. He had already become part of a life she knew she was leaving behind.
She threw the dagger away, the blade burying itself into the ground right in front of the resistance fighter’s feet.
Leone reached out a hand toward the young Bajoran and Laas took it to let the Starfleet officer help her back onto her feet.
The rest of the away team quickly surrounded the two women to secure the prisoner and shield them from the furious Bajorans.
“I’m going to snap your little treacherous neck,” Orta screamed but didn’t make a move, apparently not liking his chances while faced with the heavily armed Starfleet away team.
Krystine looked at Laas. “Ready to go?”
The Bajoran took in the settlement one last time. A crowd of Bajorans had gathered around them by now but they looked as defeated and passive as they always had. An entire people who had given up on the galaxy itself. She looked towards Orta’s hate filled eyes but found that she cared little for his anger. Then she finally looked back at Krystine and nodded.
The commander tapped her combadge. “Leone to Potemkin. Beam up away team and prisoner. Plus one.”
_______________________________
Stay tuned for 'Logic/Heart' featuring characters from Dnoth's Star Trek: Independence.
Stay tuned for 'Logic/Heart' featuring characters from Dnoth's Star Trek: Independence.
I really liked the ending. It was good to see Nora pursue a future filled with possibilities rather than endless vengeance.
Orta came across as pretty contemptible, no better than the Cardassians he hated. His own thirst for vengeance had turned him into a hateful parody of his enemies.
Leone proved that wisdom and patience can sometimes win the day. Nora had every reason to doubt the sincerity of Starfleet, considering the long held hands-off policy toward Bajor that allowed the Cardassians a free reign of terror. I think Nora sensed that Leone not only had courage, but spoke the truth.
Always good to have a happy ending. This was well-done, not forced or cliche'd. I wondered whether Nora would kill the Cardassian right to the point she tossed away her knife.
Excellent writing!
Orta came across as pretty contemptible, no better than the Cardassians he hated. His own thirst for vengeance had turned him into a hateful parody of his enemies.
Leone proved that wisdom and patience can sometimes win the day. Nora had every reason to doubt the sincerity of Starfleet, considering the long held hands-off policy toward Bajor that allowed the Cardassians a free reign of terror. I think Nora sensed that Leone not only had courage, but spoke the truth.
Always good to have a happy ending. This was well-done, not forced or cliche'd. I wondered whether Nora would kill the Cardassian right to the point she tossed away her knife.
Excellent writing!
A well done tale of vengeance, making choices, and dealing with the past. I do agree that more exploration into the era of Bajoran occupation would be interesting--Starfleet and the Federation really dropped the ball here bigtime and paid a high price for it.
You did a good job setting up the final scene, having Laas literally between Starfleet and the Bajorans, making the choice very stark. Well done.
I think you really did a bang up job describing the Bajoran mindset, and I wouldn't mind seeing a follow up with Orta down the road.
I think you really did a bang up job describing the Bajoran mindset, and I wouldn't mind seeing a follow up with Orta down the road.
Logic/Heart
Featuring Sintina Aurelia from D’noth’s Star Trek: Independence
Featuring Sintina Aurelia from D’noth’s Star Trek: Independence
December 2366
“You look well.”
It had been a simple enough statement. It could have been construed as a compliment to flatter him in which case it was, of course, unnecessary. It could have been nothing more than an observation, a judgment of his current physical and emotional state based on his outward appearance. However, she was not a medical professional and lacked the ability to diagnose any condition simply by looking at his image. No matter the reason for the statement, it had been completely superfluous and entirely illogical.
Xylion had come to expect this kind of behavior from K’tera, the woman who had been chosen to become his wife. He had since learned to tolerate it.
“My condition is generally unchanged since the last time we have spoken,” he said.
Her lips moved ever so slightly, painting a very subtle smile onto her thin lips. “I am glad to hear that.”
A pause followed which could have been awkward had they been human. But then of course, if they had been human, this entire conversation would have been rather awkward.
“Would you not like to know how I’m doing?”
Xylion raised an eyebrow. “I would have assumed that if you were unwell you would have informed me of that fact.”
“You really shouldn’t assume things, Xylion. Not about me.”
He nodded curtly, finding himself in complete agreement with her now. “Are you feeling unwell?”
“That is an odd word to use for one of our kind, is it not?”
He didn’t show his irritation. The subspace communiqué and the small screen took little away from her splendor and graceful features but she remained atypical for a Vulcan woman and not just because of her choice of words. She thought differently, more like a human perhaps. It made conversation with her if not more difficult, definitely more complicated. Xylion was a man as patient as he was logical. It bothered him little.
“If you are trying to imply that our people do not have feelings, you are mistaken,” he said. “We feel like any other comparable species in the galaxy. We feel pain and discomfort just like a human or an Andorian would.”
“How about love?”
He raised that eyebrow again.
“I apologize,” she said quickly. “I do not mean to torture you with my odd thoughts. It just appears to me that we always try so hard to convince others that we do not feel anything that sometimes I believe it myself,” she said and then added almost as an after thought: “It seems so much easier for people like T’Ser.”
There was of course no need for the apology. Xylion did not consider himself being tortured. “I am unfamiliar with the person you are referring to.”
She nodded. “I have not told you but I made new friends on my last trip to Earth. T’Ser is a Vulcan who has turned away from Surak’s teachings of logic and now lives among humans as if she were one herself. She is a fascinating person.”
If Xylion had been prone to frowning he may have done so now. “I have a certain familiarity with the v’tosh katur and I do not approve of their philosophy. You should avoid exposure to people of their kind.”
K’tera on the other hand was no stranger to a furrowed brow and proved it yet again. “My dear Xylion, I am looking forward to the day we will be joined in marriage but I cannot accept you deciding who I may befriend.”
“It was a suggestion.”
“When will you visit?” she asked, moving on quickly. “It has been two years that we have seen each other face to face.”
“My work on Soval is not yet complete. There is much that still needs to be done in the nebula before we can return to Vulcan.”
“But you are not in the nebula now.”
“That is correct,” he said. “Soval is currently in orbit around Stellaris III to attempt to discover the source of strong seismic activity which is endangering populated areas on the surface. Once we have been able to correct the problem we are expected to return to the Ratarra nebula to continue the survey.”
“I see. In that I case I do not wish to disturb you any longer. I will await your next call.”
Xylion nodded. “I will contact you as soon as it is convenient. Dif tor heh smusma, K’tera.”
“Peace and long life,” she replied to the traditional Vulcan farewell.
And then the screen turned blank.
“You need to stop being so stubborn if you don’t want to lose her.”
Xylion turned away from his desk to see the man who had made himself comfortable on a bench on the far end of his simple cabin. He was neither human nor Vulcan and many would have been hard-pressed to pinpoint his origins exactly.
His skin was dark, almost coal-colored and it stood in stark contrast to the white bony ridges, which were protruding along the length of his otherwise bald head. His facial features were vaguely similar to those humans who hailed form Southeast Asia.
He had put up his feet and was casually reading a data padd. “She is a great woman and sometimes I don’t think you appreciate her enough. And she won’t wait for you forever, you know.”
“We have been betrothed since childhood. Tradition demands that we are to be married. She is aware that my work here makes any bonding impractical at this time.”
Bensu looked up from the padd. “Yeah, in case you hadn’t noticed, she isn’t exactly the traditional kind. All I’m saying is if you really wish to be with her, you need to start considering making some changes. Adapting. You know, not be your stiff Vulcan-self all the time.”
He raised his eyebrow. “I am who I am.”
At that Bensu laughed. “That you sure are,” he said and then put down the padd. “But you are also a Starfleet officer, are you not? You joined against the wishes of your mother to see and learn more about the galaxy and the people who inhabit it. As such you are required to be tolerant of others who are different. And not just to get along with them but also to widen your own horizon. That, my friend, is the very nature of being in Starfleet.”
Bensu was well aware that Xylion had had a difficult time in Starfleet. After only a few years on a starship he had requested reassignment to Starfleet’s Vulcan headquarters and had since made a name for himself at the Vulcan Science Institute, the very same which was sponsoring his current expedition to the Retarra nebula. And he had been able to pursue his research ambitions without having to leave Starfleet behind completely.
Xylion stood. “I have no intention on changing my habits or my lifestyle to make others more comfortable. In fact I believe that my aims may no longer be compatible with Starfleet philosophy. Once the current survey ends I intend to resign my commission and join the Science Institute on a permanent basis.”
Bensu stood. “Leaving Starfleet all together? That seems like a drastic step.”
“I understood one of your concerns to be that I did not spend enough time with my betrothed. I would have thought you would encourage my decision.”
He gave the man a suspicious look and the shook his head slightly. “You’ve been based on Vulcan for nearly forty years now and in all that time you haven’t gotten around to marrying her. I find it hard to believe that your decision to leave Starfleet could be motivated by your future plans with K’tera.”
“It is not,” he said with typical Vulcan bluntness.
“So what is it then? Joining Starfleet was your childhood wish. You defied your own mother by attending the Academy. And now you want to give up on it because other people are too irritating to you?”
“We do not have the time to have this conversation. And I have made my decision. My presence is expected on Stellaris,” he said and headed for the doors.
“You always do that when you know you’re losing an argument,” Bensu huffed as the Vulcan left him and his quarters behind.
* * *
I know I come back to your stories in fits and starts, but every time I do, I find something to love. I really enjoyed this Vulcan chapter. Both the conversation between the betrothed Vulcans and the follow up conversation between Xylion and Bensu were really well done. Xylion seems like such the typical Vulcan, but there's a vulnerability there, and Bensu zeroed right in on it. Fun to watch, and I'm looking forward to seeing what choices Xylion makes for himself.
And I totally agree with Dnoth ... some Vulcans DO seem to have "emotion envy."
And I totally agree with Dnoth ... some Vulcans DO seem to have "emotion envy."
The ground under her feet trembled again for what must have been the one-millionth time since she had beamed down and for the one-millionth time Lieutenant Sintina Aurelia wondered what the hell she was doing in the dark, wet and stuffy cave, deep beneath the surface of Stellaris III.
The quake itself was nothing compared to ones this world had experienced before their arrival. Those had shaken the surface with such force; entire villages had been swallowed up, never to be seen again. And if such a quake hit again, she would stand little chance of survival in this cave system, which would surely collapse on top of her like a house of cards.
Strategically placed force fields were supposed to prevent that from happening but she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she was stuck inside her own tomb. After all even the most powerful force fields in the galaxy were no match for the devastating forces of nature.
The force fields were merely a temporary measure while the science team of the Hood and the researches of the Vulcan science vessel Soval were trying to come up with a permanent solution to the seismic activity threatening this world.
The cavern was filled with scientific equipment and personnel, most of them Vulcans. Sintina appreciated Vulcans for their sharp intellect and problem-solving skills. They were however lousy at a Dungeons & Dragons game. No imagination.
Sintina was no scientist and the only reason she was here at all was because of Yokem-Alay and his group of so-called specialists.
Alay and his four colleagues were Stellarians or at least called themselves that. Few believed that his people were truly native to this world. But they had lived on this planet for at least five hundred years and at first glance were amicable enough. Except of course that the tall reptile-like Stellarians possessed an infamously bad temper.
Captain DeSoto had understood this. He had also realized that if they wanted to help them, they would need their advice. As a precautionary measure he had decided to assign Sintina and a couple of his crewmembers as liaison officers.
Sintina didn’t care for the term liaison officer. She was a security officer.
“We have to find a way to stop the ground from shaking,” the lead Stellarian shouted across the cave, his deep voice drowning out the noise of the quake itself and causing every single person either flinch or look his way.
Aurelia sighed heavily and not for the first time. One of her duties over the last few days had been to try and keep him and his people calm and more importantly stop them from directly interfering with the science personnel working hard on a solution. The term babysitting had come to her mind.
“Alay,” she said sharply, since having learned that Stellarians were generally addressed by their second name only. “Get back over there and shut the hell up. We’re not getting anywhere with your constant disruptions. We’ve been through this. If you don’t have anything useful to add just say nothing at all.”
Yokem-Alay who was at least two and a half heads taller than the Hood security officer looked down at her with what could have been a glare but was difficult to determine due to his inflexible reptilian facial features.
“It may mean little to you, little human, but the safety of my people is at stake here and I will not stand by quietly –“
“If you were able do anything about these quakes you would not have called for our help,” she said and stepped closer to the towering reptile-like-man, clearly not impressed in the least with his imposing stature. “You have no scientific background, do you?”
He didn’t respond right away.
And she didn’t give him time to think it over either. “So, let the professionals do their job. They’ll figure it out and if they can’t, I’m willing to bet neither can you.”
Alay hissed loudly, leading some of the others to believe that he was about to pull apart his huge jaw-like mouth, lined with razor sharp teeth and rip the young woman’s head off her shoulders.
Sintina’s two shipmates, Ensign Drelk and Crewman Revis stepped closer in response to his threatening body language, their hands itching towards their phasers. Aurelia waved them off quickly.
Alay looked around the cavern once more than back at the young lieutenant. “Do the job then,” he said and walked back over to the rest of his people.
“She’s a real diplomat, isn’t she?” said Revis to Drelk, keeping his voice down.
Drelk, a Bolian, snickered. “I hear through the grapevine she has her eyes on a captaincy.”
“Yeah, that’ll happen,” Revis said. “Right after they make me Klingon Emperor.”
The ensign couldn’t suppress a chuckle immediately inviting a stern look from Aurelia. She hadn’t been able to overhear her two subordinate’s conversation but was no stranger to people whispering behind her back. She had almost gotten used to it.
Soon after Lieutenant Commander Xylion from the Soval arrived to join the science team already assembled.
As the only Starfleet officer on the Vulcan vessel he had been the ideal choice to lead the joint investigation of Stellaris III’s tectonic problems. To Aurelia he was just another Vulcan and she had done her best to stay out of his way as best as she could for the last couple of days.
This was not always possible.
Yokem-Alay immediately spotted his arrival and quickly approached the Vulcan. The insisting clicking noise he was producing was an unmistakable sign of his agitation.
“Commander, your slow progress in solving our Earth-shaking problem is unacceptable,” he said even before he had reached the science officer. “Every day that passes, hundreds and hundreds of my people are in danger. You must produce results. Quickly!”
“I assure you that we are proceeding as swiftly as possible –“
“No, you do not,” the upset reptilian interrupted. “You keep looking over findings, you study pointless things and ask unimportant questions and then you study more but you change nothing. The ground continues to shake!”
Aurelia had quickly followed Yokem-Alay and not for the first time she wondered if her universal translator was malfunctioning. Or was this truly the best so-called specialist his people could produce?
“I have said to you and to others many times. Our stories tell us that the Forerunners also knew about the shaking. But they stopped the ground from moving. Why can’t you?”
Xylion referred to a padd as he responded. “We are fully cognizant of the ancient texts of your forbearers. Unfortunately your historical documents are vague and mostly impossible to corroborate –“
Alay struck out with one of his slender arms, smashing the padd right out of Xylion’s hands and onto the ground. “You mock the Forerunners,” he said in an angry, high-pitched voice.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Aurelia said sharply and pushed Yokem-Alay forcefully away from the Vulcan, having no trouble putting her hands on him and using some good old fashioned muscle. “You are overstepping your bounds by leaps, Mister.”
But Xylion didn’t seem intimidated and simply picked the padd off the ground. “We are taking every source into account, even your stories, however, they have not provided us with any usable, physical reference points.”
“You want to see the Forerunners? I take you to the Forerunners,” he said and then quickly headed off into one of the many intersecting tunnels, followed by his colleagues.
Aurelia shook her head in confusion. “What the hell is he talking about?” she said and then looked at the Vulcan. “How can he show us these Forerunners? Surely they have been dead for centuries.”
“Perhaps he is referring to a burial site or another location with a historical or spiritual meaning to his people. If that is indeed the case we may be able to learn more about the Forerunners’ experience with previous seismic activity on this planet from that location.”
Sintina just shrugged, Yokem-Alay was making little sense to her. She indicated for Revis and Drelk to follow her as she set out with Xylion and a few of scientists to try and catch up with the Stellarians.
The reptilians were surprisingly fast however and they never quite managed to get them to slow down as they sprinted ahead with little regards to the team trying to follow them. Sintina didn’t like this one bit. They were rushing blindly into a dark and unknown tunnel system filled with countless possible hazards.
Xylion somehow managed to keep an eye on his tricorder even as they struggled to keep up. “The dense ore deposits in this region are rendering my scans inconclusive. I do register a faint energy signature which may hint towards the presence of artificial elements nearby.”
The Hispanic lieutenant wasn’t paying much attention to the Vulcan’s report, she was too busy trying to maintain visual contact with the Stellarians in the darkness surrounding them, her beacon only proving to be marginally helpful.
This continued for nearly an hour until Xylion and his team finally managed to catch up. Yokem-Alay and his compatriots were waiting for them in a large cavern, illuminated by countless bright candles, which had been inset into the rock walls.
It was also a dead end. A sharp precipice prevented any further travel deeper into the tunnel without some sturdy rock-climbing equipment.
“You are slow,” Alay said when the Federation team set food into the cavern.
“We need to set some ground rules here,” said Aurelia, trying hard to pretend that this mad dash hadn’t left her breathless. “Next time, if you wish to show us something, don’t just run off, understood? And why the hell would you sprint through this place like a mad man, anyway?”
“We have no time,” he responded, matching her intensity. “You must stop the ground from moving, now.”
Aurelia exhaled deeply and then turned away from the Stellarian as if she had given up on any attempt to reason with the man. It would have been easier to have a conversation about warp field theory with a five year old, she decided.
Xylion in the meantime was studying the cavern. His tricorder was not registering anything beyond the basics. “Alay, what is the function of this chamber and how do you believe it is related to the seismic activity?” he said without looking at the reptilian.
“This is the Hall of the Forerunners. The Forerunners stopped the ground from shaking.”
Sintina rolled her eyes. “Of course, that explains everything then,” she said and then turned towards Xylion. “Commander, I don’t want to tell you how to do you job but this is a waste of time. I suggest we return to the base camp and you try to pick up any valid scientific leads from there instead of listening to these jokers.”
“I wish to study this chamber first,” he responded and indicated to the couple of Vulcans who had followed him to spread out. “We may be able to identify relevant historic markers which could assist us in determining the source of the seismic activity.”
“You’re the scientist, Commander,” said Aurelia. “But all I see are candles and rock.”
Alay was also not pleased and he made this obvious by producing a series of insistent clicking noises. “You talk but you do not do. This is the Hall of the Forerunners.”
“Yeah, we got that,” said an exasperated Aurelia without gracing Alay a second glance.
The Stellarian didn’t seem to appreciate her tone and dismissive behavior and jumped into action, rushing Xylion who was standing dangerously close to the cliff and trying to learn what lay below.
“Commander, watch out!”
The security officer reached Alay just before he could get to the Vulcan. She wasn’t tactful as she roughly pushed the reptilian aside and away from Xylion.
But Alay was not giving up and pushed back, causing her to stumble sideways and towards Xylion and the precipice.
The Vulcan who had realized the danger, steadied himself and caught the short woman by her shoulders as she stumbled towards him, the heels of his boots buried themselves into the sandy ground mere inches away from the sharp drop behind him.
Aurelia ventured a look over her shoulder and down the gaping darkness below. “That was close,” she said and then shot an icy glare at the Stellarian who was trying to pull himself off the ground after he had stumbled. “I’ve just about had enough of –“
That was when the quakes started up again.
Xylion immediately understood the potential for disaster and attempted to redistribute his weight forward and away from the cliff behind him but this proved difficult while still holding on to the security officer.
In the end it was a futile effort, the quakes were simply too powerful and too sudden for him to avoid being thrown off his feet and fall the wrong way.
Sintina felt weightless for just a moment before she too fell backwards and plunged into the void.
She was going to kill Alay, she thought just before everything went dark.
The quake itself was nothing compared to ones this world had experienced before their arrival. Those had shaken the surface with such force; entire villages had been swallowed up, never to be seen again. And if such a quake hit again, she would stand little chance of survival in this cave system, which would surely collapse on top of her like a house of cards.
Strategically placed force fields were supposed to prevent that from happening but she couldn’t quite shake the feeling that she was stuck inside her own tomb. After all even the most powerful force fields in the galaxy were no match for the devastating forces of nature.
The force fields were merely a temporary measure while the science team of the Hood and the researches of the Vulcan science vessel Soval were trying to come up with a permanent solution to the seismic activity threatening this world.
The cavern was filled with scientific equipment and personnel, most of them Vulcans. Sintina appreciated Vulcans for their sharp intellect and problem-solving skills. They were however lousy at a Dungeons & Dragons game. No imagination.
Sintina was no scientist and the only reason she was here at all was because of Yokem-Alay and his group of so-called specialists.
Alay and his four colleagues were Stellarians or at least called themselves that. Few believed that his people were truly native to this world. But they had lived on this planet for at least five hundred years and at first glance were amicable enough. Except of course that the tall reptile-like Stellarians possessed an infamously bad temper.
Captain DeSoto had understood this. He had also realized that if they wanted to help them, they would need their advice. As a precautionary measure he had decided to assign Sintina and a couple of his crewmembers as liaison officers.
Sintina didn’t care for the term liaison officer. She was a security officer.
“We have to find a way to stop the ground from shaking,” the lead Stellarian shouted across the cave, his deep voice drowning out the noise of the quake itself and causing every single person either flinch or look his way.
Aurelia sighed heavily and not for the first time. One of her duties over the last few days had been to try and keep him and his people calm and more importantly stop them from directly interfering with the science personnel working hard on a solution. The term babysitting had come to her mind.
“Alay,” she said sharply, since having learned that Stellarians were generally addressed by their second name only. “Get back over there and shut the hell up. We’re not getting anywhere with your constant disruptions. We’ve been through this. If you don’t have anything useful to add just say nothing at all.”
Yokem-Alay who was at least two and a half heads taller than the Hood security officer looked down at her with what could have been a glare but was difficult to determine due to his inflexible reptilian facial features.
“It may mean little to you, little human, but the safety of my people is at stake here and I will not stand by quietly –“
“If you were able do anything about these quakes you would not have called for our help,” she said and stepped closer to the towering reptile-like-man, clearly not impressed in the least with his imposing stature. “You have no scientific background, do you?”
He didn’t respond right away.
And she didn’t give him time to think it over either. “So, let the professionals do their job. They’ll figure it out and if they can’t, I’m willing to bet neither can you.”
Alay hissed loudly, leading some of the others to believe that he was about to pull apart his huge jaw-like mouth, lined with razor sharp teeth and rip the young woman’s head off her shoulders.
Sintina’s two shipmates, Ensign Drelk and Crewman Revis stepped closer in response to his threatening body language, their hands itching towards their phasers. Aurelia waved them off quickly.
Alay looked around the cavern once more than back at the young lieutenant. “Do the job then,” he said and walked back over to the rest of his people.
“She’s a real diplomat, isn’t she?” said Revis to Drelk, keeping his voice down.
Drelk, a Bolian, snickered. “I hear through the grapevine she has her eyes on a captaincy.”
“Yeah, that’ll happen,” Revis said. “Right after they make me Klingon Emperor.”
The ensign couldn’t suppress a chuckle immediately inviting a stern look from Aurelia. She hadn’t been able to overhear her two subordinate’s conversation but was no stranger to people whispering behind her back. She had almost gotten used to it.
Soon after Lieutenant Commander Xylion from the Soval arrived to join the science team already assembled.
As the only Starfleet officer on the Vulcan vessel he had been the ideal choice to lead the joint investigation of Stellaris III’s tectonic problems. To Aurelia he was just another Vulcan and she had done her best to stay out of his way as best as she could for the last couple of days.
This was not always possible.
Yokem-Alay immediately spotted his arrival and quickly approached the Vulcan. The insisting clicking noise he was producing was an unmistakable sign of his agitation.
“Commander, your slow progress in solving our Earth-shaking problem is unacceptable,” he said even before he had reached the science officer. “Every day that passes, hundreds and hundreds of my people are in danger. You must produce results. Quickly!”
“I assure you that we are proceeding as swiftly as possible –“
“No, you do not,” the upset reptilian interrupted. “You keep looking over findings, you study pointless things and ask unimportant questions and then you study more but you change nothing. The ground continues to shake!”
Aurelia had quickly followed Yokem-Alay and not for the first time she wondered if her universal translator was malfunctioning. Or was this truly the best so-called specialist his people could produce?
“I have said to you and to others many times. Our stories tell us that the Forerunners also knew about the shaking. But they stopped the ground from moving. Why can’t you?”
Xylion referred to a padd as he responded. “We are fully cognizant of the ancient texts of your forbearers. Unfortunately your historical documents are vague and mostly impossible to corroborate –“
Alay struck out with one of his slender arms, smashing the padd right out of Xylion’s hands and onto the ground. “You mock the Forerunners,” he said in an angry, high-pitched voice.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Aurelia said sharply and pushed Yokem-Alay forcefully away from the Vulcan, having no trouble putting her hands on him and using some good old fashioned muscle. “You are overstepping your bounds by leaps, Mister.”
But Xylion didn’t seem intimidated and simply picked the padd off the ground. “We are taking every source into account, even your stories, however, they have not provided us with any usable, physical reference points.”
“You want to see the Forerunners? I take you to the Forerunners,” he said and then quickly headed off into one of the many intersecting tunnels, followed by his colleagues.
Aurelia shook her head in confusion. “What the hell is he talking about?” she said and then looked at the Vulcan. “How can he show us these Forerunners? Surely they have been dead for centuries.”
“Perhaps he is referring to a burial site or another location with a historical or spiritual meaning to his people. If that is indeed the case we may be able to learn more about the Forerunners’ experience with previous seismic activity on this planet from that location.”
Sintina just shrugged, Yokem-Alay was making little sense to her. She indicated for Revis and Drelk to follow her as she set out with Xylion and a few of scientists to try and catch up with the Stellarians.
The reptilians were surprisingly fast however and they never quite managed to get them to slow down as they sprinted ahead with little regards to the team trying to follow them. Sintina didn’t like this one bit. They were rushing blindly into a dark and unknown tunnel system filled with countless possible hazards.
Xylion somehow managed to keep an eye on his tricorder even as they struggled to keep up. “The dense ore deposits in this region are rendering my scans inconclusive. I do register a faint energy signature which may hint towards the presence of artificial elements nearby.”
The Hispanic lieutenant wasn’t paying much attention to the Vulcan’s report, she was too busy trying to maintain visual contact with the Stellarians in the darkness surrounding them, her beacon only proving to be marginally helpful.
This continued for nearly an hour until Xylion and his team finally managed to catch up. Yokem-Alay and his compatriots were waiting for them in a large cavern, illuminated by countless bright candles, which had been inset into the rock walls.
It was also a dead end. A sharp precipice prevented any further travel deeper into the tunnel without some sturdy rock-climbing equipment.
“You are slow,” Alay said when the Federation team set food into the cavern.
“We need to set some ground rules here,” said Aurelia, trying hard to pretend that this mad dash hadn’t left her breathless. “Next time, if you wish to show us something, don’t just run off, understood? And why the hell would you sprint through this place like a mad man, anyway?”
“We have no time,” he responded, matching her intensity. “You must stop the ground from moving, now.”
Aurelia exhaled deeply and then turned away from the Stellarian as if she had given up on any attempt to reason with the man. It would have been easier to have a conversation about warp field theory with a five year old, she decided.
Xylion in the meantime was studying the cavern. His tricorder was not registering anything beyond the basics. “Alay, what is the function of this chamber and how do you believe it is related to the seismic activity?” he said without looking at the reptilian.
“This is the Hall of the Forerunners. The Forerunners stopped the ground from shaking.”
Sintina rolled her eyes. “Of course, that explains everything then,” she said and then turned towards Xylion. “Commander, I don’t want to tell you how to do you job but this is a waste of time. I suggest we return to the base camp and you try to pick up any valid scientific leads from there instead of listening to these jokers.”
“I wish to study this chamber first,” he responded and indicated to the couple of Vulcans who had followed him to spread out. “We may be able to identify relevant historic markers which could assist us in determining the source of the seismic activity.”
“You’re the scientist, Commander,” said Aurelia. “But all I see are candles and rock.”
Alay was also not pleased and he made this obvious by producing a series of insistent clicking noises. “You talk but you do not do. This is the Hall of the Forerunners.”
“Yeah, we got that,” said an exasperated Aurelia without gracing Alay a second glance.
The Stellarian didn’t seem to appreciate her tone and dismissive behavior and jumped into action, rushing Xylion who was standing dangerously close to the cliff and trying to learn what lay below.
“Commander, watch out!”
The security officer reached Alay just before he could get to the Vulcan. She wasn’t tactful as she roughly pushed the reptilian aside and away from Xylion.
But Alay was not giving up and pushed back, causing her to stumble sideways and towards Xylion and the precipice.
The Vulcan who had realized the danger, steadied himself and caught the short woman by her shoulders as she stumbled towards him, the heels of his boots buried themselves into the sandy ground mere inches away from the sharp drop behind him.
Aurelia ventured a look over her shoulder and down the gaping darkness below. “That was close,” she said and then shot an icy glare at the Stellarian who was trying to pull himself off the ground after he had stumbled. “I’ve just about had enough of –“
That was when the quakes started up again.
Xylion immediately understood the potential for disaster and attempted to redistribute his weight forward and away from the cliff behind him but this proved difficult while still holding on to the security officer.
In the end it was a futile effort, the quakes were simply too powerful and too sudden for him to avoid being thrown off his feet and fall the wrong way.
Sintina felt weightless for just a moment before she too fell backwards and plunged into the void.
She was going to kill Alay, she thought just before everything went dark.
* * *
Getting caught again CeJay. And I have to say I love the Bajoran episode with Nora Laas and Krys Leone. You paint a very vivid depiction of the refugee camp. Not in terms of descriptive prose and detail but in the jarring, dejected, suspicious, simmering malcontent sense the Bajorans project to the Starfleet officers who have landed. Despite being a well known Trek race, the era in which this was set was largely uncovered, and there was a real sense of the two parties facing one another as unknowns. Thus the suspicion and the direction in which they would act was really effective. Likewise, the build up to Nora beginning to see that there was another option available to her. That Starfleet might be something she can consider. The choice of Leone seems a rather fitting one. I kinda feel that she would give some like Nora a chance and an opportunity to rise above the situation. After all, she does put up with Aquiel! LOL. But it was a smart use of a UT character and I have to say, I do love the stories you have spun out of this. The various pairing ups have worked really well. It doesn't feel conceited nor does it make the UT universe suffer from small universe syndrome as the different connections have been made in many different ways and on different levels. Everybody in other words, ain't everybody else's best mate. Well done.
The other thing I love about these crossing over tales is the fact we get to see past timeframes and see the characters before we knew them. It helps to demonstrate something of their character and where they have come from. Xylion is played as a straight Vulcan. Which can actually be difficult to do and avoid clichés and make interesting. He always strikes me as very Vulcan and still have heart at the core. But always controlled and always tempered. So, who to match him with?! Ha! None other than Aurelia Sintina! That's story telling gold. And by the end of the last instalment the two of them look like they'll be spending a little bit of time in one another's company. Should prove very interesting. I likewise, love the way each little tale has a different set up and reason as to how the UT characters get to be sharing the one story. Very interesting.
Thanks for commenting, peeps.
Kes7, better in fits and starts than not at all, I say. I'm glad you enjoyed that segment. Writing for Vulcans is admittedly a bit challenging. Unless you write about an atypical Vulcan (half-breed, v'tosh katur, etc) things tend to get a little boring. Of course Xylion is not quite your typical Vulcan either, more about that soon.
mirandafave, always appreciate your insights and observations. The small universe syndrome is a great point. And there are different ways to look at this I suppose. It is of course a huge universe were various Stafleet officers and starships can go about their business without ever having to cross paths. But where's the fun in that? So these people will encounter each other from time to time but when they do, it usually is by coincidence. And no, they're not all on first name basis. And probably never will.
Dnoth, glad you're happy with my interpretation of the young and impulsive Sintina. Remind me, how exactly is she different from the older, wiser (?) Captain Aurelia? Just kidding ...
Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come very soon.
Kes7, better in fits and starts than not at all, I say. I'm glad you enjoyed that segment. Writing for Vulcans is admittedly a bit challenging. Unless you write about an atypical Vulcan (half-breed, v'tosh katur, etc) things tend to get a little boring. Of course Xylion is not quite your typical Vulcan either, more about that soon.
mirandafave, always appreciate your insights and observations. The small universe syndrome is a great point. And there are different ways to look at this I suppose. It is of course a huge universe were various Stafleet officers and starships can go about their business without ever having to cross paths. But where's the fun in that? So these people will encounter each other from time to time but when they do, it usually is by coincidence. And no, they're not all on first name basis. And probably never will.
Dnoth, glad you're happy with my interpretation of the young and impulsive Sintina. Remind me, how exactly is she different from the older, wiser (?) Captain Aurelia? Just kidding ...
Thanks for reading and commenting. More to come very soon.
My impression of Xylion is that he comes off rather human in this story--that is--taking tradition and K'Tera for granted as he selfishly seeks his own ambitions, something I think, he'll come to regret in the near future.
“This is some fascinating technology, no doubt about it. And there is no way the Stellarians placed it here. At least not the ones that live on this planet now. Perhaps these so-called Forerunners. They must have had impressive technological skills, too bad we know so little about them. Makes you kinda wonder what went wrong in their gene pool, huh?”
Xylion felt sore all over but immediately ascertained that he had no broken bones and in all likelihood no internal injuries. He would not have admitted it openly but he felt burning pain emanating from his ribcage. At least two of his ribs had to be bruised or quite possibly even cracked.
He lay on something soft and whatever it was, it had saved his life.
It didn't take him long to recall his last memory. The Stellarians had brought them to what they had called the Hall of the Forerunners. Alay had become frustrated and aggressive and had charged him. Aurelia had intervened but a subsequent quake had pushed them over the edge of a cliff and down a deep precipice. He remembered the forces of gravity pulling his body downwards, he remember darkness and painful impacts which must have slowed down his fall before he had landed were he was now. He even remembered passing out.
Only after reliving all the events which had led to his current situation, did he open his eyes and checked himself over. His uniform was torn in a few places and his skin underneath scratched and smeared with green blood. But as he had already established, there were no sign of serious injuries. He was lying on a thick layer of soft, crimson-colored moss.
“You’re awake. About time.”
He turned to see Bensu standing a few feet away. The man didn't have a scratch on him and was wearing a playful grin on his lips. He indicated to the Vulcan’s right.
Xylion followed Bensu’s glance to see Lieutenant Aurelia lying face down in the moss.
“She may need some assistance,” he said.
Xylion slowly got onto his feet which wasn’t an easy task on the squishy ground and it took him a few second before he could fully trust them again. “You should have tended to her sooner,” he said as he carefully made his way over to her unmoving form.
“Xylion, my dear friend, you must have hit your head while tumbling down here.”
He ignored the gibe and cautiously turned the lieutenant over. She had similar scratches over her body but also no serious visible injuries.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Commander? What happened?” she said but had to stop herself to cough.
“We fell,” he said. “You should remain still.”
Aurelia’s memories were returning slowly. “Alay,” she nearly spit. “I’m going to kick my boot so far up his –“
“Lieutenant, you may be suffering from a concussion, I recommend that you do not exert yourself.”
But Sintina just shook her head and pushed herself into a sitting position.
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with her,” Bensu said. “That’s just how she is.”
“I’m fine,” said Aurelia. “Help me up.”
Against his better judgment Xylion pulled her to her feet.
Before even looking herself over, the first thing she did was check on her equipment. “Where’s my weapon?” she said.
Xylion found the phaser a few feet away as well as his tricorder. He handed her the phaser and then used the scanning instrument to confirm his theory that neither of them had been seriously injured. Once he was satisfied, he tucked the tricorder away.
“If you guys are alright maybe you should come and check out the machinery next door,” said Bensu and began to walk away. Xylion noticed that the cavern they had landed in was surprisingly well lit and the source appeared to be coming from a nearby tunnel. The very same Bensu was disappearing into.
“We should try and find a way to return to the rest of the team.”
Sintina hit her combadge but the aborted chirping sound it produced was a clear sign that it was unable to establish any kind of connection. She looked upwards to see nothing but a steep rock face. “I suppose taking the way we came is not an option.”
“There appears to be something else here,” said Xylion and headed for the tunnel Bensu had stepped into.
Sintina sighed and followed the Vulcan.
What they found left them both speechless.
The tunnel opened into another cavern which was easily thirty meters high and brightly lit by clearly artificial light strips inset in the ceiling above them.
But that was by far not their most impressive discovery. Most of the far wall seemed to consist out of a massive machine which appeared to be merged directly into the rock. The dull gray device nearly reached the ceiling and had numerous conduits and pipes leading directly into the ground and the rock all around it. Some of those conduits were made out of transparent material and a glowing, dark green liquid seemed to pass through them. Bright orange lights were flashing and flickering with no readily apparent pattern all over the machine.
At its center, just about two meters above the ground, a clear sphere, perhaps one meter in diameter, protruded out of the device.
Aurelia spoke first. “What the hell is that thing?”
“If I had to venture a guess I would say that the Stellarian Forerunners put this here. But the more important question, I think, is what does it do?” Bensu said.
Xylion stepped closer carefully. The machine seemed to sense his presence and the clear sphere activated, showing a holographic presentation of a reptilian-like face not unlike that of the Stellarians but not quite the same either. It was made up of green light.
“I know you want to say it, but I think I’m going to do it for you,” Bensu said. “Fascinating.”
Aurelia joined the Vulcan, studying the hologram. “A computer, perhaps?”
“That would be to be a logical assumption.”
“You have intruded,” the hologram said, his voice sounding distinctly curt and mechanical, its reptilian features distorted into something akin to a frown. “Your presence is not allowed.”
Another quake, this one stronger than the ones they had experienced before, nearly threw both Starfleet officers off their feet. The large room rumbled loudly as hydraulic pumps attached to the machine came to life.
For a moment it seemed as if the entire cavern would collapse but besides a shower of dust and small debris, the ceiling above held steady.
Aurelia looked around nervously.
“That was a bad one,” Bensu said.
The Vulcan referred to his tricroder. “The energy output of the seismic activity registers at 186.9 petajoules or approximately 7.1 on the Richter scale. “
“We must be close to the epicenter,” said Sintina.
The Vulcan nodded. “It is remarkable that this cavern and the device appear not to have taken any significant structural damage from the seismic events."
“Remarkable, sure,” said the lieutenant. “What’s more remarkable is that this machine seems to be linked directly to the quakes.”
A much weaker aftershock seemed to give further credence to her theory; the hydraulic system was pumping fluid into the rock wall with every tremor.
“Commander, I think we just found the source of these quakes,” she said and pulled her phaser.
“Intruders, you are a threat to this installation,” he holographic face nearly shouted. “Leave now or face severe actions.”
“Oh yeah,” said Sintina in a challenging tone. “And what exactly are you going to do?”
The hologram focused on the short woman. “Security personnel is being summoned and will remove you by force. You will be punished severely for your intrusion.”
Aurelia laughed and looked at a stone-faced Xylion. “You know what, I like this guy,” she said and then focused back on the hologram. “I hate to break it to you, but whoever put you here is long since gone. There are no security forces to summon.”
This seemed to confuse the hologram.
“Hey, I think I just managed to outsmart a computer,” she said. “First time for everything, I guess.”
“This is not an ordinary computer,” said Xylion.
That caused her to glare at him for spoiling her moment of triumph.
The Vulcan ignored her and approached the massive machine, looking for an access point to the internal machinery. “Its response routines and behavioral algorithms appear to be abnormal,” he said and referred to his tricorder again. “The machine itself is approximately three-thousand five hundred years old and may be experiencing a malfunction.”
Sintina sighed. “Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it’s broken.”
Bensu snickered.
“Intruders, I have considered what you have said,” the hologram finally said. “If security forces are no longer present, you must have disposed of them and are now in a position to threaten this installation. Instead of allowing you to interfere, I will destroy this installation, the resulting explosion will ensure your deaths.” The green-hued hologram turned into a shade of dark red.
Sintina raised her phaser. “Not if I kill you first.”
Xylion turned to the Aurelia. “Lieutenant, stand down.”
She didn’t. “You’ve heard him, Commander. It’s planning to blow us up. I might be able to disable it before it comes to that. Besides, this way we shut this thing down for good, solve this earthquake problem and we can leave the Stellarians to their own devices. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
“I am not convinced that this device is inducing seismicity,” he said even while another quake forced him to struggle to keep his balance.
Sintina pointed at the pumps and the venom green liquid that seemed to be injected into the surrounding rocks. “Look at this thing. It comes to life every time there is a quake. There is an obvious connection here.”
“Agreed,” said the Vulcan. “According to my scans the liquid is an unknown mixture of a silicon isotope compound and hydrogenated polyalphaolefins.”
“You have less than five minutes to live,” the hologram announced smugly.
Sintinia glared at the hologram, never lowering her phaser, but then quickly focused on the Vulcan again. “What does that mean in plain English?”
“I believe the mixture may produce a highly effective lubricant which is pumped directly into the fault lines.”
“You’re saying this thing is oiling the tectonic plates? To prevent earthquakes?”
The Vulcan gave her curt nod. “Essentially, yes.”
Another tremble shook the ground, raining down more dust and debris.
“It’s not doing a great job, is it?”
“The device may be malfunctioning.”
Bensu agreed. “It has been in operation for hundreds of years.”
“So what do you suggest we do now, Commander. Time is not exactly on our side here,” she said, struggling to maintain her footing as the cave was gripped by more erratic seismic activity.
“We must find a way to repair the damage and allow the device to stabilize the tectonic plates,” the Vulcan said.
“Please tell me that's easier than it sounds?”
Xylion studied the massive device. Besides the red-hued hologram he could not find any other interface that would allow him to access the machine or the computer controlling it. “It would be logical to assume that this installation’s computer should be able to diagnose the damage and assist us in repairing it,” he said and then faced the hologram which had continued to regard the two strangers with scorn ever since they had arrived. “Computer, initiate a self-diagnostic of your sub-routines controlling the seismic stabilizers.”
The holographic head turned to focus solely on the Vulcan. “I don’t think so, Pointy Ears.”
Bensu failed at suppressing another snicker. “I don’t think it likes you much, Old Boy.”
Xylion shot the man a look of irritation, clearly having been caught by surprise by the hologram’s unexpected response.
“Commander, are you alright?” Aurelia asked as she watched him turn away and look off into empty space.
“I’m sorry,” said Bensu and put a hand in front of his mouth. “That was just really funny.”
“I’m fine, Lieutenant,” he said as he turned back towards the hologram. “You are not responding logically to a stated request.”
“And you are about to die,” the hologram snapped back. “Either by being crushed like insects under falling rocks or, and I prefer this one, melted down to your bones by the fiery explosion of this machine.”
Xylion restrained himself to raising an eyebrow this time. “It appears to be of no use,” he said. “This interface is malfunctioning and is not responding to any requests.”
Another quake gripped the cavern but this time the device appeared to make little efforts to even try to counteract the effects, evident by the pumps hardly working at all.
The force of the quake threw both Xylion and Sintina onto the ground. High above them, on the ceiling, a large piece of rock came free and fell only to smash into the ground exactly were Bensu had been standing.
Xylion managed to get back onto his feet quickly and helped Aurelia off the ground as well before he watched Bensu reappearing a few feet from the massive rock.
“That would have given me a serious headache,” he said as he looked at the boulder. “I think we need to come up with something quickly,” he added and looked at the Vulcan.
The quake never quite went away and the cavern now appeared to be in a state of constant movement, allowing ever-larger rock pieces to rain down from the ceiling in a constant hail of stone.
“We cannot proceed with the limited tools available to us. We must rejoin with my team and return with additional equipment,” he said, raising his voice to ensure he could be heard over the increasing rumble all around them.
The security lieutenant shook her head. “There is no time for that. Even if we find a way back, this whole cavern system will come down on top of us, burying all of us down here and laying waste to the surface.”
“We have to attempt it. There is no alternative,” he shouted as he began to head towards the only exit leading out of the cavern.
Sintina began to follow but then stopped and turned around.
“Looks like your new friend is not coming,” said Bensu.
[continued]
Xylion felt sore all over but immediately ascertained that he had no broken bones and in all likelihood no internal injuries. He would not have admitted it openly but he felt burning pain emanating from his ribcage. At least two of his ribs had to be bruised or quite possibly even cracked.
He lay on something soft and whatever it was, it had saved his life.
It didn't take him long to recall his last memory. The Stellarians had brought them to what they had called the Hall of the Forerunners. Alay had become frustrated and aggressive and had charged him. Aurelia had intervened but a subsequent quake had pushed them over the edge of a cliff and down a deep precipice. He remembered the forces of gravity pulling his body downwards, he remember darkness and painful impacts which must have slowed down his fall before he had landed were he was now. He even remembered passing out.
Only after reliving all the events which had led to his current situation, did he open his eyes and checked himself over. His uniform was torn in a few places and his skin underneath scratched and smeared with green blood. But as he had already established, there were no sign of serious injuries. He was lying on a thick layer of soft, crimson-colored moss.
“You’re awake. About time.”
He turned to see Bensu standing a few feet away. The man didn't have a scratch on him and was wearing a playful grin on his lips. He indicated to the Vulcan’s right.
Xylion followed Bensu’s glance to see Lieutenant Aurelia lying face down in the moss.
“She may need some assistance,” he said.
Xylion slowly got onto his feet which wasn’t an easy task on the squishy ground and it took him a few second before he could fully trust them again. “You should have tended to her sooner,” he said as he carefully made his way over to her unmoving form.
“Xylion, my dear friend, you must have hit your head while tumbling down here.”
He ignored the gibe and cautiously turned the lieutenant over. She had similar scratches over her body but also no serious visible injuries.
Her eyes fluttered open. “Commander? What happened?” she said but had to stop herself to cough.
“We fell,” he said. “You should remain still.”
Aurelia’s memories were returning slowly. “Alay,” she nearly spit. “I’m going to kick my boot so far up his –“
“Lieutenant, you may be suffering from a concussion, I recommend that you do not exert yourself.”
But Sintina just shook her head and pushed herself into a sitting position.
“I don’t think there is anything wrong with her,” Bensu said. “That’s just how she is.”
“I’m fine,” said Aurelia. “Help me up.”
Against his better judgment Xylion pulled her to her feet.
Before even looking herself over, the first thing she did was check on her equipment. “Where’s my weapon?” she said.
Xylion found the phaser a few feet away as well as his tricorder. He handed her the phaser and then used the scanning instrument to confirm his theory that neither of them had been seriously injured. Once he was satisfied, he tucked the tricorder away.
“If you guys are alright maybe you should come and check out the machinery next door,” said Bensu and began to walk away. Xylion noticed that the cavern they had landed in was surprisingly well lit and the source appeared to be coming from a nearby tunnel. The very same Bensu was disappearing into.
“We should try and find a way to return to the rest of the team.”
Sintina hit her combadge but the aborted chirping sound it produced was a clear sign that it was unable to establish any kind of connection. She looked upwards to see nothing but a steep rock face. “I suppose taking the way we came is not an option.”
“There appears to be something else here,” said Xylion and headed for the tunnel Bensu had stepped into.
Sintina sighed and followed the Vulcan.
What they found left them both speechless.
The tunnel opened into another cavern which was easily thirty meters high and brightly lit by clearly artificial light strips inset in the ceiling above them.
But that was by far not their most impressive discovery. Most of the far wall seemed to consist out of a massive machine which appeared to be merged directly into the rock. The dull gray device nearly reached the ceiling and had numerous conduits and pipes leading directly into the ground and the rock all around it. Some of those conduits were made out of transparent material and a glowing, dark green liquid seemed to pass through them. Bright orange lights were flashing and flickering with no readily apparent pattern all over the machine.
At its center, just about two meters above the ground, a clear sphere, perhaps one meter in diameter, protruded out of the device.
Aurelia spoke first. “What the hell is that thing?”
“If I had to venture a guess I would say that the Stellarian Forerunners put this here. But the more important question, I think, is what does it do?” Bensu said.
Xylion stepped closer carefully. The machine seemed to sense his presence and the clear sphere activated, showing a holographic presentation of a reptilian-like face not unlike that of the Stellarians but not quite the same either. It was made up of green light.
“I know you want to say it, but I think I’m going to do it for you,” Bensu said. “Fascinating.”
Aurelia joined the Vulcan, studying the hologram. “A computer, perhaps?”
“That would be to be a logical assumption.”
“You have intruded,” the hologram said, his voice sounding distinctly curt and mechanical, its reptilian features distorted into something akin to a frown. “Your presence is not allowed.”
Another quake, this one stronger than the ones they had experienced before, nearly threw both Starfleet officers off their feet. The large room rumbled loudly as hydraulic pumps attached to the machine came to life.
For a moment it seemed as if the entire cavern would collapse but besides a shower of dust and small debris, the ceiling above held steady.
Aurelia looked around nervously.
“That was a bad one,” Bensu said.
The Vulcan referred to his tricroder. “The energy output of the seismic activity registers at 186.9 petajoules or approximately 7.1 on the Richter scale. “
“We must be close to the epicenter,” said Sintina.
The Vulcan nodded. “It is remarkable that this cavern and the device appear not to have taken any significant structural damage from the seismic events."
“Remarkable, sure,” said the lieutenant. “What’s more remarkable is that this machine seems to be linked directly to the quakes.”
A much weaker aftershock seemed to give further credence to her theory; the hydraulic system was pumping fluid into the rock wall with every tremor.
“Commander, I think we just found the source of these quakes,” she said and pulled her phaser.
“Intruders, you are a threat to this installation,” he holographic face nearly shouted. “Leave now or face severe actions.”
“Oh yeah,” said Sintina in a challenging tone. “And what exactly are you going to do?”
The hologram focused on the short woman. “Security personnel is being summoned and will remove you by force. You will be punished severely for your intrusion.”
Aurelia laughed and looked at a stone-faced Xylion. “You know what, I like this guy,” she said and then focused back on the hologram. “I hate to break it to you, but whoever put you here is long since gone. There are no security forces to summon.”
This seemed to confuse the hologram.
“Hey, I think I just managed to outsmart a computer,” she said. “First time for everything, I guess.”
“This is not an ordinary computer,” said Xylion.
That caused her to glare at him for spoiling her moment of triumph.
The Vulcan ignored her and approached the massive machine, looking for an access point to the internal machinery. “Its response routines and behavioral algorithms appear to be abnormal,” he said and referred to his tricorder again. “The machine itself is approximately three-thousand five hundred years old and may be experiencing a malfunction.”
Sintina sighed. “Just because you don’t understand it, doesn’t mean it’s broken.”
Bensu snickered.
“Intruders, I have considered what you have said,” the hologram finally said. “If security forces are no longer present, you must have disposed of them and are now in a position to threaten this installation. Instead of allowing you to interfere, I will destroy this installation, the resulting explosion will ensure your deaths.” The green-hued hologram turned into a shade of dark red.
Sintina raised her phaser. “Not if I kill you first.”
Xylion turned to the Aurelia. “Lieutenant, stand down.”
She didn’t. “You’ve heard him, Commander. It’s planning to blow us up. I might be able to disable it before it comes to that. Besides, this way we shut this thing down for good, solve this earthquake problem and we can leave the Stellarians to their own devices. It’s a win-win for everyone.”
“I am not convinced that this device is inducing seismicity,” he said even while another quake forced him to struggle to keep his balance.
Sintina pointed at the pumps and the venom green liquid that seemed to be injected into the surrounding rocks. “Look at this thing. It comes to life every time there is a quake. There is an obvious connection here.”
“Agreed,” said the Vulcan. “According to my scans the liquid is an unknown mixture of a silicon isotope compound and hydrogenated polyalphaolefins.”
“You have less than five minutes to live,” the hologram announced smugly.
Sintinia glared at the hologram, never lowering her phaser, but then quickly focused on the Vulcan again. “What does that mean in plain English?”
“I believe the mixture may produce a highly effective lubricant which is pumped directly into the fault lines.”
“You’re saying this thing is oiling the tectonic plates? To prevent earthquakes?”
The Vulcan gave her curt nod. “Essentially, yes.”
Another tremble shook the ground, raining down more dust and debris.
“It’s not doing a great job, is it?”
“The device may be malfunctioning.”
Bensu agreed. “It has been in operation for hundreds of years.”
“So what do you suggest we do now, Commander. Time is not exactly on our side here,” she said, struggling to maintain her footing as the cave was gripped by more erratic seismic activity.
“We must find a way to repair the damage and allow the device to stabilize the tectonic plates,” the Vulcan said.
“Please tell me that's easier than it sounds?”
Xylion studied the massive device. Besides the red-hued hologram he could not find any other interface that would allow him to access the machine or the computer controlling it. “It would be logical to assume that this installation’s computer should be able to diagnose the damage and assist us in repairing it,” he said and then faced the hologram which had continued to regard the two strangers with scorn ever since they had arrived. “Computer, initiate a self-diagnostic of your sub-routines controlling the seismic stabilizers.”
The holographic head turned to focus solely on the Vulcan. “I don’t think so, Pointy Ears.”
Bensu failed at suppressing another snicker. “I don’t think it likes you much, Old Boy.”
Xylion shot the man a look of irritation, clearly having been caught by surprise by the hologram’s unexpected response.
“Commander, are you alright?” Aurelia asked as she watched him turn away and look off into empty space.
“I’m sorry,” said Bensu and put a hand in front of his mouth. “That was just really funny.”
“I’m fine, Lieutenant,” he said as he turned back towards the hologram. “You are not responding logically to a stated request.”
“And you are about to die,” the hologram snapped back. “Either by being crushed like insects under falling rocks or, and I prefer this one, melted down to your bones by the fiery explosion of this machine.”
Xylion restrained himself to raising an eyebrow this time. “It appears to be of no use,” he said. “This interface is malfunctioning and is not responding to any requests.”
Another quake gripped the cavern but this time the device appeared to make little efforts to even try to counteract the effects, evident by the pumps hardly working at all.
The force of the quake threw both Xylion and Sintina onto the ground. High above them, on the ceiling, a large piece of rock came free and fell only to smash into the ground exactly were Bensu had been standing.
Xylion managed to get back onto his feet quickly and helped Aurelia off the ground as well before he watched Bensu reappearing a few feet from the massive rock.
“That would have given me a serious headache,” he said as he looked at the boulder. “I think we need to come up with something quickly,” he added and looked at the Vulcan.
The quake never quite went away and the cavern now appeared to be in a state of constant movement, allowing ever-larger rock pieces to rain down from the ceiling in a constant hail of stone.
“We cannot proceed with the limited tools available to us. We must rejoin with my team and return with additional equipment,” he said, raising his voice to ensure he could be heard over the increasing rumble all around them.
The security lieutenant shook her head. “There is no time for that. Even if we find a way back, this whole cavern system will come down on top of us, burying all of us down here and laying waste to the surface.”
“We have to attempt it. There is no alternative,” he shouted as he began to head towards the only exit leading out of the cavern.
Sintina began to follow but then stopped and turned around.
“Looks like your new friend is not coming,” said Bensu.
[continued]
Xylion turned to see her staring at the massive machine. “Lieutenant!”
“We have to try and get this thing to repair itself.”
Xylion took a step towards her but then quickly jumped back when another rock twice the size of his head came crushing down, missing him by mere inches. “That would be a futile endeavor, Lieutenant. We must leave here now. The longer we delay the smaller our chances of success will become.”
But Aurelia didn’t move.
“Lieutenant, come with me. That’s an order!”
She looked torn for a moment as she looked back and forth between Xylion and the hologram.
“You can try and run but you will not escape,” the red-hued face proclaimed loudly.
Xylion stepped closer still, determined to knock her out with a neck pinch and carry her if necessary. “You are wasting your time. This interface will not response in any logical manner.”
At that Aurelia looked straight at the approaching Xylion. “You’re right, it won’t. But it’s behaving exactly the way it should. Think about it. This machine was most likely build by the Stellarians’ forbearers. If they were anything like they are, they would have been an emotional and irrational race.”
“She’s got a point there,” Bensu said.
But Xylion marginally shook his head to communicate his doubts. “That is highly unlikely. An irrational race would not have had the ability to construct such an advanced device. It is more probable that the interface is malfunctioning.”
“You now have two minutes left to live. I thought you should now.”
“Hey,” Bensu said. “That thing skipped at least one whole minute.”
“You’re giving us irrational races too little credit, Commander,” Aurelia said with a little smirk before she turned towards the hologram. “Tell me, you are designed to keep those earthquakes under control, right?”
“I do not have to answer to you. You will be dead in less than two minutes,” the hologram said stubbornly.
“Ok, but if that’s the case I’m not going to be a threat to you and you might as well indulge my dying request.”
The holographic face seemed to consider this for a moment.
“So?” she said impatiently. “Is your purpose to keep the earthquakes in check, or not?”
The hologram stared daggers at the Starfleet officer. “Yes.”
“Lieutenant!”
“Hold on, Commander, I think we might be getting somewhere.”
But that had not been while Xylion had shouted her name. A massive boulder was coming down and right towards were Aurelia was standing. He reached her just in time and pushed her out of the way, throwing them both to the ground.
The rock landed with a mighty thud and blew up a thick plume of dust.
Sintina looked at the rock which had nearly crushed her with wide open eyes. “Thanks.”
The hologram actually laughed.
“We need to leave, now!” Xylion said firmly.
She picked herself up and dusted off her mustard-colored uniform. “One more minute.”
“One more minute and you’re dead.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But now that we have established that your function is to keep the earthquakes in check, can you tell me if you are actually doing that successfully?”
“I’m not,” it responded straight away.
“A-ha.”
“Because I’m trying to kill you.”
“Touché,” said Bensu.
Aurelia was momentarily caught speechless.
“Lieutenant,” Xylion urged.
She raised a hand towards him and continued to face the hologram. “Okay, before you tried to kill us. Were you keeping those earthquakes in check the way you were supposed to?”
The hologram didn’t answer straight away.
“Where you?” she asked more forcefully. “Check your sub-routines and tell me.”
It shook its holographic head.
“And don’t you think that that might be the reason why we came down here? That because you were not doing your job anymore, we came to see what was wrong.”
It frowned. “It doesn’t matter, you are not the creators.”
“You are hundreds of years old,” she shot back. “Check your databanks to see how long you have been active. The ones who created you are long gone. But there are still people living on the surface who need you to work properly. People who are direct descendants of your creators.”
Another quake slung her and Xylion to the ground again. It bordered on a miracle that they were hit by nothing more than pebble sized rocks, painful and bruising but not life endangering. Yet. A larger rock came down near the only remaining entrance, blocking it off completely.
“There goes our way out,” Bensu said.
“Your time is up!”
Aurelia pushed herself onto her knees, trying to dispel a coughing fit caused by dust getting into her lungs. “Don’t you think your creators would have wanted you to keep their decedents as safe as you kept them! Do you think they wanted you to destroy them?”
“You are the enemy!”
“Are we?” she shouted back with the same intensity the hologram had shown. “Then why the hell do we just want you to work the way you are supposed to? Why haven’t I tried to blast you out of existence?”
Xylion could see the ceiling above them trembling and trying to shake loose it’s largest fragment yet, this one ensuring that they’d be killed instantly.
And then the cavern settled down until the quakes subsided completely.
The red-glowing hologram returned to its comparably soothing green light. “You might be right,” it said simply.
Aurelia let out a gasp of air and let herself fall onto her backside.
“Is it over?” Bensu asked. “Can I breathe again?”
Xylion stood. “Hologram, have you detected the malfunction.”
The green face considered the Vulcan coolly. “I don’t care for you, Pointy Ears.”
Now Aurelia giggled. “I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual. Answer him anyway.”
The hologram looked back and forth between the two officers and then seemed to utter a sigh. “Yes, I have found the problem. My tertiary regulator was misaligned, causing an impure intermix formula. I have corrected the misalignment and future quakes will be suppressed. Happy?” he said, looking directly at Xylion.
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “Fascinating.”
Sintina stood also and drew her phaser to point it towards the bolder which was blocking their only exit. “Mission accomplished. Time to get the hell out of here.”
“Lieutenant, that would not be wise,” said Xylion. “The force of the phaser beam might destabilize the cavern.”
She looked at him. “So what do you suggest we do?”
He knelt down on the cavern floor. “We wait until a rescue team can reach us. We should have sufficient air and there is no longer any immediate risk of a cave in.”
Aurelia put away her phaser. “So we are just going to sit here and wait.”
“Correct.”
“And how are we going to pass the time?” she said with a widening grin. “I suppose we could always discuss how my irrational approach saved the day.”
“Indeed,” the Vulcan said without looking at her. “Or we could meditate in silence.”
She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him.
Bensu looked at them both. “Sound like we're going to have endless amounts of fun.”
“We have to try and get this thing to repair itself.”
Xylion took a step towards her but then quickly jumped back when another rock twice the size of his head came crushing down, missing him by mere inches. “That would be a futile endeavor, Lieutenant. We must leave here now. The longer we delay the smaller our chances of success will become.”
But Aurelia didn’t move.
“Lieutenant, come with me. That’s an order!”
She looked torn for a moment as she looked back and forth between Xylion and the hologram.
“You can try and run but you will not escape,” the red-hued face proclaimed loudly.
Xylion stepped closer still, determined to knock her out with a neck pinch and carry her if necessary. “You are wasting your time. This interface will not response in any logical manner.”
At that Aurelia looked straight at the approaching Xylion. “You’re right, it won’t. But it’s behaving exactly the way it should. Think about it. This machine was most likely build by the Stellarians’ forbearers. If they were anything like they are, they would have been an emotional and irrational race.”
“She’s got a point there,” Bensu said.
But Xylion marginally shook his head to communicate his doubts. “That is highly unlikely. An irrational race would not have had the ability to construct such an advanced device. It is more probable that the interface is malfunctioning.”
“You now have two minutes left to live. I thought you should now.”
“Hey,” Bensu said. “That thing skipped at least one whole minute.”
“You’re giving us irrational races too little credit, Commander,” Aurelia said with a little smirk before she turned towards the hologram. “Tell me, you are designed to keep those earthquakes under control, right?”
“I do not have to answer to you. You will be dead in less than two minutes,” the hologram said stubbornly.
“Ok, but if that’s the case I’m not going to be a threat to you and you might as well indulge my dying request.”
The holographic face seemed to consider this for a moment.
“So?” she said impatiently. “Is your purpose to keep the earthquakes in check, or not?”
The hologram stared daggers at the Starfleet officer. “Yes.”
“Lieutenant!”
“Hold on, Commander, I think we might be getting somewhere.”
But that had not been while Xylion had shouted her name. A massive boulder was coming down and right towards were Aurelia was standing. He reached her just in time and pushed her out of the way, throwing them both to the ground.
The rock landed with a mighty thud and blew up a thick plume of dust.
Sintina looked at the rock which had nearly crushed her with wide open eyes. “Thanks.”
The hologram actually laughed.
“We need to leave, now!” Xylion said firmly.
She picked herself up and dusted off her mustard-colored uniform. “One more minute.”
“One more minute and you’re dead.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. But now that we have established that your function is to keep the earthquakes in check, can you tell me if you are actually doing that successfully?”
“I’m not,” it responded straight away.
“A-ha.”
“Because I’m trying to kill you.”
“Touché,” said Bensu.
Aurelia was momentarily caught speechless.
“Lieutenant,” Xylion urged.
She raised a hand towards him and continued to face the hologram. “Okay, before you tried to kill us. Were you keeping those earthquakes in check the way you were supposed to?”
The hologram didn’t answer straight away.
“Where you?” she asked more forcefully. “Check your sub-routines and tell me.”
It shook its holographic head.
“And don’t you think that that might be the reason why we came down here? That because you were not doing your job anymore, we came to see what was wrong.”
It frowned. “It doesn’t matter, you are not the creators.”
“You are hundreds of years old,” she shot back. “Check your databanks to see how long you have been active. The ones who created you are long gone. But there are still people living on the surface who need you to work properly. People who are direct descendants of your creators.”
Another quake slung her and Xylion to the ground again. It bordered on a miracle that they were hit by nothing more than pebble sized rocks, painful and bruising but not life endangering. Yet. A larger rock came down near the only remaining entrance, blocking it off completely.
“There goes our way out,” Bensu said.
“Your time is up!”
Aurelia pushed herself onto her knees, trying to dispel a coughing fit caused by dust getting into her lungs. “Don’t you think your creators would have wanted you to keep their decedents as safe as you kept them! Do you think they wanted you to destroy them?”
“You are the enemy!”
“Are we?” she shouted back with the same intensity the hologram had shown. “Then why the hell do we just want you to work the way you are supposed to? Why haven’t I tried to blast you out of existence?”
Xylion could see the ceiling above them trembling and trying to shake loose it’s largest fragment yet, this one ensuring that they’d be killed instantly.
And then the cavern settled down until the quakes subsided completely.
The red-glowing hologram returned to its comparably soothing green light. “You might be right,” it said simply.
Aurelia let out a gasp of air and let herself fall onto her backside.
“Is it over?” Bensu asked. “Can I breathe again?”
Xylion stood. “Hologram, have you detected the malfunction.”
The green face considered the Vulcan coolly. “I don’t care for you, Pointy Ears.”
Now Aurelia giggled. “I’m pretty sure the feeling is mutual. Answer him anyway.”
The hologram looked back and forth between the two officers and then seemed to utter a sigh. “Yes, I have found the problem. My tertiary regulator was misaligned, causing an impure intermix formula. I have corrected the misalignment and future quakes will be suppressed. Happy?” he said, looking directly at Xylion.
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “Fascinating.”
Sintina stood also and drew her phaser to point it towards the bolder which was blocking their only exit. “Mission accomplished. Time to get the hell out of here.”
“Lieutenant, that would not be wise,” said Xylion. “The force of the phaser beam might destabilize the cavern.”
She looked at him. “So what do you suggest we do?”
He knelt down on the cavern floor. “We wait until a rescue team can reach us. We should have sufficient air and there is no longer any immediate risk of a cave in.”
Aurelia put away her phaser. “So we are just going to sit here and wait.”
“Correct.”
“And how are we going to pass the time?” she said with a widening grin. “I suppose we could always discuss how my irrational approach saved the day.”
“Indeed,” the Vulcan said without looking at her. “Or we could meditate in silence.”
She rolled her eyes and sat down next to him.
Bensu looked at them both. “Sound like we're going to have endless amounts of fun.”
* * *
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