Well, there are sadists everywhere. I have a feeling this sadist is going to end up paying a price though.
The Star Eagle Adventures IV: All The Sinners, Saints
- Thread starter CeJay
- Start date
It was warm when Wenera stepped out of the hospital even though the sun had long since began to set, something that apparently took a few hours on Tiaita. She never stopped to appreciate this. Instead she continued to walk slowly away from the hospital and onto one of the dirt streets. The unpaved roads criss-crossed the settlement which was almost entirely surrounded by mountains. An ideal location for a people who were trying to stay hidden from the authorities.
Nobody tried to stop her as she walked down the road by herself. On the contrary, the inhabitants moved out of her way, some with caution, some downright scared by her alien appearance. She also found that there was hardly a solider among them. Most of them were children or old and sick people.
She could not find the admiration that had been so prevalent in the eyes of the crowds which had greeted them in the capital a few days earlier. Whatever these people had been told about their alien visitors, it certainly could not have been flattering. Some behaved as if just being close to her could be poisonous. In the hospital her patients and the staff had put their preconceptions behind them after she had proven herself but apparently words of her deeds had not yet spread to the general populace.
Wenera had no conscious idea as to where she was going, for the moment it was simply sufficient that she had plenty of fresh evening air to breath. Her head was still bursting with a million questions. What exactly was the nature of the struggle of this Ait faction? Was it indeed a civil war? And if so, was it justifiable? She had made her position clear before. There was no cause significant enough to kill the innocent. Or was there? And for that matter, had she actually witnessed these so-called rebels ever killing a civilian or had she simply accepted a well rehearsed propaganda line?
The more she thought about it the worse it got. Was it possible that she had aided those who were perpetrating the real crimes? Crimes against an entire segment of the population. She couldn’t fathom such a thought. The Federation, even Starfleet were entirely built upon the idea of advanced moral and ethical responsibility. These weren’t just slogans but deep set principles which every Starfleet officer had sworn to protect at some point or other.
Had she taken those for granted? Had she simply been unable to allow for the possibility that her superiors might make mistakes and take the wrong side that she had ignored any evidence to the contrary?
And so the questions continued to rattle through her mind without any answers forthcoming. The truth was, she was scared of the answers.
She had lost track of time and when her feet finally stopped she realized that she had walked just about as far as she could. The road had ended some fifty yards back and she now stood overlooking one of Tiaita’s massive deserts below her. It went on as far as she could see, all the way to the horizon. The setting sun painted the landscape into a dreamy crimson color and the beauty of it struck her for a moment as the complete antithesis of the dilemma that was playing out in her mind.
“What do you think you’re doing here?”
The voice coming from behind her scared her half to death. She lost her footing and nearly slipped down the sharp downward facing ridge, a fall which most certainly would have ended with a broken neck. She caught herself just in time, causing only a few small rocks to tumble down the ridge in her stead.
She soon found that she was not out of danger yet.
The man who was approaching her was holding a gun, pointing it straight at her and his darting little eyes gave the impression of a person ready to kill. “You were not supposed to leave the hospital.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and couldn’t think of anything else.
“I should shoot you where you stand for trying to escape,” he sneered, still approaching.
Wenera’s heart began to beat faster as she noticed the thin man’s determination. He had killed before, she was certain of it and he would do so again with little compunction.
“I wasn’t trying to escape,” she said entirely truthfully. She hadn’t even thought of it until now and in a small measure she chided herself for not having entertained the notion earlier. It was after all her duty as a prisoner to try and escape. But she had been so engulfed in her thoughts that the possibility had never even entered her mind.
The man was not convinced however. He came ever closer and with the steep ridge behind her there was nowhere for her to go. Then he stopped just a few short yards from her, the gun still held in front of him. He didn’t speak, instead he studied her closely.
Too closely, Wenera thought. She had shed her uniform jacket and blue shirt earlier in the hospital, leaving her in a gray tank top and black trousers. She was showing a lot more skin than was customary on Tiaita and she was never more uncomfortably aware of this then under the man’s persistent scrutiny.
His eyes lingered too long over her body and his facial expressions turned almost lecherous. Wenera felt a cold shudder running up her spine and she instinctively crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Look, I’m sorry I left the hospital but I needed some air, I’ve worked without rest for the last nine hours. I’ll go back now,” she said and tried to step around him.
He didn’t let her. Instead he moved to block her path. Wenera knew then and there that he was not interested in taking her back. At least not straight away.
“I don’t believe you. I think you did try to escape and I think you need to be taught a lesson so that you will not try again,” he said, that slimy look now fully extending to his eyes.
Wenera noticed another man approach them, taller and commanding a more impressive physique than the person threatening her. She felt a great sense of relief when she realized that it was Balik-Ait. She had no valid reason to think that way but he had made a very trustworthy impression on her.
“What’s the meaning of this, Teldro?”
She could see clearly the annoyance–maybe even disappointment–in the man’s eyes when he heard Balik’s voice behind him. He turned slowly. “I found our prisoner attempting to escape.”
Wenera used the opportunity to slip passed Teldro and approach Balik. “As I explained to your man, I was merely taking a break from my work at the hospital. I had no intentions of escaping.”
“Of course,” Teldro said. “You were merely taking an evening stroll.”
Balik considered Wenera for a moment and noticed the pleading look in her eyes. Then he turned to Teldro. “I doubt the doctor is foolish enough to try and escape on foot,” he said and pointed to the desert void. “She would die out there long before she would reach any other settlement. Leave this to me Teldro, I’ll make sure she is returned to her cell.” Balik’s words were spoken softly and yet there was never any questions that he was given Teldro clear orders which he expected him to follow.
“As you wish,” Teldro said, nodded hesitantly and then trotted off but not before giving the Starfleet doctor another, disturbingly dishonest smile.
Wenera watched as he disappeared behind a few boulders and then looked towards Balik. “Thank you,” she said.
He smiled. “You don’t hear that from a prisoner every day.”
“That man,” she said. “I don’t trust him.”
“Who Teldro? He’s a shady character I give you that. But he has his uses. Treating others with respect is probably not one of them.”
The ambiguous encounter with Teldro was quickly forgotten as Wenera marveled at Balik’s surprising warmth and charisma. If these people really were freedom fighters, then Balik was their George Washington.
“I’m not surprised you came here,” he said and turned to look towards the horizon were the sun was beginning to be swallowed up by the endless desert. I often come here myself when I’m trying to think. The view is inspirational.”
Wenera followed his gaze and nodded. “It is.”
“There are some sad news to report, I’m afraid. Deltrus died a few minutes ago. I believe you were the last one to speak to him.”
She looked at him surprised.
But Balik kept his eyes forward. “He was a great man. In many ways he’s the father of the modern New Light. He was a role model to many of us and myself especially.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“We get used to our friends and loved ones dying. Most of us who fight for our right to be equals, like Deltrus did when he was younger, will never reach his age.”
“Equals,” she said quietly to herself.
Balik looked at her. “You don’t think we should be?”
“What?” she said. “No, no that’s not it. The Federation believes strongly that all sentient beings in the galaxy should have equal opportunities in all things. We don’t believe in discrimination or treating certain beings with less respect than others.”
“So I’ve heard. And yet part of your people insist on helping the prias in eradicating us.”
“No we don’t,” she said vehemently. “Part of us? What does that mean?”
Balilk smiled at her confusion, possibly finding some amusement in the fact that Ashley Wenera was so incredibly ignorant about the dealings of her own people. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Some of your own have helped us to fight the prias. I have learned many things about your Federation from them. A lot I have come to admire but so many things I still don’t understand. For instance why you try to kill us and help us both at the same time.”
If Wenera’s head had been spinning before it was coming completely undone now, threatening to fall off entirely. “Two headed monster,” she said quietly to herself, remembering the strange conversation she’d had with the young Vekte-Ait in the hospital earlier.
He just looked at her quizzically.
“Balik, you have to believe me. I have no idea what you are talking about. And I know for a fact that we have not come here to kill anyone.”
“Didn’t you witness with your own eyes how your mighty spaceship lit up our world from the skies? Their weapons were trained on our people.”
“That was self-defense,” she said with more confusion than anger. “You were attacking the city, attacking us. And you didn’t seem to distinguish between soldiers and innocent people. You took T’Ser and me hostage.”
Balik nodded again, slowly, as if he was having the most casual conversation over philosophical differences and not about potential mass killings. “Those actions were regrettable and not what I had intended.”
Wenera could tell that Balik was being honest. She didn’t know why she had begun to trust him in the way she had. But she was willing to make something out of it. It wasn’t as if she had much to lose anyway. “Maybe we’ve both gone about this the wrong way. We have both seen the worst side of each other and maybe we’ve all made assumptions that aren’t entirely true. Let us try to resolve this peacefully. Let me go back to my people and tell them what I’ve seen. Better yet, why don’t you tell them yourself? I promise you that they will listen to you. They will not be able to ignore all this. They can’t.”
Balik looked at the sunset again which had turned day into night. One of the bright pulsars was shimmering in the skies now, more prominent then all the many stars put together.
Wenera kept her eyes on Balik.
“And what do you think would happen then? Would all your people join our cause and ensure that Ait and Tia become equals on Tiaita? Will they restore peace to our world?”
Wenera’s glance dropped. She desperately wanted to lie to him and tell him that they would do whatever they could to make things right again. That they would use any means available to achieve lasting peace on his world. But she knew that it was a promise she couldn’t make. “I don’t know.”
Balik turned away from the now dark desert and back towards the meager lights which illuminated the small mountain settlement. “I will think about what you have said.” He took a few steps towards the village but then stopped and looked back at the Starfleet doctor. “I’m afraid for now I will have to return you to your accommodations.”
“Accommodations is far too good a word for it,” she said with a bitter sweet smile but followed him without objections.
Nobody tried to stop her as she walked down the road by herself. On the contrary, the inhabitants moved out of her way, some with caution, some downright scared by her alien appearance. She also found that there was hardly a solider among them. Most of them were children or old and sick people.
She could not find the admiration that had been so prevalent in the eyes of the crowds which had greeted them in the capital a few days earlier. Whatever these people had been told about their alien visitors, it certainly could not have been flattering. Some behaved as if just being close to her could be poisonous. In the hospital her patients and the staff had put their preconceptions behind them after she had proven herself but apparently words of her deeds had not yet spread to the general populace.
Wenera had no conscious idea as to where she was going, for the moment it was simply sufficient that she had plenty of fresh evening air to breath. Her head was still bursting with a million questions. What exactly was the nature of the struggle of this Ait faction? Was it indeed a civil war? And if so, was it justifiable? She had made her position clear before. There was no cause significant enough to kill the innocent. Or was there? And for that matter, had she actually witnessed these so-called rebels ever killing a civilian or had she simply accepted a well rehearsed propaganda line?
The more she thought about it the worse it got. Was it possible that she had aided those who were perpetrating the real crimes? Crimes against an entire segment of the population. She couldn’t fathom such a thought. The Federation, even Starfleet were entirely built upon the idea of advanced moral and ethical responsibility. These weren’t just slogans but deep set principles which every Starfleet officer had sworn to protect at some point or other.
Had she taken those for granted? Had she simply been unable to allow for the possibility that her superiors might make mistakes and take the wrong side that she had ignored any evidence to the contrary?
And so the questions continued to rattle through her mind without any answers forthcoming. The truth was, she was scared of the answers.
She had lost track of time and when her feet finally stopped she realized that she had walked just about as far as she could. The road had ended some fifty yards back and she now stood overlooking one of Tiaita’s massive deserts below her. It went on as far as she could see, all the way to the horizon. The setting sun painted the landscape into a dreamy crimson color and the beauty of it struck her for a moment as the complete antithesis of the dilemma that was playing out in her mind.
“What do you think you’re doing here?”
The voice coming from behind her scared her half to death. She lost her footing and nearly slipped down the sharp downward facing ridge, a fall which most certainly would have ended with a broken neck. She caught herself just in time, causing only a few small rocks to tumble down the ridge in her stead.
She soon found that she was not out of danger yet.
The man who was approaching her was holding a gun, pointing it straight at her and his darting little eyes gave the impression of a person ready to kill. “You were not supposed to leave the hospital.”
“I’m sorry,” she said and couldn’t think of anything else.
“I should shoot you where you stand for trying to escape,” he sneered, still approaching.
Wenera’s heart began to beat faster as she noticed the thin man’s determination. He had killed before, she was certain of it and he would do so again with little compunction.
“I wasn’t trying to escape,” she said entirely truthfully. She hadn’t even thought of it until now and in a small measure she chided herself for not having entertained the notion earlier. It was after all her duty as a prisoner to try and escape. But she had been so engulfed in her thoughts that the possibility had never even entered her mind.
The man was not convinced however. He came ever closer and with the steep ridge behind her there was nowhere for her to go. Then he stopped just a few short yards from her, the gun still held in front of him. He didn’t speak, instead he studied her closely.
Too closely, Wenera thought. She had shed her uniform jacket and blue shirt earlier in the hospital, leaving her in a gray tank top and black trousers. She was showing a lot more skin than was customary on Tiaita and she was never more uncomfortably aware of this then under the man’s persistent scrutiny.
His eyes lingered too long over her body and his facial expressions turned almost lecherous. Wenera felt a cold shudder running up her spine and she instinctively crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Look, I’m sorry I left the hospital but I needed some air, I’ve worked without rest for the last nine hours. I’ll go back now,” she said and tried to step around him.
He didn’t let her. Instead he moved to block her path. Wenera knew then and there that he was not interested in taking her back. At least not straight away.
“I don’t believe you. I think you did try to escape and I think you need to be taught a lesson so that you will not try again,” he said, that slimy look now fully extending to his eyes.
Wenera noticed another man approach them, taller and commanding a more impressive physique than the person threatening her. She felt a great sense of relief when she realized that it was Balik-Ait. She had no valid reason to think that way but he had made a very trustworthy impression on her.
“What’s the meaning of this, Teldro?”
She could see clearly the annoyance–maybe even disappointment–in the man’s eyes when he heard Balik’s voice behind him. He turned slowly. “I found our prisoner attempting to escape.”
Wenera used the opportunity to slip passed Teldro and approach Balik. “As I explained to your man, I was merely taking a break from my work at the hospital. I had no intentions of escaping.”
“Of course,” Teldro said. “You were merely taking an evening stroll.”
Balik considered Wenera for a moment and noticed the pleading look in her eyes. Then he turned to Teldro. “I doubt the doctor is foolish enough to try and escape on foot,” he said and pointed to the desert void. “She would die out there long before she would reach any other settlement. Leave this to me Teldro, I’ll make sure she is returned to her cell.” Balik’s words were spoken softly and yet there was never any questions that he was given Teldro clear orders which he expected him to follow.
“As you wish,” Teldro said, nodded hesitantly and then trotted off but not before giving the Starfleet doctor another, disturbingly dishonest smile.
Wenera watched as he disappeared behind a few boulders and then looked towards Balik. “Thank you,” she said.
He smiled. “You don’t hear that from a prisoner every day.”
“That man,” she said. “I don’t trust him.”
“Who Teldro? He’s a shady character I give you that. But he has his uses. Treating others with respect is probably not one of them.”
The ambiguous encounter with Teldro was quickly forgotten as Wenera marveled at Balik’s surprising warmth and charisma. If these people really were freedom fighters, then Balik was their George Washington.
“I’m not surprised you came here,” he said and turned to look towards the horizon were the sun was beginning to be swallowed up by the endless desert. I often come here myself when I’m trying to think. The view is inspirational.”
Wenera followed his gaze and nodded. “It is.”
“There are some sad news to report, I’m afraid. Deltrus died a few minutes ago. I believe you were the last one to speak to him.”
She looked at him surprised.
But Balik kept his eyes forward. “He was a great man. In many ways he’s the father of the modern New Light. He was a role model to many of us and myself especially.”
“I’m sorry for your loss.”
“We get used to our friends and loved ones dying. Most of us who fight for our right to be equals, like Deltrus did when he was younger, will never reach his age.”
“Equals,” she said quietly to herself.
Balik looked at her. “You don’t think we should be?”
“What?” she said. “No, no that’s not it. The Federation believes strongly that all sentient beings in the galaxy should have equal opportunities in all things. We don’t believe in discrimination or treating certain beings with less respect than others.”
“So I’ve heard. And yet part of your people insist on helping the prias in eradicating us.”
“No we don’t,” she said vehemently. “Part of us? What does that mean?”
Balilk smiled at her confusion, possibly finding some amusement in the fact that Ashley Wenera was so incredibly ignorant about the dealings of her own people. “You really don’t know, do you?”
“Know what?”
“Some of your own have helped us to fight the prias. I have learned many things about your Federation from them. A lot I have come to admire but so many things I still don’t understand. For instance why you try to kill us and help us both at the same time.”
If Wenera’s head had been spinning before it was coming completely undone now, threatening to fall off entirely. “Two headed monster,” she said quietly to herself, remembering the strange conversation she’d had with the young Vekte-Ait in the hospital earlier.
He just looked at her quizzically.
“Balik, you have to believe me. I have no idea what you are talking about. And I know for a fact that we have not come here to kill anyone.”
“Didn’t you witness with your own eyes how your mighty spaceship lit up our world from the skies? Their weapons were trained on our people.”
“That was self-defense,” she said with more confusion than anger. “You were attacking the city, attacking us. And you didn’t seem to distinguish between soldiers and innocent people. You took T’Ser and me hostage.”
Balik nodded again, slowly, as if he was having the most casual conversation over philosophical differences and not about potential mass killings. “Those actions were regrettable and not what I had intended.”
Wenera could tell that Balik was being honest. She didn’t know why she had begun to trust him in the way she had. But she was willing to make something out of it. It wasn’t as if she had much to lose anyway. “Maybe we’ve both gone about this the wrong way. We have both seen the worst side of each other and maybe we’ve all made assumptions that aren’t entirely true. Let us try to resolve this peacefully. Let me go back to my people and tell them what I’ve seen. Better yet, why don’t you tell them yourself? I promise you that they will listen to you. They will not be able to ignore all this. They can’t.”
Balik looked at the sunset again which had turned day into night. One of the bright pulsars was shimmering in the skies now, more prominent then all the many stars put together.
Wenera kept her eyes on Balik.
“And what do you think would happen then? Would all your people join our cause and ensure that Ait and Tia become equals on Tiaita? Will they restore peace to our world?”
Wenera’s glance dropped. She desperately wanted to lie to him and tell him that they would do whatever they could to make things right again. That they would use any means available to achieve lasting peace on his world. But she knew that it was a promise she couldn’t make. “I don’t know.”
Balik turned away from the now dark desert and back towards the meager lights which illuminated the small mountain settlement. “I will think about what you have said.” He took a few steps towards the village but then stopped and looked back at the Starfleet doctor. “I’m afraid for now I will have to return you to your accommodations.”
“Accommodations is far too good a word for it,” she said with a bitter sweet smile but followed him without objections.
* * *
Wenera and T'Ser are getting a rough treatment and their eyes opened - albeit in different ways. Really good segments and both of our heroes are no closer to getting out of their predicament. Brill
I really like all the shades of gray being shown here. Great work!
Yeah-tight writing. Well done.
Catch up time for me again! Very tight writing, The Ait have their share of brutes and fanatics as well. As for Wenera, she's finding out just how dicey this situation is. Very well done!
“I know people, Michael. Call it a gift or a curse but I have long since realized that I can judge the character of a person within minutes of having looked into their eyes. You might find that notion to be arrogant or pretentious but I can attribute my entire career on that single skill. You see, no matter what you might have heard about me, I’ve never been a great leader or a master tactician. I’ve never been able to intimidate somebody by using brute force or outsmart them in a pure contest of intellect. No, Michael, I’ve been able to get where I am now simply because I have always been able to know exactly what the people around me were thinking. Except for a few, regrettable situations, I’ve always been a step ahead of my enemies. I know what they say about me.
I know that they call me ambitious and sometimes even reckless. And I won’t make any excuses for myself. When I see an opportunity I take it. And I have found one of the greatest opportunities of our time right here on Tiaita.”
Owens sat calmly in the chair behind his desk and watched Admiral Melvin Schwarzkopf slowly pacing his ready room as he spoke.
He stopped and looked directly at the captain. “My enemies do not believe in this opportunity. In fact they do not care for it at all, even if it is clear that it is one of our best hopes to bring an end to this war. Be very clear about this. Those who stand against me are seeing this as an opportunity to bring me down. They couldn’t care less if I had discovered the Fountain of Youth, all they are interested in is seeing me fail.”
Michael Owens remained silent, deciding that it was best for now to keep the admiral talking.
Schwarzkopf seemed to agree. “They are right here, Michael. They are actively trying to destroy what I have created. But I will not let them stop me. Not when so much is at stake.”
Owens steepled his fingers. “And you believe Akinola is one of your enemies?”
“I can’t be entirely certain. But I don’t trust him and I don’t trust his crew. I have spoken to some members of your away team and I found that your own people had reasons to mistrust the Bluefin officer who had joined the away team and is now missing.”
“Who did you speak to?”
The admiral waved him off. “Does it matter? What matters is that there is plenty of suspicion and not just my own. Commander Star is another one I have reasons to mistrust. And did you know that she is involved with a member of the Bluefin crew?”
“That’s hardly proof of anything.”
Schwarzkopf stepped up to the desk and placed both his hands on it. “I know,” he said angrily. “I don’t have proof. These people are too clever and too cunning to allow me to find any evidence of their actions but I know that they’re trying to sabotage me. This mission.”
The captain leaned back in his chair, trying to mask the skepticism.
But Schwarzkopf noticed it nevertheless. “Why do you think a member of the Bluefin crew approached you for permission to join your away team? I had not given Akinola or his crew permission to set foot on Tiaita for good reason. They had no business being there. I tried to warn you about them, Michael. I just wish you had consulted with me before allowing their crewmember to join your away team.”
“I have met Captain Akinola and with respect to your assertions that you are a good judge of character, I consider myself to be proficient in that field as well. And I find it difficult to believe that he might be involved in any illicit affairs. And are you seriously suggesting that Lieutenant T’Ser is somehow involved in the abduction of my doctor?”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” he said and turned his back towards Owens, clearly frustrated with his reluctance to entertain his theories. After a moment he faced the starship captain again. “We’ve both seen how Akinola reacted to my orders back at the meeting. And we both know he’s hatching a plan to set foot onto Tiaita as we speak.”
“But can you blame him? Would you not consider the same thing if you were in his shoes? I can’t say I’m particularly thrilled to stand by and do nothing while a crewmember of mine is missing.”
“Of course you’re not,” he said quickly. “But you understand what is at stake. Not just the life of your crewmember,” he added and walked over to the painting still on display in the ready room. He had only recently learned that it was in fact the original. He pointed at it. “That’s what’s at stake, Michael. That and so much more. Our culture, our history our very existence. You and I understand that this treaty with the Tiaitans could very well mean the first step in bringing this war to a swift conclusion.” He turned to look at Owens. “I need to know whose side you are on.”
“I didn’t realize there were sides to this,” said Owens even though he was already painfully aware that it was all building up to exactly that. If there were sides to choose here, he absolutely didn’t want to pick one.
Schwarzkopf took a step towards the captain’s desk. “When Akinola makes his move, I need to know that I can rely on you to do the right thing.”
Owens stood from his chair. “I’m a Starfleet officer and while there is a war going on I’m a solider as well. As such I will follow every legitimate order given to me,” he said. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”
The admiral didn’t look convinced but in the end he nodded shortly. “It will have to do.”
* * *
The metal knuckles smashed into her face for the thirty-eighth time.
Keeping an exact count helped to divert her focus from the immense pain. She wasn’t entirely successful. Her head felt like somebody had ripped it clean off and was playing a rough match of parrisses squares with it. Every new blow was like another attempt to forcefully split open her skull. And with every new blow she wanted to howl in pain.
She never did.
T’Ser wasn’t entirely sure if it was her Vulcan endurance that kept her sanity, all she knew for certain was that she was reaching the breaking point. She had no way of knowing if those of her kind who spent years of training and meditation to purge themselves from unwanted emotions would have fared any better under the brutal torture she was receiving but at this precise moment she wished for nothing else but to be able to ignore the pain.
“What is it you want from us,” the woman said and struck her for the thirty-ninth time.
T’Ser’s face was now completely covered in green blood, both her eyes had swollen up and she was partially blind. She wished she’d lost her hearing as well but so far her auditory senses had remained mercilessly intact.
Her head hung limply but with immense effort she managed to look up at the woman who stood above her. Through her fuzzy vision she noticed that her fists had begun to bleed as well but the woman had taken no notice of this.
T’Ser understood something else. This was no longer about information. It hadn’t been for a long time. It had become about inflicting pain. There was no doubt about it, this woman had begun taking a pervasive pleasure of seeing her suffer. This had become purely about dominance.
She spat a big wallop of green blood. “T’Ser,” she said for the thirty-fifth time, even if her voice was now barely above a whisper. “Lieutenant. USS Bluefin. Two-Eight-Nine-Seven-One-Charlie-Four-Six-Sierra.”
The woman smirked and hit her again.
“I can do this all night long, I wonder how long you can last. I wonder what the inside of your head will look like.”
T’Ser said nothing.
The woman knelt down next to her and grabbed T’Ser’s face with both her hands, moving it so she could look directly into her swollen eyes. “How does it feel to be the insect? You thought you could come here with your spaceships and your technology and manipulate us to your every desire. You thought you could come here and take what you want from us. You made a big mistake if you mistook us for small and defenseless creatures.”
“If it will make you feel better … to kill me,” said T’Ser, each word an obvious effort. “Just do it already. You are wasting both our time.”
“I have a better idea. You claim that you came here to help us. Well, I know exactly how you can do that. You will talk to your people and convince them to give me what I want.”
T’Ser managed to raise a bloodied eyebrow. Then her broken lips began to form a smile. It wasn’t long until she managed to laugh.
“You find this amusing then?”
The Vulcan managed a tiny nod even if every movement of her head brought her closer to passing out completely. “Hilarious, as a matter of fact. You’d stand a better chance of catching a snowflake in gre’thor than expect me to help you in any way.”
The bewildered look on the woman’s face showed that she wasn’t familiar with Klingon mythology. She shrugged it off and stood. “I guess you will need some more convincing then. Don’t worry I’ll try to keep you alive as best as I can. No promises,” she said and hit her again, this time with such force that blood spatter hit a nearby wall.
That’s when T’Ser’s viewing failed completely and her hearing deteriorated so badly, a steadily increasing ringing sound was drowning out everything else.
She thought she could hear a faint male voice in the distance but was beyond the point of being able to discern it clearly. Her mind was beginning to float away.
“What is going on here?” Balik repeated.
He had stepped into the cell and found Deite standing over T’Ser, bound to a chair and severely beaten.
The woman had turned around and gave him an almost guilty look. It was gone in an instance however, replaced by pure determination.
“What are you doing?” he asked and stepped closer.
Not a second later Wenera appeared next to him and her eyes sprang open instantly upon discovering the gruesome scene.
“Interrogation,” Deite said simply.
Wenera rushed towards T’Ser. “My god, what have you done? Get away from her!”
But Deite had no intentions of doing so. Still pumped up with adrenaline of an hour-long torture exercise, she viciously backslapped the approaching doctor and send her flying into the far corner of the cell. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
Balik was on top of Deite in an instant. He didn’t raise a hand against her but he build up every single inch of his massive frame and every muscle in his body tensed up for a menacing yet unspoken challenge.
Deite actually flinched.
“This was not part of the plan,” he said in a sharp, accusatory tone.
“It was part of mine,” she said but never managed to match his assertiveness. “What were you thinking we would do, Balik? Treat them like honored guests? They are prisoners. Worse. They’re animals.”
“The only animal I see in this room is you,” said Wenera while she picked herself up from the floor. Her lip was bleeding from the blow she had received but she paid it no attention. It paled compared with what T’Ser had been put through.
“You should watch your tongue,” Deite said. “If you weren’t so useful in treating our people you’d be sitting next to your friend right now.”
Wenera stepped closer. “You want to torture me as well? Go right ahead because I’m done doing a single thing for you.”
Deite wanted to reply but Balik cut her off. “That’s enough,” he said.
The female insurgent leader looked at her compatriot with a hint of betrayal in her eyes. “Is she your little pet now, Balik? Is that what it has come to?”
“I’m nobody’s pet,” Wenera shot back and knelt down next to T’Ser to determine how badly she was injured. “I need my medical supplies, now.”
Balik nodded and turned to one of the guards. “Get them.”
The man rushed away immediately.
Deite began to laugh. “She’s already making demands. You sure she isn’t your pet? What’s next? Will you be inviting her into your bed chambers?”
“I said that’s enough, Deite.”
The woman shrugged. “I was getting tired anyway,” she said and began to remove her blood drenched knuckles. “But don’t you think that I’m done with her,” she added as she walked towards the door. She turned back around to look at her handiwork.
Balik helped Wenera to cut T’Ser loose. The Vulcan woman didn’t have the strength to keep herself upright and would have collapsed to the floor had they not picked her up carefully. Together they placed her onto one of the bunks.
“You fix her up for me,” Deite said. “I still have use for her.” She caught Wenera’s bone-chillingly cold glare and smiled some more. “And you better pray to whatever gods you believe in that you remain useful as well.”
I know that they call me ambitious and sometimes even reckless. And I won’t make any excuses for myself. When I see an opportunity I take it. And I have found one of the greatest opportunities of our time right here on Tiaita.”
Owens sat calmly in the chair behind his desk and watched Admiral Melvin Schwarzkopf slowly pacing his ready room as he spoke.
He stopped and looked directly at the captain. “My enemies do not believe in this opportunity. In fact they do not care for it at all, even if it is clear that it is one of our best hopes to bring an end to this war. Be very clear about this. Those who stand against me are seeing this as an opportunity to bring me down. They couldn’t care less if I had discovered the Fountain of Youth, all they are interested in is seeing me fail.”
Michael Owens remained silent, deciding that it was best for now to keep the admiral talking.
Schwarzkopf seemed to agree. “They are right here, Michael. They are actively trying to destroy what I have created. But I will not let them stop me. Not when so much is at stake.”
Owens steepled his fingers. “And you believe Akinola is one of your enemies?”
“I can’t be entirely certain. But I don’t trust him and I don’t trust his crew. I have spoken to some members of your away team and I found that your own people had reasons to mistrust the Bluefin officer who had joined the away team and is now missing.”
“Who did you speak to?”
The admiral waved him off. “Does it matter? What matters is that there is plenty of suspicion and not just my own. Commander Star is another one I have reasons to mistrust. And did you know that she is involved with a member of the Bluefin crew?”
“That’s hardly proof of anything.”
Schwarzkopf stepped up to the desk and placed both his hands on it. “I know,” he said angrily. “I don’t have proof. These people are too clever and too cunning to allow me to find any evidence of their actions but I know that they’re trying to sabotage me. This mission.”
The captain leaned back in his chair, trying to mask the skepticism.
But Schwarzkopf noticed it nevertheless. “Why do you think a member of the Bluefin crew approached you for permission to join your away team? I had not given Akinola or his crew permission to set foot on Tiaita for good reason. They had no business being there. I tried to warn you about them, Michael. I just wish you had consulted with me before allowing their crewmember to join your away team.”
“I have met Captain Akinola and with respect to your assertions that you are a good judge of character, I consider myself to be proficient in that field as well. And I find it difficult to believe that he might be involved in any illicit affairs. And are you seriously suggesting that Lieutenant T’Ser is somehow involved in the abduction of my doctor?”
“Maybe. Maybe not,” he said and turned his back towards Owens, clearly frustrated with his reluctance to entertain his theories. After a moment he faced the starship captain again. “We’ve both seen how Akinola reacted to my orders back at the meeting. And we both know he’s hatching a plan to set foot onto Tiaita as we speak.”
“But can you blame him? Would you not consider the same thing if you were in his shoes? I can’t say I’m particularly thrilled to stand by and do nothing while a crewmember of mine is missing.”
“Of course you’re not,” he said quickly. “But you understand what is at stake. Not just the life of your crewmember,” he added and walked over to the painting still on display in the ready room. He had only recently learned that it was in fact the original. He pointed at it. “That’s what’s at stake, Michael. That and so much more. Our culture, our history our very existence. You and I understand that this treaty with the Tiaitans could very well mean the first step in bringing this war to a swift conclusion.” He turned to look at Owens. “I need to know whose side you are on.”
“I didn’t realize there were sides to this,” said Owens even though he was already painfully aware that it was all building up to exactly that. If there were sides to choose here, he absolutely didn’t want to pick one.
Schwarzkopf took a step towards the captain’s desk. “When Akinola makes his move, I need to know that I can rely on you to do the right thing.”
Owens stood from his chair. “I’m a Starfleet officer and while there is a war going on I’m a solider as well. As such I will follow every legitimate order given to me,” he said. “Is that what you wanted to hear?”
The admiral didn’t look convinced but in the end he nodded shortly. “It will have to do.”
* * *
Keeping an exact count helped to divert her focus from the immense pain. She wasn’t entirely successful. Her head felt like somebody had ripped it clean off and was playing a rough match of parrisses squares with it. Every new blow was like another attempt to forcefully split open her skull. And with every new blow she wanted to howl in pain.
She never did.
T’Ser wasn’t entirely sure if it was her Vulcan endurance that kept her sanity, all she knew for certain was that she was reaching the breaking point. She had no way of knowing if those of her kind who spent years of training and meditation to purge themselves from unwanted emotions would have fared any better under the brutal torture she was receiving but at this precise moment she wished for nothing else but to be able to ignore the pain.
“What is it you want from us,” the woman said and struck her for the thirty-ninth time.
T’Ser’s face was now completely covered in green blood, both her eyes had swollen up and she was partially blind. She wished she’d lost her hearing as well but so far her auditory senses had remained mercilessly intact.
Her head hung limply but with immense effort she managed to look up at the woman who stood above her. Through her fuzzy vision she noticed that her fists had begun to bleed as well but the woman had taken no notice of this.
T’Ser understood something else. This was no longer about information. It hadn’t been for a long time. It had become about inflicting pain. There was no doubt about it, this woman had begun taking a pervasive pleasure of seeing her suffer. This had become purely about dominance.
She spat a big wallop of green blood. “T’Ser,” she said for the thirty-fifth time, even if her voice was now barely above a whisper. “Lieutenant. USS Bluefin. Two-Eight-Nine-Seven-One-Charlie-Four-Six-Sierra.”
The woman smirked and hit her again.
“I can do this all night long, I wonder how long you can last. I wonder what the inside of your head will look like.”
T’Ser said nothing.
The woman knelt down next to her and grabbed T’Ser’s face with both her hands, moving it so she could look directly into her swollen eyes. “How does it feel to be the insect? You thought you could come here with your spaceships and your technology and manipulate us to your every desire. You thought you could come here and take what you want from us. You made a big mistake if you mistook us for small and defenseless creatures.”
“If it will make you feel better … to kill me,” said T’Ser, each word an obvious effort. “Just do it already. You are wasting both our time.”
“I have a better idea. You claim that you came here to help us. Well, I know exactly how you can do that. You will talk to your people and convince them to give me what I want.”
T’Ser managed to raise a bloodied eyebrow. Then her broken lips began to form a smile. It wasn’t long until she managed to laugh.
“You find this amusing then?”
The Vulcan managed a tiny nod even if every movement of her head brought her closer to passing out completely. “Hilarious, as a matter of fact. You’d stand a better chance of catching a snowflake in gre’thor than expect me to help you in any way.”
The bewildered look on the woman’s face showed that she wasn’t familiar with Klingon mythology. She shrugged it off and stood. “I guess you will need some more convincing then. Don’t worry I’ll try to keep you alive as best as I can. No promises,” she said and hit her again, this time with such force that blood spatter hit a nearby wall.
That’s when T’Ser’s viewing failed completely and her hearing deteriorated so badly, a steadily increasing ringing sound was drowning out everything else.
She thought she could hear a faint male voice in the distance but was beyond the point of being able to discern it clearly. Her mind was beginning to float away.
“What is going on here?” Balik repeated.
He had stepped into the cell and found Deite standing over T’Ser, bound to a chair and severely beaten.
The woman had turned around and gave him an almost guilty look. It was gone in an instance however, replaced by pure determination.
“What are you doing?” he asked and stepped closer.
Not a second later Wenera appeared next to him and her eyes sprang open instantly upon discovering the gruesome scene.
“Interrogation,” Deite said simply.
Wenera rushed towards T’Ser. “My god, what have you done? Get away from her!”
But Deite had no intentions of doing so. Still pumped up with adrenaline of an hour-long torture exercise, she viciously backslapped the approaching doctor and send her flying into the far corner of the cell. “You don’t tell me what to do.”
Balik was on top of Deite in an instant. He didn’t raise a hand against her but he build up every single inch of his massive frame and every muscle in his body tensed up for a menacing yet unspoken challenge.
Deite actually flinched.
“This was not part of the plan,” he said in a sharp, accusatory tone.
“It was part of mine,” she said but never managed to match his assertiveness. “What were you thinking we would do, Balik? Treat them like honored guests? They are prisoners. Worse. They’re animals.”
“The only animal I see in this room is you,” said Wenera while she picked herself up from the floor. Her lip was bleeding from the blow she had received but she paid it no attention. It paled compared with what T’Ser had been put through.
“You should watch your tongue,” Deite said. “If you weren’t so useful in treating our people you’d be sitting next to your friend right now.”
Wenera stepped closer. “You want to torture me as well? Go right ahead because I’m done doing a single thing for you.”
Deite wanted to reply but Balik cut her off. “That’s enough,” he said.
The female insurgent leader looked at her compatriot with a hint of betrayal in her eyes. “Is she your little pet now, Balik? Is that what it has come to?”
“I’m nobody’s pet,” Wenera shot back and knelt down next to T’Ser to determine how badly she was injured. “I need my medical supplies, now.”
Balik nodded and turned to one of the guards. “Get them.”
The man rushed away immediately.
Deite began to laugh. “She’s already making demands. You sure she isn’t your pet? What’s next? Will you be inviting her into your bed chambers?”
“I said that’s enough, Deite.”
The woman shrugged. “I was getting tired anyway,” she said and began to remove her blood drenched knuckles. “But don’t you think that I’m done with her,” she added as she walked towards the door. She turned back around to look at her handiwork.
Balik helped Wenera to cut T’Ser loose. The Vulcan woman didn’t have the strength to keep herself upright and would have collapsed to the floor had they not picked her up carefully. Together they placed her onto one of the bunks.
“You fix her up for me,” Deite said. “I still have use for her.” She caught Wenera’s bone-chillingly cold glare and smiled some more. “And you better pray to whatever gods you believe in that you remain useful as well.”
_ _ _ _
Just got caught up reading your fantastic story and I must say, Wow! Very intense! It appears to me that Schwarzkopf is a megalomaniac - a very dangerous trait for the "man in charge." Owens is caught between the proverbial rock and a hard place. His duty requires him to obey the admiral (to a certain point) while his sympathies lie with Akinola & co. This simmering pot is ready to boil over.
T'Ser has shown she's made of stern stuff, but how much more can she take? I'm reminded of Picard when he was tortured by the Cardassians, how he was on the verge of breaking when he was released. We know T'Ser will survive, but what scars will remain and when might these horrible memories resurface? (Perhaps while serving as XO on the Gibraltar?). And Winera has also caught the sadistic eye of Deite. Balik may not always be around to intercede on her behalf.
Great writing!
T'Ser has shown she's made of stern stuff, but how much more can she take? I'm reminded of Picard when he was tortured by the Cardassians, how he was on the verge of breaking when he was released. We know T'Ser will survive, but what scars will remain and when might these horrible memories resurface? (Perhaps while serving as XO on the Gibraltar?). And Winera has also caught the sadistic eye of Deite. Balik may not always be around to intercede on her behalf.
Great writing!
We know Akinola is bound to try something what remains to be seen is what reaction Schwarzkopf takes to such a move and whilst Owens is dubious about the Admiral he is a down the line kinda guy if he can play it that way of course [errant asteroids aside]. So I do wonder how Owens will react or what position he will take. He did word his reply in such a way that it would make a Vulcan proud.
Alas poor T'Ser and Wenera they still have no way out and are on thin ice with blood crazed fanatics hampering the efforts of those who might appease within their own camp. Great drama keeps coming.
Alas poor T'Ser and Wenera they still have no way out and are on thin ice with blood crazed fanatics hampering the efforts of those who might appease within their own camp. Great drama keeps coming.
Strong characterizations and visceral scenes--I'm getting to hate Diete and I have a feeling her payback is going to be a massive one. Owens is definitely the man in the middle here. Very well done Indeed!
NINE - THE RESCUE, PART I
Akinola tapped impatiently on the armrest of his chair. “Mister Bane, I would think that if you were to look for a bunch of kangaroos in the middle of the Vulcan desert you would have found them by now.”
A single drop of perspiration ran down the young Australian’s forehead but his hands were too busy racing across the board to remove the offending pearl of sweat. “I might have slightly exaggerated earlier,” he said.
Akinola stood from his chair and moved behind the operations officer, hoping that his physical proximity could somehow hasten the process.
Bane never noticed his skipper and it turned out the extra motivation was not required. “I think I got something here. There’s a faint teteron signature from a mountainous region near the south coast of the western desert. It is deteriorating however, I don’t know how long we’ll be able to pick it up.”
The captain moved even close, trying to spy over his shoulder. “Can we be sure it’s her?”
“A hundred percent?” he said and turned to look up at the skipper. “No. But I think it’s our best shot. If it is her and we lose the signal we might not get another chance.”
“I agree,” said the captain and tapped his combadge. “Akinola to McBride. We may have found our needle, Commander. Nigel, is going to send you the coordinates now. You are a go.”
The response was immediate. McBride had been waiting for it. “Understood. McBride out.”
Bluefin’s first officer terminated the link and looked over his team which had already strapped itself into their seats in the stallion. His men were ready, wearing combat armor and armed with phaser carbines. These kind of situations were not new to them. Raiding pirate ships and taking down criminals the hard way was second nature to every Border Dog. Except for this time, it was all much more personal than usual.
Among the assembled team one man stood out. Senior Chief Petty Officer Solly Brin, Chief of the Boat and resident Orion security expert. His burly figure and red skin made him a frightening sight to his enemy and yet he was so much more dangerous. McBride could not have asked for a better man to cover his back.
“Alright people,” said the first officer as he stood in the isle while the pilot was going through his pre-launch checklist. “You all know why we are here. But let me make one thing perfectly clear from the start. This is a pure rescue mission. Nothing more, nothing less. There are no secondary objectives. We’ll be going into a hostile situation with preciously little intelligence, find T’Ser and the Starfleet doctor and get the hell out of there. There is one other thing you all need to be aware of. By doing this we are going against direct orders from Admiral Schwarzkopf.”
There were some moans and unflattering remarks at the mention of the admiral. Most of these people remembered quite vividly the last time they’d had the pleasure of running into the former starship captain.
“If any of you do not wish to participate in this mission, neither I nor the skipper will hold it against you. You can get out of your seat right now and that’s that.”
Brin looked over his people as if to dare anyone to be foolish enough to even consider that. He wouldn’t have had to bother. Not a single man or woman looked even the slightest bit contemplative. He glanced back up at McBride. “With all due respect, sir,” he said. “Why are we still sitting here and yapping. We’ve got people waiting on us.”
McBride smiled and nodded. He looked towards the cockpit in the front. “Take us out!”
* * *
Owens had no idea how he had managed to get there before him, especially when considering that Schwarzkopf had been on Tiaitia, liaising with the local government.
He didn’t have the time to consider Schwarzkopf’s surprisingly fast response. “Report.”
“We’ve just detected Bluefin launching a shuttle craft. It appears to be heading towards the planet,” said Star who sat quite comfortably in the first officer’s chair. Owens didn’t particular like the sight and turned towards the screen instead where he could see the small ship breaking away from the border cutter.
Schwarzkopf was watching this with a disapproving frown sketched on his face. “Damn that man. He’s trying to go down there against my explicit orders.”
Michael Owens had known this was going to happen. He had prayed that it wouldn’t but he had known ever since he had first met Akinola that he was not going to sit by quietly. In a way he admired him for that. Loyalty was a noble quality. Sometimes it was also a liability.
“Hail them,” said Schwarzkopf.
The captain got the distinct impression that the admiral was mistakenly assuming that he was in command. Nevertheless he gave So’Dan Leva a short nod to proceed.
Moments later the Bluefin skipper appeared on the screen. He looked perfectly composed, sitting calmly but fully erect in his chair. He was braced for a confrontation his body language made clear he intended to win.
“What do you think you are doing, Captain?” Schwarzkopf said without preamble.
“We think we may have located the location where our crewmember is being held. If we act quickly we might be able to retrieve her and with any luck the doctor as well.”
“You had explicit orders not to attempt any such mission. Call them back now,” Schwarzkopf shot back. He wasn’t interested in the why’s or the how’s. All he was looking for was unquestioned compliance.
“Listen to me, Admiral,” Akinola began. “This might be the only chance we ever get to retrieve our people alive. If we wait any longer, if we leave all this to the Tiaitans, we might lose them both. Help me to get them back before it might be too late.”
“You listen to me,” Schwarzkopf said. “I have already made my decision on this. I’m sorry that you cannot understand the greater implications here but that’s exactly why I made it. Now, bring your people back and I may consider not brining up charges against you for insubordination.”
For a moment the two men simply stared at each other as if they were sitting at a poker table, trying to call each other’s bluff. Akinola flinched first, making eye contact with Owens but failed to find any significant support there either. “I’m afraid I cannot do that, Admiral.”
“Damn it, Captain, bring them back now or so help me God I will have them blasted out of the skies!”
Akinola was unfazed. “You will have to go through us first,” he said and stabbed a button on his armrest to cut the transmission.
The admiral stared at the screen as if he couldn’t believe what had just happened. His eyes quickly located the small support craft again which was refusing to do as he had ordered.
“Lock on to that shuttle and fire.”
There was silence on Eagle’s bridge for just a moment. Nobody dared to even breathe as the implications of the orders sank in slowly.
Owens turned to his half-Romulan tactical officer who, to his credit, had had taken no actions whatsoever but simply looked towards his captain for confirmation. “Belay that, Commander.”
Schwarzkopf whipped around with hot fire burning in his eyes. “They are disobeying a direct order,” he said. “I’ve given them every chance to turn around.”
The captain closed on the infuriated flag officer to make sure that there couldn’t be the slightest misunderstanding about what he was about to say. “Admiral, I will not have this ship open fire on a friendly vessel that has made no hostile move against us”, he said and then continued in a softer tone. “Think about the path you are taking us down here, Admiral. You are concerned about saving this mission from failure and about how all this will look to Command. Now how do you think this will reflect upon you and this mission if you order a Starfleet ship to open fire on another, endangering dozens of fellow officers in the process?”
And Schwarzkopf did think about it. It wasn’t enough to drowse those flames entirely but he slowly nodded to accede the point. “They have to be stopped now. I don’t care how you do it. Just get it done or I will.”
Owens turned to his operations officer. “Dee, can we get a tractor beam lock on that vessel?”
She checked her board. “I don’t think so. They’re moving very fast and are using the freighter flotilla for cover. Quite clever actually.”
“They’re readjusting position,” said Star and indicated towards the screen.
Indeed the small order cutter had begun to move directly in-between them and their target, further blocking any attempts to try and stop the stallion. Akinola apparently intended to be literally true to his words. Eagle had to go through her first.
“Goddamn that man,” Schwarzkopf mumbled.
“We could fire a warning shot and have it detonate in the stallion’s flight path.” said the tactical officer. “That might convince them to turn around.”
Owens nodded. “Do it. Low yield payload.”
“And what if that’s not enough?” asked the admiral while Leva prepared to fire.
The captain didn’t provide an answer.
* * *
“How we doing?”
“We’re clearing the flotilla now,” he said and steered the vessel into the open. “Two more minutes until we hit the atmosphere.” The Bolian glanced at the first officer. “Do you really think they’re going to make a move against –“
An loud warning siren cut him off.
“Does that answer your question?” said McBride and turned to shout over his shoulder. “Hold on back there, this might get bumpy!”
No sooner had he uttered the warning, a bright flash of light erupted somewhere right in front of them. The explosion quickly diminished but the stallion was gripped by the shockwave and thrown slightly off course.
Bralus managed to stabilize her quickly enough. “That was too close.”
“Bluefin to Stallion One, what’s your status?” Akinola’s voice asked over a comlink. Faint static was already lacing his voice.
“We were thrown around a bit but otherwise we’re fine. I take it that was courtesy of our Starfleet friends.” McBride said.
“They appear quite adamant that you come back.”
“I so hate to disappoint them,” said McBride and smirked.
There was short pause and the first officer had a good idea why that was. Akinola was having second thoughts about this.
“Dale,” he said, “I want to believe that that’s as far as they are willing to go but I cannot be sure. Schwarzkopf might not hold back.”
McBride looked at Bralus. The young pilot swallowed but then gave the first officer a firm nod. The commander also ventured another look into the back compartment where he met the determined expression on Solly Brin’s crimson face that told him in no uncertain terms that as far as he was concerned, quitting was not an option.
“Sir,” McBride said. “We full well understand the consequences. But there is only one way for us to go.”
* * *
Oh excellent - time for it to kick off. In a way Akinola has it easier than Owens because he's committed himself to a course of action. For Owens he's trapped by the command chain and the intransigent Schwarzkopfand a desire to help and be doing something practical. It seems he has quite a few tough calls to make in the coming segments. It could all so easily go to hell ... in a way I kinda hope - fun to read 
Owens is definitely the man in the middle here--a man of duty, but by no means an automaton as Schwarzkopf is finding out--although I have a feeling that Owens is going to have a few words for Akinola when this is all over and done with for putting him on the spot like that.
Akinola is in a quandary. He wants to rescue T'Ser and Winera, but he certainly doesn't want to get McBride and the rescue party killed in the process. He's keenly aware that Schwarzkopf is much too cavalier with the lives of his subordinates.
Hopefully, Owens can restrain Schwarzkopf from escalating the situation any further. The Eagle has the Bluefin heavily outgunned, but Akinola is not about to let his rescue party get blown out of space without attempting to defend them . . . is he?
Just another day at the office . . .
Hopefully, Owens can restrain Schwarzkopf from escalating the situation any further. The Eagle has the Bluefin heavily outgunned, but Akinola is not about to let his rescue party get blown out of space without attempting to defend them . . . is he?
Just another day at the office . . .
“They are not coming about,” confirmed Deen who was keeping a close eye on the stallion’s flight path.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” said Schwarzkopf and looked at the tactical officer. “Could you program another torpedo for a direct hit?”
Leva glanced at his captain but as he raised no objections he nodded to the admiral. “Yes but not for much longer. Once they enter the atmosphere we won’t be able to target them with any accuracy.”
Schwarzkopf seemed to consider this for a moment. Apparently he wasn’t quite ready to push the issue again and turned to look at the Tenarian beauty sitting at OPS instead. “Lieutenant, can you determined where they are headed?”
Deen shook her head right away. “Not really. They’re on a standard atmospheric entry level. Currently that will place them somewhere near the northern equator. We already know that our people are most likely being held on the Western continent however.”
“They’ll enter the atmosphere and then head wherever they need to go,” said Star. “And once they’re close enough to the surface we’ll lose all sensor contact.”
“We need to speak to Akinola again and convince him to give ustheir location. I’m sure if we agree to assist them in retrieving our people he’ll give it to us,” said Deen.
But Schwarzkopf resolutely shook his head. “Waste of time. Besides I have no inclination to face that man again. That can wait until his court martial.”
Owens frowned.
The admiral was not paying the captain any attention. He headed up the short ramp that connected the front part of the bridge with the aft stations. Commander Xylion was sitting at Science I.
“Commander, I want you to retrieve that information directly from the Bluefin’s computer core.”
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “They would doubtlessly detect any such intrusion and attempt to block access.”
“I’m confident in your superior resources and skills, Commander. Get started please.”
Owens approved the measure with a subtle nod and the Vulcan went to work.
“What exactly are you trying to accomplish?” asked the captain.
“You will have to trust me on that, Michael. I know what I’m doing.”
But Owens looked skeptical. “Akinola is trying to get our people back and quite frankly part of me hopes that he succeeds. If you were sitting in my chair I’m sure you would see it the same way.”
The admiral stepped up to the tactical station and placed his hands on the railing, bending forward slightly. “But I do not, Michael. We’ve been through this already. I don’t have the luxury of worrying about your crewmembers. You think I want them to be sacrificed? Of course not. But do I think this mission is too important to risk everything I’ve accomplished? You’re damn right I do. And I will do whatever I can to assure its success.”
Owens wanted to fire back. He wanted to tell him that his own faith in this mission was beginning to erode little by little. Perhaps they had reached a stage where they had to count their losses and pack up. A voice in the back of his mind reminded him of what Schwarzkopf had promised at the outset of this undertaking and he couldn’t quite dismiss it.
“We may not have a choice but to take out their landing party,” said the admiral in a softer tone.
Before Owens could reply, Star spoke up. “Let me go after them. The Nebuchadrezzar is within transporter range and I have a contingent of Marines standing by. We can intercept them before they can reach their destination.”
The captain glanced at her with apparent surprise. “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?”
“You asked me to be prepared, sir.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“Consider the alternative,” she said and shot a quick glance towards the admiral who seemed even less enthused about her plan. “I can stop them without the need for bloodshed.”
Owens considered that for a moment. Schwarzkopf in the meantime was giving him a stern look as if to imply that he thought him insane just for even contemplating the possibility of letting her loose.
“Very well,” said Owens and looked back at Star before she had a chance to slip out of the bridge. “But I want it to be perfectly clear that I do not want them destroyed.”
She nodded.
“And take Lieutenant Nora with you,” he added.
“Sir, I think the Marines will be sufficient.”
“Take her with you.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, sir,” she said and headed for the turbo-lift, already calling Wasco and the security chief to assemble in the cargo transporter.
“You better be right about this,” said Schwarzkopf after Star had left the bridge.
Owens ignored the comment and sat in his chair. Truth be told, he wasn’t so sure he hadn’t made a horrible mistake.
The admiral turned to face the Vulcan science officer again. “Commander, I want you to forward whatever you find to me immediately. I’ll be in the observation lounge. Captain, keep me updated on any progress,” he said and without waiting for any further reply he made a beeline for the exit.
Owens wasn’t sure why Schwarzkopf had decided to leave the bridge at such a critical moment but he was not going to ask. He was in fact glad that he could get the admiral off his back for a while, especially while he still contemplated the possibility that he had just made a bad situation infinitely worse by introducing Star into the equation.
Balik had caught up with Deite in the armory where she went through their arsenal of pistols, machine guns, grenades and rocket-propelled missiles.
“You beat her half to death.”
She had her back turned towards him as she checked the magazine of one of the assault rifles which Star and Singleton had delivered a few days ago. “Will she live?”
“Yes. Thankfully, with her equipment, the doctor was able to repair most of the damage.”
“Good.”
Balik took a step closer. “Was this necessary?”
“Yes,” she said and loaded the rifle with one swift motion.
“Really? I don’t think it accomplished anything.”
Deite whipped around to face her compatriot. “They are our enemy, Balik. They have allied themselves with the Tia. It was my duty to find out what they knew. But this Vulcanoid is tough, I give her that. Whatever she knows, she didn’t surrender it.”
“Did it ever occur to you that perhaps they don’t know anything?”
Deite placed the rifle back into the rack and moved to the next one. “Don’t be so naïve,” she said and then shot him another glance over her shoulder. “Or perhaps it is something else. Perhaps you are starting to feel more than a bit of sympathy for our prisoners. I’ve heard you and the doctor had a very private chat recently.”
The sound of ruffling clothing somewhere behind Balik startled him. He turned to see that Taldro had entered the armory quietly, almost sneakily. Or perhaps he always been there, Balilk couldn’t be sure. What he did know was that Taldro had stayed very close to Deite recently, following her almost like her shadow. He very much doubted that it was romantically motivated. Deite had turned impossibly more frosty since the loss of Gonde. It wasn’t a surprise of course but Deite had completely refused to go through the proper stages of a grief. Instead she had skipped right ahead to anger. No, not just anger. Vengeance. She had lost more than the man who was going to be her betrothed that day. She had lost part of her soul.
As for Taldro, he was an opportunist, looking for influence and power. Balik perfectly understood this. But he was concerned that perhaps Deite did not.
“So,” she asked him, forcing his attention back onto her. “Are you sleeping with the enemy, Balik?”
He noticed she held a gun in her hand now.
“No,” he said.
She looked him in the eyes as if she could judge him solely by that. Then she shrugged. “Good enough for me,” she said and then a vicious little smile came over her face. “Maybe you should consider it. She is not unpleasant on the eyes for an alien and from what I’ve seen she seems to take some sort of liking to you.”
“What are you saying?”
She turned her back to him again. “A physical relationship would surely make her more agreeable to share whatever information she possesses.”
Balik couldn’t quite believe his ears. It wasn’t just part of her soul she had lost, it was also her conscience or any kind of compunction she might have once had.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”
“Suit yourself.”
He took a step towards her and he was sure he could see her tense up as if she was preparing herself for a physical attack. “This is not what we do, Deite. Torture for no reason? Threats and intimidation? These people came here believing that they were going to help us. If they are guilty of any crimes it is the ease with which they’ve been manipulated by the prias.”
“We do what is necessary for the cause.”
But Balik shook his head. “If we become as ruthless and nondiscriminatory as the Tia, Deite, then what are we really fighting for? We are better than they are, isn’t that what this has all been about.”
“No,” she shot back. “This is about victory, about survival. Don’t you ever forget that. We can no longer afford a soft approach in the light of the Tia’s new weapons and allies. We can no longer afford to let our struggle carry on for another one thousand cycles. I’m willing to make the necessary sacrifices. The question remains, are you?”
Balik let that question hang in the air. They both perfectly understood the significance of this moment. They had both known for a while now that it was going to have to come down to this sooner or later. Deite and Balik had never quite seen eye to eye on how exactly to conduct their war. But since Deite’s lover had perished the differences had mounted rapidly and now they were simply no longer reconcilable. Never mind that the two of them had lead the New Light for decades, had saved each other’s lives on countless of occasions. All that, forgotten now in this one moment of ultimate truth.
“The path you have chosen is not one I can follow.”
Deite looked visibly hurt by his words. “Don’t do this, Balik. I beg you. Don’t turn away from me now that I need you the most.”
“You’re not giving me a choice, Deite. I’m not the one who has changed.”
She nodded slowly as if to agree with him. But she did not. In fact she could not have disagreed more with her longtime friend and companion. She gripped her gun firmer and then once more, turned away. “Know that you are breaking my heart.”
There was nothing else to say. Balik turned away slowly. He spotted Teldro who had seemingly overheard the entire conversation with great interest. Balik paid him no more attention as he strode out of the armory.
Teldro didn’t waste time. He stepped closer to Deite. “I do not think it is safe to stay here much longer,” he said. “We need to prepare our departure.”
She nodded absentmindedly.
“What of Balik?” he asked.
She turned to face him and her eyes were wet. Not quite enough for tears and not quite enough to dispel any notion of her ironclad determination. “We will have to take care of him,” she said and slid the gun magazine into place.
Just outside the armory Balik moved away from the open entrance after overhearing Deite’s last remarks. He had always suspected this moment would come. He knew exactly what needed to be done.
“Why doesn’t that surprise me,” said Schwarzkopf and looked at the tactical officer. “Could you program another torpedo for a direct hit?”
Leva glanced at his captain but as he raised no objections he nodded to the admiral. “Yes but not for much longer. Once they enter the atmosphere we won’t be able to target them with any accuracy.”
Schwarzkopf seemed to consider this for a moment. Apparently he wasn’t quite ready to push the issue again and turned to look at the Tenarian beauty sitting at OPS instead. “Lieutenant, can you determined where they are headed?”
Deen shook her head right away. “Not really. They’re on a standard atmospheric entry level. Currently that will place them somewhere near the northern equator. We already know that our people are most likely being held on the Western continent however.”
“They’ll enter the atmosphere and then head wherever they need to go,” said Star. “And once they’re close enough to the surface we’ll lose all sensor contact.”
“We need to speak to Akinola again and convince him to give ustheir location. I’m sure if we agree to assist them in retrieving our people he’ll give it to us,” said Deen.
But Schwarzkopf resolutely shook his head. “Waste of time. Besides I have no inclination to face that man again. That can wait until his court martial.”
Owens frowned.
The admiral was not paying the captain any attention. He headed up the short ramp that connected the front part of the bridge with the aft stations. Commander Xylion was sitting at Science I.
“Commander, I want you to retrieve that information directly from the Bluefin’s computer core.”
The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “They would doubtlessly detect any such intrusion and attempt to block access.”
“I’m confident in your superior resources and skills, Commander. Get started please.”
Owens approved the measure with a subtle nod and the Vulcan went to work.
“What exactly are you trying to accomplish?” asked the captain.
“You will have to trust me on that, Michael. I know what I’m doing.”
But Owens looked skeptical. “Akinola is trying to get our people back and quite frankly part of me hopes that he succeeds. If you were sitting in my chair I’m sure you would see it the same way.”
The admiral stepped up to the tactical station and placed his hands on the railing, bending forward slightly. “But I do not, Michael. We’ve been through this already. I don’t have the luxury of worrying about your crewmembers. You think I want them to be sacrificed? Of course not. But do I think this mission is too important to risk everything I’ve accomplished? You’re damn right I do. And I will do whatever I can to assure its success.”
Owens wanted to fire back. He wanted to tell him that his own faith in this mission was beginning to erode little by little. Perhaps they had reached a stage where they had to count their losses and pack up. A voice in the back of his mind reminded him of what Schwarzkopf had promised at the outset of this undertaking and he couldn’t quite dismiss it.
“We may not have a choice but to take out their landing party,” said the admiral in a softer tone.
Before Owens could reply, Star spoke up. “Let me go after them. The Nebuchadrezzar is within transporter range and I have a contingent of Marines standing by. We can intercept them before they can reach their destination.”
The captain glanced at her with apparent surprise. “You knew this was going to happen, didn’t you?”
“You asked me to be prepared, sir.”
He shook his head. “I don’t like it.”
“Consider the alternative,” she said and shot a quick glance towards the admiral who seemed even less enthused about her plan. “I can stop them without the need for bloodshed.”
Owens considered that for a moment. Schwarzkopf in the meantime was giving him a stern look as if to imply that he thought him insane just for even contemplating the possibility of letting her loose.
“Very well,” said Owens and looked back at Star before she had a chance to slip out of the bridge. “But I want it to be perfectly clear that I do not want them destroyed.”
She nodded.
“And take Lieutenant Nora with you,” he added.
“Sir, I think the Marines will be sufficient.”
“Take her with you.”
She nodded slowly. “Yes, sir,” she said and headed for the turbo-lift, already calling Wasco and the security chief to assemble in the cargo transporter.
“You better be right about this,” said Schwarzkopf after Star had left the bridge.
Owens ignored the comment and sat in his chair. Truth be told, he wasn’t so sure he hadn’t made a horrible mistake.
The admiral turned to face the Vulcan science officer again. “Commander, I want you to forward whatever you find to me immediately. I’ll be in the observation lounge. Captain, keep me updated on any progress,” he said and without waiting for any further reply he made a beeline for the exit.
Owens wasn’t sure why Schwarzkopf had decided to leave the bridge at such a critical moment but he was not going to ask. He was in fact glad that he could get the admiral off his back for a while, especially while he still contemplated the possibility that he had just made a bad situation infinitely worse by introducing Star into the equation.
* * *
Balik had caught up with Deite in the armory where she went through their arsenal of pistols, machine guns, grenades and rocket-propelled missiles.
“You beat her half to death.”
She had her back turned towards him as she checked the magazine of one of the assault rifles which Star and Singleton had delivered a few days ago. “Will she live?”
“Yes. Thankfully, with her equipment, the doctor was able to repair most of the damage.”
“Good.”
Balik took a step closer. “Was this necessary?”
“Yes,” she said and loaded the rifle with one swift motion.
“Really? I don’t think it accomplished anything.”
Deite whipped around to face her compatriot. “They are our enemy, Balik. They have allied themselves with the Tia. It was my duty to find out what they knew. But this Vulcanoid is tough, I give her that. Whatever she knows, she didn’t surrender it.”
“Did it ever occur to you that perhaps they don’t know anything?”
Deite placed the rifle back into the rack and moved to the next one. “Don’t be so naïve,” she said and then shot him another glance over her shoulder. “Or perhaps it is something else. Perhaps you are starting to feel more than a bit of sympathy for our prisoners. I’ve heard you and the doctor had a very private chat recently.”
The sound of ruffling clothing somewhere behind Balik startled him. He turned to see that Taldro had entered the armory quietly, almost sneakily. Or perhaps he always been there, Balilk couldn’t be sure. What he did know was that Taldro had stayed very close to Deite recently, following her almost like her shadow. He very much doubted that it was romantically motivated. Deite had turned impossibly more frosty since the loss of Gonde. It wasn’t a surprise of course but Deite had completely refused to go through the proper stages of a grief. Instead she had skipped right ahead to anger. No, not just anger. Vengeance. She had lost more than the man who was going to be her betrothed that day. She had lost part of her soul.
As for Taldro, he was an opportunist, looking for influence and power. Balik perfectly understood this. But he was concerned that perhaps Deite did not.
“So,” she asked him, forcing his attention back onto her. “Are you sleeping with the enemy, Balik?”
He noticed she held a gun in her hand now.
“No,” he said.
She looked him in the eyes as if she could judge him solely by that. Then she shrugged. “Good enough for me,” she said and then a vicious little smile came over her face. “Maybe you should consider it. She is not unpleasant on the eyes for an alien and from what I’ve seen she seems to take some sort of liking to you.”
“What are you saying?”
She turned her back to him again. “A physical relationship would surely make her more agreeable to share whatever information she possesses.”
Balik couldn’t quite believe his ears. It wasn’t just part of her soul she had lost, it was also her conscience or any kind of compunction she might have once had.
“I wouldn’t be comfortable with that.”
“Suit yourself.”
He took a step towards her and he was sure he could see her tense up as if she was preparing herself for a physical attack. “This is not what we do, Deite. Torture for no reason? Threats and intimidation? These people came here believing that they were going to help us. If they are guilty of any crimes it is the ease with which they’ve been manipulated by the prias.”
“We do what is necessary for the cause.”
But Balik shook his head. “If we become as ruthless and nondiscriminatory as the Tia, Deite, then what are we really fighting for? We are better than they are, isn’t that what this has all been about.”
“No,” she shot back. “This is about victory, about survival. Don’t you ever forget that. We can no longer afford a soft approach in the light of the Tia’s new weapons and allies. We can no longer afford to let our struggle carry on for another one thousand cycles. I’m willing to make the necessary sacrifices. The question remains, are you?”
Balik let that question hang in the air. They both perfectly understood the significance of this moment. They had both known for a while now that it was going to have to come down to this sooner or later. Deite and Balik had never quite seen eye to eye on how exactly to conduct their war. But since Deite’s lover had perished the differences had mounted rapidly and now they were simply no longer reconcilable. Never mind that the two of them had lead the New Light for decades, had saved each other’s lives on countless of occasions. All that, forgotten now in this one moment of ultimate truth.
“The path you have chosen is not one I can follow.”
Deite looked visibly hurt by his words. “Don’t do this, Balik. I beg you. Don’t turn away from me now that I need you the most.”
“You’re not giving me a choice, Deite. I’m not the one who has changed.”
She nodded slowly as if to agree with him. But she did not. In fact she could not have disagreed more with her longtime friend and companion. She gripped her gun firmer and then once more, turned away. “Know that you are breaking my heart.”
There was nothing else to say. Balik turned away slowly. He spotted Teldro who had seemingly overheard the entire conversation with great interest. Balik paid him no more attention as he strode out of the armory.
Teldro didn’t waste time. He stepped closer to Deite. “I do not think it is safe to stay here much longer,” he said. “We need to prepare our departure.”
She nodded absentmindedly.
“What of Balik?” he asked.
She turned to face him and her eyes were wet. Not quite enough for tears and not quite enough to dispel any notion of her ironclad determination. “We will have to take care of him,” she said and slid the gun magazine into place.
Just outside the armory Balik moved away from the open entrance after overhearing Deite’s last remarks. He had always suspected this moment would come. He knew exactly what needed to be done.
* * *
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