The Star Eagle Adventures IV: All The Sinners, Saints

[CeJay]

Commander Dale McBride stepped up to the holding cell which contained Teldro. The man was sitting by a table, indulging in a decent size meal and reading a padd. When he spotted his guest he lowered the device.

“I know you,” he said. “You were at the exchange.”

“Commander McBride.”

Teldro nodded and took another bite from his steak. “I have to give it to you federated types, you do know how to treat a prisoner. A clean cell, a good meal, reading material, even your health care service is impressive but no doubt you have noticed that yourself,” he said as he looked over the Bluefin officer who like himself showed no signs of the injuries he had sustained hours earlier.

“I’ve read up on your regulations,” he said and glanced back onto the padd. “Did you know that according to the Detention and Treatment of Foreign Nationals Act of Stardate 23324, I have a number of rights guaranteed to me in your legal system? A bit of a dry read at first, I have to admit, but it really draws you in after a while.”

“Where did Deite take T’Ser?”

Teldro placed the padd on the desk and carefully wiped his mouth with a napkin. “She escaped didn’t she? That’s too bad for you. But you really should have followed our instructions. All this could’ve been avoided.”

“You didn’t follow your own instructions,” McBride shot back with obvious anger flaring in his voice. “You never had any intention of letting T’Ser go.”

The Tiaitan stood and approached the force field separating them. “That Vulcanoid woman really means something to you, doesn’t she? On a personal level. She wouldn’t be your mate, would she?”

McBride’s eyes narrowed.

“It must really kill you that you failed so miserably in trying to get her back. For an alien, she’s quite an impressive woman.”

The Bluefin officer turned away from the force field to address the security details on duty. A young female ensign, barely out of the Academy and a significantly older petty officer. “Give us a minute, will you?”

The woman squared her shoulders. “I’m sorry, sir, regulations state that we cannot leave our post.”

“This won’t take long, I promise.”

“I guess we could take a little break,” said the noncom.

The young woman shot the petty officer a disapproving look but it became quickly apparent that it wasn’t the ensign calling the shots. Moments later the two security specialists had left the holding cell complex.

“She was stoic at first,” continued Teldro, paying no mind to the interruption. “Valiant, even. Tried to escape a couple of times. But after Deite was through with her she was nothing more than a broken little girl, begging for mercy.”

“Computer, drop the force field.”

The protective barrier between them vanished.

Teldro held up the padd. “Now, now, Commander. Let’s not forget the Detention of Foreign –“

McBride slapped the padd out off his hand and it went flying across the room. Before he could react, he grabbed the surprised Tiaitan by the collar of his shirt and with little effort flung him over the table with such force that he didn’t come to a stop until he skidded up against the far wall.

“You can’t do that,” he cried. “You have rules.”

“Didn’t you know?” said McBride as he picked up one of the blunt utensils which had been thrown to the floor. “They are really more a set of guidelines.” He inspected the knife. It had been designed so that prisoners couldn’t use them as weapons but there were still plenty of soft and vulnerable spots in a humanoid body where the dull device could inflict plenty of pain if the wielder was creative enough. “You will tell me where they took T’Ser or it’ll be you begging for mercy.”

Teldro desperately crawled into the corner of the cell. “I don’t know where she took her. I just don’t know. You have to believe me.”

“The problem is, I don’t.”

McBride brought up the knife and stepped closer.

“Commander.”

He froze but didn’t turn around upon hearing a familiar voice behind him.

“Get out of here, Star.”

But the Trill stepped closer instead. “You don’t want to do this.”

“No, I do. I really do,” said McBride, never taking his eyes off the man cowering in the corner.

“Think this through, Commander. You’re already in hot water for disobeying direct orders from a superior officer. Considering Schwarzkopf’s current standing you just might be able to beat that. But if you hurt this man now, on this ship, you’ll kiss your career goodbye.”

McBride angrily turned on Star who had stepped up next to him. “You think I give a damn about my career? I’ll do whatever it takes to get her back. And where do you get off lecturing me on my career? You, of all people.”

“I know you’re a good man, Dale but this is a slippery slope you’re on and trust me when I say that you will come to regret the places it will take you. As you said, I of all people should know,” said Star with such surprising honesty in her voice, it gave McBride pause.

He looked back at Teldro and felt a moment’s worth of shame after considering the things he had been willing to do to that man in order to get the information he wanted. In his mind, all he could see was the beaten and bloodied face of T’Ser and that image alone would have driven him on, possibly until there was nothing left of his prisoner but a hollow corpse.

“We can’t just give up on her,” he said.

“I’m not suggesting that we do.”

“What about him?”

Star found the padd lying on the floor and picked it up.

A small smirk formed on Teldro’s lips now that any danger of incurring bodily harm appeared to have passed. “I have rights,” he said. “Look for yourself.”

Star did but when she turned back to the Tiaitan rebel she was wearing her own little smile. But this one, multiple times more vicious. “Interesting reading you’ve been doing.”

Teldro stood and straightened his crumpled clothes. “According to your own laws you cannot abuse me or use force to make me say anything against my will. It’s all right in there.”

She considered him for a moment. “You think you are some sort of smooth criminal, don’t you?”

The smile on his face proved that he did.

“Well, it turns out that you’re absolutely correct,” she said. “But I don’t think that you quite finished reading this.”

A puzzled expression formed on his face.

Star tossed him the padd which he caught clumsily.

“Article three, section four, subsection twenty-eight dash six,” she said.

Teldro began to scroll through the text.

“Any foreign national who at the time of his or her incarceration by Federation officials is considered a fugitive criminal by the detainee’s legal government is to be returned to the detainee’s legal government at the soonest possible opportunity unless no formal ties exist between the detainee’s legal government and the United Federation of Planets,” she quoted from memory and then looked at McBride. “I’d say our treaty with the Tiaitan government constitutes as formal ties, wouldn’t you agree, Commander?”

“Doubtlessly.”

“Wait a minute,” said Teldro and looked up from the padd. “You can’t do that. If you hand me over to them they’ll kill me.”

“Oh, I’m sure they won’t,” said Star. “Well, not right away. As an active member of the New Light, I’m certain they’ll want to ask you a few questions first in a long and needlessly intricate interrogation session. Afterwards, they’ll probably kill you.”

Teldro had momentarily lost his voice.

“Come on, Commander,” she said. “There is nothing more we can do here. This man’s fate has already been decided,” Star added and then walked out of the holding cell. McBride gave the Tiaitan one last, pitiful look and then followed suit.

“Wait,” said Teldro and began to follow them. “Wait.”

The two officers turned around.

“Computer, raise force field,” said McBride just in time to cause Teldro to collide with the energy field and stumble back painfully.

“Is there something else you’d like to share with us?” Star said.

“I can’t tell you where Deite took your officer.”

Star held up the padd. “And I’m afraid we have our regulations,” she said and made to turn away again.

“Damn it, I can’t tell you what I don’t know. Deite uses a new safe house every cycle and she doesn’t even tell me where they are,” he said with noticeable frustration. “I can give you Balik.”

“We want Deite,” said McBride sharply.

“Balik knows Deite better than anybody else on Tiaita. He’ll be able to lead you to her, I’m sure of it.”

Dale McBride did not hide the fact that he was not happy to make this deal but Tazla Star nodded. “Where can we find him?”

Teldro glanced at the padd she still held in her hands. “First I want your reassurance that you won’t hand me over to the government.”

Star typed a command into the device and showed him the now blank screen. “Didn’t they tell you? These are really more like guidelines.”

 

[mirandafave]

Who'd have pegged Star as the one to be trying to save McBride's soul and career. It is quite an awakening moment for the man. He is realising how much he cares for T'Ser and can see how one might cross over to the dark side in the name of trying to do good, but I doubt he'd listen to Star explain her actions that way.

And Wenera is getting badly tangled with all that is going on. At the start of the story I hadn't foreseen her story arc being quite like this.

Very good stuff.

 

[Dnoth]

Star really is one of those characters who walk the line between right and wrong; a hard thing to do (as a person and a writer)

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

It's ironic that Star is talking sense to the usually sensible McBride. Just goes to show that where matters of the heart are involved, good judgment often flies out the window. She certainly played Teldro!

Excellent segment!

 

[CeJay]

Changeover at dawn varied slightly from the similar ritual carried out after dusk.

Instead of dropping to one’s knees and utter a short prayer, this was traditionally a time to wash off the mortal sins using a special water, blessed directly by the Brothers.

Admiral Melvin Schwarzkopf had read up on this with some interest. In the ancient times, when hygiene had been a serious concern, this practice had ensured that all Tiaitans would thoroughly bathe themselves at least once a day. It had been both a religious dogma and a practical solution to living on a hot desert world. The ritual was for good reason still referred to as the Cleansing.

But modern life, even on a world dominated by religious traditions, didn’t allow for such extensive ceremonies at the beginning of the day.

What had remained however where the large, trough like devices filled with holy water in many churches and temples. During Second Changeover, Tiaitans would usually place both their hands inside the water and then wet their face in a now mostly symbolic gesture of removing the stain of sin from their worldly bodies.

Schwarzkopf watched as Prias Oldar-Tia and Simas Sindron-Tia did exactly that, using the lavishly decorated basin in the Prias’ personal office on the top floor of the impressive Sanctuary Tower.

Sindron waited patiently until the Prias had dried his face with a towel and then stepped up to perform the same ritual.

The Prias handed the towel back to a servant and then turned to the admiral. “You must find our traditions to be rather archaic,” he said as he walked towards his desk.

Schwarzkopf shook his head. “Not at all, Your Eminence. In fact, the Federation is made up of a great number of worlds, some of which with societies deeply rooted in religious or secular traditions. We believe our diversity to be one of our most important assets.”

“And you can still see Tiaita taking its place in your Federation some day?” he asked as he took his seat.

“Your Eminence,” the Simas began after he too had dried off his face. “It is too early to think so far ahead. We have so many more immediate concerns which require our attention.”

“I have to agree with the Simas,” said Schwarzkopf. “More work needs to be done if you truly wish to become part of our community. The most important of which is your war with the New Light and the issue of equal rights and opportunities for all the inhabitants of your world.”

“The Prias along with the Council of Tia have made many reforms in the recent phases, Admiral. As you know, our highest ranking military officer is an Ait. This fact alone has shown His Eminence’s resolve in the matter of equal rights,” said Sindron.

“I’m not denying that you haven’t made impressive progress. But I’m afraid it isn’t enough and it is not happening fast enough. Equality among all is a key principle within the Federation and a value that we cannot compromise on. So naturally we have to expect the same sensibility form all our allies.”

“Admiral, surely you can appreciate that the reforms you propose take a great amount of time. You cannot expect a society as old as ours to simply reform itself overnight,” Sindron said with a thin smile on his lips.

But Schwarzkopf faced the Prias instead. “Your Eminence, we have run out of time.”

“I do not understand,” the leader of Tiaita responded. “Our treaty is already in place. You have assured us that you’ve dealt with all the opposition that could have prevented our alliance.”

“That was before a number of unfortunate events,” he said and glanced towards the Simas.

“We carried out necessary military operations to defend against rebel insurgencies threatening the state.”

“Of course you did,” said the admiral, not trying to hide his displeasure with the man’s overbearing attitude. “Allow me to be blunt, Your Eminence. Our alliance is in serious danger of coming apart at the seams.”

“What about our resources? What about the mining operations and the outpost you were to construct in our system? You require those for you own war effort,” the Prias said.

But Schwarzkopf simply shook his head. “There is a point at which the Federation Council will no longer be willing to compromise. They see your world as an inherently unjust society and one with which we should have no dealings with at all. They will turn their backs on you, Dominion War or not.”

Visibly concerned, the Prias leaned back in his chair. “What can we do?”

“It’s called a Hail Mary pass.”

“I don’t follow, Admiral.”

“We are in a desperate situation, Your Eminence. All we’ve worked for is about to fall apart unless we can convince my people that they didn’t make a mistake when they supported your government. You have to show them that you are willing to bring peace to your world. And it has to happen right away in one swift and all encompassing gesture.”

“Your Eminence, with all due respect to our visitor,” said Sindron. “We can’t simply abandon our own principles in order to please foreigners by adopting theirs.”

“I’m not saying you should abandon anything,” said the Starfleet admiral. “You have a rich and beautiful culture and I would never suggest you disregard it. I have studied some of your ancient texts. I have read about the Prophecy and the fascinating stories of the Anointed One –“

“You presume to lecture us on our own believes? Preposterous.”

But the Prias held up his hand. “Please continue, Admiral.”

“The legends of the Anointed One speak of this individual as the one person to unite your world. To bring Ait and Tia together and to end the bloodshed in favor of peace and prosperity. Don’t you see, Your Eminence, that is exactly what you’ll be able to achieve now. Address your people and let them know that you have decided to stop fighting the Ait. That you are willing to give them the same rights as the Tia. You have it in your power to transform this world and with the Federation’s help, prosperity will follow.”

“Your Eminence, the Council of Tia would be in uproar. Millions of people would be confused and lost and perhaps even lose their faith in the Brothers. It would be chaos.”

“Chaos,” the admiral said, “is what you already have. It is what you have had for thousands of years. I’m suggesting that you take your first step to bring it to an end.”

The room fell quiet as the leader of Tiaita considered the two men before him. His gaze wandered passed them both to look out of the large windows and take in his majestic city down below, the crown jewel of Tiaitan culture and power . “It might sound presumptions,” he said. “But I often felt that the Brothers had chosen me to be the Anointed One. That I would be the one Prias to bring peace to Their world. Do you really believe that to be possible, Admiral?”

“Yes, Your Eminence, I do.”

“You’re an off-worlder, you know nothing of our ways, Admiral. How can you speak of these things with such certainty?”

But the Prias replied in his stead. “My old friend, we’ve been through a great many things together. We have faced many of the Brother’s trials. The one before us now might be their greatest one yet. To finally bring peace to all corners of our world. Our predecessors have attempted this for thousands of phases by following their own, best advice. Perhaps it is time to look further.”

“Your Eminence, you know that I will follow your wisdom no matter where it leads. You are the earthly voice of the Brothers. But do you really believe this, heresy, is what the Brothers would want from us?”

“I understand that you a scared, my friend, as am I. But this is what must be done for the good of Tiaita. I could use your help with drafting my address to the people.”

There was some hesitation as the second most powerful man on the planet didn’t respond right away. He looked at the admiral and then back at his master. “I don’t think I would be the right person for this task, Your Eminence. I would serve you in a much better role as a facilitator and to prepare the Council for your plans.”

“So be it then,” said the Prias with a hint of disappointment in his voice.

Sindron dipped his shoulders. “May the Brother’s Blessings be on us all,” he said and then swiftly left the chamber.

The admiral didn’t give the Simas a second glance. “Your Eminence, I am a great student of many cultures including my own which has had a long history of protracted conflicts and widespread inequalities not too unlike your own. I’d be more than honored to assist you with your speech.”

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Schwarzkopf is treading a very fine line--problem is, he's not subtle enough or wise enough to know how to maintain the balance.

Actually, I could see Star acting to keep McBride from following down her path--or a path similar to hers. More and more, Tazla is seeking redemption. She is rapidly becoming a favorite character of mine.

 

[mirandafave]

Damn! That Admiral is low - wishing to exploit the prophecy and their religious beliefs. This is going to make things really messy.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Just when I thought Schwarzkopf couldn't stoop any lower . . .

You have to hand it to the Admiral - he knows how to manipulate the Prias. Sindras is showing some sense, wanting no part of the scheme. I have to agree with DF, Schwarzkopf doesn't impress me as having the subtlety to pull this off.

Of course, I have been wrong before.

 

[CeJay]

“Bring us in fast and low, I don’t want them to see us coming.”

“Yes, sir. Less than five minutes to target,” said Ensign Srena who was piloting the runabout and then glanced at Tazla Star who sat in the chair next to her. “Sir, I was wondering if the captain by any chance mentioned anything to you about … “

“About what, Ensign?” Star said when Srena didn’t elaborate any further.

“About …. well, about me.”

The Trill turned to look at the Andorian. Her blue skin color had become significantly darker, clearly not being entirely comfortable about bringing up the subject. “No, why? Is there something about you I should know?”

She quickly shook her head and faced her instruments again. “No, sir. Absolutely not,” she said and with a much firmer voice.

“Good,” said Star. “Now I did hear about a new and rather liberal dress code down on deck twenty-five,” she deadpanned. “Say, aren’t your quarters on deck twenty-five?”

The pilot whipped her head around to look at the first officer, her eyes as wide as saucers. The color had drained from her face to leave it almost periwinkle.

The Trill gave her a playful smile and then stood and left the embarrassed ensign to her own devices.

“What do we have?” she asked when she stepped into the aft compartment where McBride, Nora Laas and Solly Brin where standing by a computer station, focused on the screen.

Additionally they had brought a team of sixteen heavily armed troops, eight Marines and eight Border Service personnel. Star had doubted the wisdom of making this a combined mission at first but Owens had insisted to involve Bluefin in any attempt to rescue Wenera and T’Ser. Star understood the logic of it but she was concerned that the two different units might not play nice with each other considering recent events. So far her concerns had been unfounded however, both teams had behaved like the consummate professionals they were.

“Based on Teldro’s intelligence we’ve been able to locate an extensive underground tunnel system just outside this remote desert city. We believe it functions as a New Light regional headquarter,” said McBride, pointing at the map on the screen. “But I still don’t trust our source. I find it hard to believe that he is so confident about Balik’s whereabouts but doesn’t know about his own boss. It doesn’t feel right.”

Star nodded. “I know. But for now it’s all we’ve got.”

The Bajoran security chief entered a few commands to display schematics of the caverns. “It’s a pretty extensive network spanning almost three kilometers. I’ve seen this kind of thing before on Bajor. They won’t be keeping all their people in one place. Instead they’ll be spread out throughout the tunnel network.”

“That makes sense,” said McBride. “That way they avoid being an easy target for attack.”

“Exactly. The two largest caverns are in the southern part of the network. That’s most likely where we’ll find the doctor and Balik. There are four tunnels connecting the cavern to the rest of the complex,” said Nora as she pointed out the locations on the screen.

“Sounds like a good place to start. We’ll use four teams, one for each access tunnel and work ourselves towards the large chambers. Commander?” Star looked at Bluefin’s first officer.

He gave her a short, acknowledging nod.

“Srena to Commander Star, we’re now entering transporter range.”

The Trill reached for a phaser rifle. “Let’s go.”



The tunnel in which Star and four Marines materialized was no more than eight feet wide. Illumination was sparse, allowing for plenty of shadows.

They immediately took to the walls for cover but not quite in time to avoid being spotted by a rebel fighter who so happened to be looking their way while they had materialized.

Thankfully whatever training he had received turned out to be entirely inadequate to accurately respond to five armed aliens appearing out of thin air. His hesitation lasted less than three seconds.

“Hey, you,” he finally said and would much later come to realize that it had been a major mistake on his part.

Star whirled around with her phaser rifle at the ready and squeezed off the shot before the rebel had even brought up his own weapon.

The force of the beam pushed him harshly against the wall before he collapsed to the ground.

The commotion had not gone unnoticed by his friends further down the tunnel.

The Marines had already marked their targets and by the time they stepped into the light, all three of them shared the first man’s fate.

Somebody had managed to shout a warning before being stunned and Star could hear the beat of heavy footfalls reverberating off the tunnel walls. These people were not trained to fight Starfleet forces but that didn’t mean they weren’t prepared for an attack.

Tazla Star didn’t appear concerned. She swung her rifle onto her back and took a knee in the middle of the tunnel. She wordlessly held out her hand and one of the Marines handed her a flat, palm-sized device.

“Watch my back,” she told the others who quickly proceeded to secure the other direction.

The Trill pressed a control at the center of the device to activate it. When she looked up again it was just in time to see about half a dozen rebels come barreling down the tunnel.

She threw the device about ten feet in front of her where it half buried itself into the sandy ground.

It immediately shot out a blur of light, momentarily confusing the incoming soldiers who didn’t have a clue what they were up against.

Star stood slowly.

The rebel’s puzzlement didn’t last long and they brought up their weapons to take aim at the now seemingly easy target standing right in front of them.

The machine guns rattled, unleashing dozens of bullets a second.

The Trill never even flinched.

The rounds hit an invisible wall some ten feet away from Star which flickered every time it repelled the incoming bullets and caused them all to fall harmlessly to the ground.

The rebels were at a loss.

“That’s a level three, two point eight kilojoules force field, boys. You’d need something with a whole lot more punch to get yourself through that,” she said and then turned her back to the flabbergasted rebels. She tapped her combadge. “This is Star. South tunnel secured.”

McBride, Nora and Brin responded seconds later with similar reports.

“All teams, proceed to objective. Star out,” she tapped the combadge again and faced the Marines. “Let’s get this show on the road.”




“I have twelve life signs, including one which appears to be non-Tiaitan, possibly human,” said Sergeant Shin-Ja Moon quietely to Lieutenant Nora Laas who stood next to him with her back pressed against the wall.

Nora’s team had met only light resistance up until they had reached their destination. The entrance to the large chamber was just a few meters away.

The Bajoran nodded. “Bang and clear. Take out tangos on sight.”

Two of the Marines retrieved small, grenade like devices from their belts and then launched them through the opening. “Fire in the hole.”

That was the signal for everyone to turn away from the entrance.

For good reason. Two ear-shattering explosions released such a forcefully blinding light that even looking at the chamber’s entrance could have caused temporary blindness or confusion.

Nora and the Marines silently counted to four before entering the chamber with rifles drawn, moving fast and purposefully to perform a standard sweep. The blinding light was gone now, leaving instead a number of bewildered Tiaitans who stumbled around helplessly, some holding their ears, others their eyes and some who had become sick from the overload to their senses.

The team picked them up one by one.

Nora noticed one figure who didn’t quite fit in with the rest. The raven-haired woman was crawling on her hands and knees, tears streaming out of her eyes. “I got Wenera,” she said and rushed to her side, taking down two Tiaitans with perfectly aimed phaser blasts in the process.

“Doctor,” she said and tried to pull her up. “Are you alright?”

“What’s going on? What happened?” she said, unable to see her surrounding but honing in on the strangely familiar voice.

“You’re experiencing the after effects of a stun grenade. It won’t last long.”

“Laas?”

“Yes, doctor. Please, come with me,” she said and tried to pull her along. A few of the Tiaitans had turned out more resistant and had begun to return fire and she could already hear reinforcement approaching. It was nothing they couldn’t handle but she needed to get the doctor out of the line of fire first.

But Wenera hesitated when her vision returned and the apparent chaos around her became clear. “What are you doing?”

“We’re here to rescue you,” said Nora, slightly irritated by her resistance.

“Rescue me? What kind of rescue is this?”

“Doctor, please – “

Wenera freed herself from the Bajoran’s grasp. “Stop this!” she yelled and stepped further into the open, placing herself right in between the Marines and the rebels. “Stop shooting. Can’t you see? This is a hospital.”

In fact Nora hadn’t noticed. But now she saw for the first time that the chamber was lined with beds and filled with sick people. Some of the first casualties had been unarmed doctors and nurses who were now lying motionless on the floor.

The Starfleet physician rushed for some of her medical supplies and ignoring the danger of the two warring factions, she began to attend to her patients who had not fared the stun attack particularly well.

Nora recognized that the rebels were not targeting Wenera and joined the Marines who had taken cover. “Cease fire,” she said.

The four Marines stopped firing instantly and retreated behind their cover. Moments later the Tiaitans also stopped.

After making sure the firing had completely ceased, the security chief and the Marines reemerged, their weapons pointed at their adversaries at the opposite side of the chamber.

The Bajoran glanced at Wenera. “What’s going on here?”

Wenera shot a look over her shoulder, the anger mirrored in her eyes was not easily missed. “What’s going on here is that you nearly killed these people, Lieutenant. Most of them are weak and have serious injuries and you storm in here with your heavy handed approach, blasting away at everything that moves.”

“We had our orders. And the rules of engagement stipulate that -“

“Oh spare me your military nonsense. Help me get the staff back on their feet, I can’t see to all these people by myself,” she said while administering a hypo spray to a patient who hadn’t been able to stop coughing.

Nora looked towards the armed rebels. “I’d love to but first have them surrender their weapons. They seem to listen to you.”

But the Tiaitans tensed up, apparently with no intentions on being taken prisoner in their own base.

Wenera stepped between them again. “For heaven’s sake lower your weapons already. All of you. I need some help here.”

It took another few seconds before the rebels began to hesitantly comply.

Wenera scowled when she noticed that the Marines didn’t. “Lieutenant?”

But the Bajoran shook her head. “I don’t think so, doctor,” she said. “Sergeant, detain those men and then assist the doctor with whatever she requires.”

Sergeant Moon acknowledged and moments later the Tiaitans had been disarmed and secured.

Nora tapped her combadge. “This is Nora, chamber one is clear. We have retrieved Doctor Wenera.”

“Understood, Lieutenant. Sit tight. We will converge on your position shortly,” the Trill’s voice replied. “Star out.”

“These people are not the enemy, Lieutenant,” Wenera tried to explain.

“Doctor, in case you had forgotten, these are the same people who attacked us and kidnapped you. That is pretty much textbook enemy behavior.”

“Yes, yes, I know all that, I was there. But it’s all much more complicated than that,” she said, her strained voice a sign of her growing frustration.

“You can say that again,” said a voice behind her.

Wenera turned around to see a female Starfleet officer enter the chamber followed by a handful of additional Marines. The tall and red-haired woman carried herself with a sense of belonging and yet she had never seen her before.

“Who are you?”

“Commander Tazla Star, your acting first officer,” she said. “Apologies we meet under these circumstances but it was unavoidable. Doctor Ashley Wenera, I presume?”

“Yes,” she said tersely and then shot the security chief a quizzical look. “Acting first officer?”

But Nora didn’t want to take that one and simply shook her head regretfully.

Moments later the other two teams also entered. Wenera didn’t know any of them but she recognized their insignia as that of the Border Service.

A fierce-looking red Orion was firmly holding the rebel leader, pushing him along.

“Balik,” she cried and rushed over to him, eliciting some surprised glances between the Starfleet officers. “What have you done to him?” she demanded of Solly Brin.

“Done to him?” he said. “Nothing. He hardly put up a good fight.”

“Let him go.”

He shrugged his massive shoulders and released him.

“Are you alright?” she said.

Balik gave her a meager smile and nodded. He was an imposing man, especially physically and yet he had been no match for the Orion. She led him to a chair and had him sit down while she knelt next to him and checked him over, not realizing that a myriad of eyes were watching her intently.

He was bleeding from his lip but otherwise seemed unharmed.

It was enough to further fuel Wenera’s bad mood however. She found Star again and shot her a withering look. “Are you responsible for all this, Commander?”

The Trill failed to be intimidated and stepped forward. “I understand your sympathy, doctor. Believe me, I do. But I’m afraid we just don’t have the time for niceties anymore.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Deite, a woman I’m sure you are familiar with by now, has managed to acquire a significant amount of antimatter. And I don’t have to spell out to you what kind of damage she’ll be able to cause with it. We have to find her quickly and stop her,” she said.

“She is also still holding Lieutenant T’Ser who remains in grave danger as long as she is her captive,” added Dale McBride.

“We need his help,” said Star and gestured towards Balik, “in order to locate her.”

The rebel leader looked up and his eyes met the Trill’s. “We were already working on that,” he said but his voice had taken on a sharp edge now. “And Ashley was perfectly safe here before you decided to turn this place upside down. I told you she had nothing to fear from me. There was no need for all of this.”

Star shrugged. “Maybe not,” she said. “But considering the circumstances we couldn’t take any chances.”

Wenera stood and faced the Trill woman. “Wait a minute,” she said and glanced back and forth between her and Balik. “You two know each other?” she said and then focused on Star. “Who the hell are you?”

“There’ll be plenty of time later to discuss that. For now –“

“And you,” Wenera continued, interrupting the commander and looking back at Balik instead. “You were in contact with her? You never told me you were speaking to my people.”

He didn’t reply, trying to avoid her insisting glance now.

“You didn’t want me to know, did you? You didn’t want me to go back to my ship because I turned out to be pretty useful to you, patching up your troops so that they could continue to fight for your cause.”

Balik looked straight into her eye. “That’s not true. Yes, I wanted you to stay. I still do. But not because you’re a good doctor,” he said but let the rest of the statement hang in the air.

Dale McBride was becoming impatient. “This is all very fascinating but we don’t have time for this. We need information. We need to find Deite.”

But Balik didn’t seem interested in talking anymore.

“I’ll get us the information we need,” said Brin with a vicious smile on his lips and began to approach the rebel leader.

Wenera walked straight into his path, refusing to be frightened by the huge Orion man. “Don’t you touch him.”

“Doctor,” said Star. “We need to know. Now.”

“What, by torturing him? I don’t know where you’ve come from, Commander, but that’s not how we do things,” she said and then turned around to look at Balik. “You have the device to locate her. Just give it to them.”

“I am not going to betray her.”

“You’ve got to be kidding,” she said and stepped right up to him. “We’re talking about Deite here. The woman who tried to have us all killed. Or has that slipped your mind? You promised me that we were going to get T’Ser back. Why the hell did we go through all this trouble to get that damned radio device in the first place?”

“I never lied to you,” he said. “But I was going to be the one to find her and get your friend back. I’m not about to sell her out to your Federation. I might not agree with the way she wants to fight the Tia but she is still an Ait and New Lighter freedom fighter. I’m not going to betray her.”

“Didn’t you hear what they just said?” she said, feeling her anger rising again. “She has antimatter. You know what that means? She’ll be able to destroy entire cities just like the government did. Thousands of people will die. That is not what you wanted for the cause, Balik, I know that. Help us stop her. Damn it, you owe me that much.”

Once again he couldn’t quite look her in the eye.

“No matter what you’ve done, I know that you are a good man. Now is the time to prove it.”

He looked up slowly and focused intently on her piercing eyes as if he was trying to see right through them. Then he found Tazla Star’s determined face and all the other Starfleet officers surrounding him who apparently were not willing to accept no for an answer. His glance ultimately fell back on the doctor. Then he nodded slowly “I will do what I can to help you. I can give you the device to contact Deite.”

Star took a step forward. “I’m afraid we’ll need you to do much more than that.”

 

[mirandafave]

Well they got Wenera back and she at least managed to end things before it escalated into an unnecessary bloodbath. And she got Deite's position. Not too mention guts going up against Solly Brin in full action.

Nice bit of action and tactics used. Now we move towards getting T'Ser and stopping Deite. But not sure it will go as smoothly.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Then he found Tazla Star’s determined face and all the other Starfleet officers surrounding him who apparently were not willing to accept no for an answer. His glance ultimately fell back on the doctor. Then he nodded slowly “I will do what I can to help you. I can give you the device to contact Deite.”

Star took a step forward. “I’m afraid we’ll need you to do much more than that.”

What does Star mean by that? I'm guessing she wants Balik to accompany them, perhaps to negotiate with Deite, or . . . ?

Winera shows definite signs of Stockholm Syndrome, identifying with Balik more than her Starfleet colleagues. Of course, it's understandable she would be upset about any shooting around her patients, regardless of the circumstances.

T'Ser is still in a major pickle. Even with the means to contact Deite, Star and McBride will be at a disadvantage in trying to recover T'Ser and the anti-matter.

Great segment, but hurry man! I'm dying to know how this all wraps up!

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Very well done as Star continues to surprise--did I say how much I've come to love this character? As for Ashley--it probably is a mixture of Stockholm Syndrome plus genuine caring for her patients.

 

[CeJay]

The warehouse at the outskirts of the capital appeared to be abandoned.

It was just after dawn when Balik and Ashley Wenera entered the building.

“It doesn’t look as if anybody’s been here for years,” said the Starfleet doctor after looking around for just a few seconds.

Indeed the place was covered in rust, dirt and dust. The few pieces of old machinery that had been stored here were long past their usefulness. Most of the windows were broken, allowing the chilly winds to whistle ominously.

“Are you sure this is the right place?” she said.

Balik nodded but kept his eyes focused on the prevalent dark shadows where any number of threats could have lingered in hiding. “We’re in the right place.”

Wenera took a few steps around, mindful as not to get too far away from him. “I don’t like this,” she said. “Do you think we can really trust her?”

“No.”

“I was afraid you were going to say that,” she said and then moved closer to Balik again. He had lied to her, she was still very much aware of that. But she was also convinced that he had done so because he didn’t want to lose her. She hadn’t told him yet that she had forgiven him for that because the truth was that she couldn’t deny the feelings she had developed for this man.

He caught her staring at him. “It’s going to be alright.”

She desperately wanted to believe that.

Then they heard the footsteps.

But there was nobody in sight.

It took them a moment to realize that they were coming from somewhere above.

They looked upwards and saw her standing on a catwalk suspended a few meters off the ground.

“Hello Balik,” said Deite. “It is so good to see you again.”

“You got my message,” he said.

She nodded. “Yes. And I must say I was quite surprised. For many reasons. How did you get your hands on a geo-satellite radio array?”

“Does it matter?”

“I suppose not. And I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised. After all you’ve always been immensely resourceful. The real question is, why are you here? Last time we saw each other we had a rather heated argument.”

Balik took a step forward. He had already understood the point of Deite’s decision to face them from above. It wasn’t merely a matter of precaution, she actually enjoyed the fact that he had to look up at her. “That is exactly why I’m here, Deite. How long have we known each other? How long have we fought side by side, killed together and bled together? We can deny it as much as we want but the truth of the matter remains that we are in this thing together. Always have been. This is both our war and it makes no sense for us to fight it separately. It makes us both weaker.”

“So you have reconsidered my offer? A bit late, don’t you think?”

“I guess you will have to decide that, Deite. All I can say is that I was wrong to turn away from you. The cause is more important to me than the manner with which to achieve our goal.”

“And how exactly have you come to this change of heart?” she said, glancing at Wenera. “You come here bringing your Federation pet with you? That’s not exactly helping your case.”

Now the Starfleet doctor stepped forward. “I’ve learned a great deal since I got here,” she said. “I’ve come to realize that your war is justified and that my people have been wrong to help the Tia.”

“You’ll excuse my skepticism but why should I believe you?”

“Because I killed one of them,” Wenera said and held up her hands, palms facing outwards. “With my own two hands. He didn’t leave me a choice but it made me understand that the only way to deal with the Tia is to kill them. I can help you do that. And I can help you take care of your own and I can share everything I know about my people with you.”

“You would do all that?” she said.

“Yes. Under one condition.”

“And what is that?”

“You have to free T’Ser.”

“I see.”

“It makes sense, Deite,” he said. “She’s of no value to you. But Ashley can be a great help to our cause. She has pledged her allegiance to the New Light and her skills would be invaluable to us.”

“There is no us yet, Balik.”

“There could be.”

Deite seemed to consider this for a moment. “You do make one good point. We’ve done our best work together,” she finally said. “We were pretty much unstoppable, weren’t we?”

He nodded.

“I’d be lying if I said that I didn’t want you back by my side but I cannot forget what happened between us,” she said and drew a gun.

Wenera flinched and took a step backwards, suddenly very much regretting coming to this place. As of Deite’s instructions they had arrived unarmed.

Balik held his ground. “What do I need to do so to regain your trust?”

“Excellent question,” she said and tossed the weapon to him.

He caught it easily.

“Kill the doctor.”

Balik turned to look at Wenera and spotted the fear reaching her eyes. Then he looked back up. “She’d be much more valuable to us alive.”

Deite shrugged. “Perhaps you’re right. But you are more valuable to me,” she said with a feral smile decorating her lips. “We all made sacrifices, Balik. I know you have developed certain feelings for her. Maybe you even think that you love her. But I need you to know what it feels like to lose somebody you care about before I can trust you again. I need you to feel my pain.”

Very slowly he raised the gun until it was pointed directly at the Starfleet doctor.

“Wait,” she said and looked towards Deite. “You’re making a big mistake. I can help you more than you can imagine. With me you might win this war in a matter of weeks.”

“Oh it’ll be much sooner than that, my dear. Much sooner than that.”

“I’m sorry, Ashley,” said Balik. “I don’t want to do this.”

She took another step back. “Then don’t. Think about this for a minute. We could have a real future together. Please, Balik, don’t let it end like this.”

“It isn’t an end, it’s a new beginning.”

“What … what about us?”

“Deite is right. The cause is greater than us. Always has been. Believe me, I wish there was another way.”

Ashley Wenera wanted to say something else, in fact she tried to wreck her brain for anything that could stop him from doing what Deite had instructed him to do. But in the end she came up blank.

She just couldn’t get the words out of her mouth.

His eyes looked pained and she knew, she knew without a shred of a doubt, that he would squeeze that trigger.

He did so twice.

The gunshots echoed throughout the empty warehouse.

They were both dead on target.

The force of the impacts slung her off her feet and onto the dirty floor.

She remained there motionless.

It took him almost half a minute before Balik lowered the gun again.

“You know, for a moment there I thought you weren’t going to do it. Didn’t think you had in you.”

He glanced upwards to give her a withering glare.

“Now that’s exactly the look I’ve been waiting for,” she said. “It’ll take a while but eventually you’ll get over the feeling of losing her. You’ll find other and stronger emotions to take their place. And I’ll have just the right thing to get you started. Now hurry up, we can’t stay here and we’ve got much work to do still.”

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Hmmm. Methinks all is not quite as it seems.

 

[mirandafave]

Flipping 'eck. Nice show down. A bold move to face Deite and quite a steep price she demands. I can't believe he was callous enough to shoot her twice. Like TLR I don't think we're quite in on what is happening, but still and all...

Good stuff.

 

[CeJay]

FIFTEEN: THE RECKONING​

“It has been foretold many thousands of phases ago. The ancient Prophecy says that the children of Tiaita cannot be divided under the lights in the sky. It speaks of great harmony, peace and prosperity which will befall the children of Tiaita. All the children, Tia and Ait alike. It speaks of great unity amongst our people.

This is why I will ask all of you to join me in bringing forth a new and glorious era amongst our people. For many this will not be easy. Change never is. Many of you might not immediately understand. For some it will mean sacrifice but for so many more it will be a great liberation. And for all of us, it will mean peace and prosperity.

A new day has begun for Tiaita and all her children. From this day forward Tia and Ait will share the same privileges and responsibilities. We will come together as one people and reap the benefits of this new era together.

Today the Brothers are smiling at us for our resolve and our courage to lay down our weapons and embrace each other like the earthly brothers that we are.

It is their wish and their will and we will follow it gladly.

Today the Brother’s blessings are upon as all.”

Admiral Schwarzkopf leaned forward in his chair to depress a control and the image of Prias Oldar speaking on the screen froze immediately.

“Not bad,” he said. “Not bad at all.”

The Prias himself stood by the large windows overlooking the capital below. He had remained there for the entirety of his own thirty minute speech that had been played back on the monitor. He had listened intently to each word he had recorded previously but not once had he turned to look at it.

“And yet you do not sound entirely satisfied, Admiral.”

“It’s a good speech, your Eminence and I’m certain that once it will be broadcasted to the public it will find immediate support across the planet. But I believe you can do more. Have you had a chance to look at my notes?”

The Prias turned away from the windows for the first time in half an hour and stepped up to his desk. He looked down at the many papers spread out there. “Of course,” he said. “They are after all what I have based my speech on. And you have provided many excellent examples. Martin Luther King of Earth, Thraz ch’Kellea of Andor, Surak of Vulcan; all very impressive orators.”

“Yes, they were,” said Schwarzkopf and stood himself. “And one of the things that made them great was that they had an acute awareness of the ills of their societies. They addressed them in their speeches without compromise and offered real and substantial solutions.”

“You want me to be more detailed?”

The admiral nodded. “You need to point out directly your failings as a society. The systematic prejudice against the Ait, the religious persecution, the re-education monasteries. You must make it clear that you no longer condone any of those practices.”

“I believe I can work that in.”

“Good,” said Schwarzkopf. “And one other thing. I think you should try and tone down the religious overtones of your speech. Fewer references to your gods would be a good start.”

At that the Prias looked up. “You would have me abandon my believes?”

“I’m just suggesting to incorporate less of it into your speech.”

Oldar looked down at the papers on his desk again and then glanced to the side were a copy of his own speech was sitting next to all the foreign examples. “You know, Admiral, you are not the only one who has taken an interest in a foreign society.”

“I beg your pardon?”

He looked up straight into Schwarzkopf’s eyes. “I have studied your people just like you have studied mine and I’ve learned a great many things about you. I have learned that one of your most important principles is not to get involved with the internal affairs of other societies. But you are different, Admiral, aren’t you?”

Schwarzkopf didn’t seem to appreciate the direction the conversation was taking. “We’ve all had to make certain sacrifices, your Eminence.”

“Yes but in your case, I’m not so sure anymore that you are actually sacrificing anything at all.”

“Your Eminence, please we should concentrate on –“

“You may not admit to it but I believe that you take actual pleasure in attempting to mold our world into whatever your ideal of a perfect society is. It is your chance, maybe the only one you will ever have, to create a lasting legacy. An entire people shaped after your own world view.”

“My one and only concern is for our successful alliance.”

“If that is the case than why your sudden interest in the tone of my speech? What does it matter to you if I make use of the very basic tenets of our culture?”

The admiral didn’t seem to have an answer to that question. Perhaps because the Prias was closer to the truth than he wanted to admit.

“I understand what must be done for the best of both our people, Admiral. I do and I will go along with it. But I refuse to compromise on our core values. I will not leave out the most important aspects of our society because you might find them to be uncomfortable. If I did that I would be lying to myself and more importantly, I would be lying to my own people.”

Schwarzkopf nodded slowly but didn’t speak.

Moments later Sindron-Tia entered the office and respectfully dipped his shoulders before approaching the desk.

“My friend, what news do you bring?”

“Your Eminence, it has taken some convincing but I have managed to get the Council of Tia on your side. They will endorse your new policies without question and accept them as the wisdom of the Brothers.”

“Excellent work. I know it must have been difficult. All of this will be difficult for many of us, including you.”

“I live to serve the Brothers and their emissary,” said Sindron.

“Of course you do. I have nearly completed my speech, we should be ready for it soon.”

“Your Eminence, may I make a suggestion?”

Oldar gestured him to continue.

“The impact of your address would be greatly enhanced if it was held in the Great Chamber, surrounded by all the distinguished members of the Council. It would reassure the people that their entire government stands united.”

“A magnificent idea, would you not agree, Admiral?”

Schwarzkopf gave another nod.

“Please see to the preparation, my friend.”

“As you wish, Your Eminence.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
​

“Go! Go! Go!”

Tazla Star heeded her own advice and was the first one into the warehouse with her phaser rifle drawn and at the ready.

Commander McBride, Nora Laas and a dozen Marines and Border Service troops were right behind her.

They didn’t expect any opposition. They had all watched from a distance as Balik, Deite and a group of her henchmen had left the warehouse minutes earlier.

“Clear,” said Nora Laas less than thirty seconds after she had made her entry with the Marines following closely. The flashlights mounted on their rifles uncovered every last shadowy corner and had come up with nothing.

Solly Brin and his people had accessed the building through a side entrance to cover the catwalks. Within moments the massive red-skinned Orion had checked the entire upper level and reemerged to join the others. “All clear.”

Star had immediately rushed to the only person who had remained in the warehouse, a Marine medic at her side.

She knelt next to the prone body of Ashley Wenera and rolled her onto her back. Then, with one swift motion she ripped open her jacket and the blue shirt she wore underneath to reveal a dark vest which covered her entire torso. Two flattened bullets were lodged in the outer layer of the lightweight fabric.

“Give her the shot,” she said.

The medic had the hypo spray already in hand and quickly injected it directly into her neck.

Wenera gasped loudly just before her eyes popped open. The tricordrazine in her blood stream acting like a thousand volts of electricity. She would have jumped off the floor had Star not restrained her in time. “Easy, doctor.”

Wenera moaned through gritted teeth. “This is the last time I’m getting shot.”

“Does it hurt?” said Nora who had stepped up to her fellow crewmember as she tried to sit up.

The doctor shot her a glare. “What kind of dumbass question is that? Of course it bloody hurts. I was shot. Twice!”

The security chief gave her an apologetic shrug. The truth was she had no idea what it felt like to be shot by a ballistic weapon. She had been hit by phaser or disruptor fire more times than she cared to remember but she had never taken a bullet.

Star and the medic helped her out of the vest. As predicted the lightweight duranium laced material had absorbed the bullet impacts but the large bruise marks on her skin gave proof that Wenera had doubtlessly felt the shocks.

“So, Deite bought it then?” said the acting first officer. “That Balik is on her side.”

“He could have fooled me,” she said and carefully slipped her shirt back on. She looked at Star. “How did you know that she’d ask him to shoot me?”

“Lucky guess,” the Trill said and helped her onto her feet.

“Really? I don’t see what was so lucky about it.”

She shrugged. “She could have finished the job by putting a bullet between your eyes,” said the Trill and immediately regretted being so forthcoming. In some cases the truth really was better left unspoken.

“Commander, don’t get me wrong,” said Wenera. “But I don’t think I like you very much.”

“I get that a lot.”

“We’re getting a clear signal from the sub-dermal communicator,” said Solly Brin while he referred to his tricorder. “They are moving in an eastward direction at a constant speed,” he added and then looked up. “I still don’t know how we can trust this Balik. He didn’t seem very cooperative to betray his former partner. And now we’re putting all our eggs into his basket.”

“He knows what is at stake,” said the doctor. “He’ll come through for us, I know it. He will do what he must to put a stop to all of this.”

The red Orion didn’t look particularly convinced but he didn’t miss the firmness in her voice or the conviction in Wenera’s eyes. By now it was clear to all members of the away team that something had happened between the Starfleet doctor and the rebel leader. And whatever that was, it went far beyond the relationship of a captive with his captor.

“He’ll lead us to that antimatter,” she said.

“And T’Ser,” added McBride.

Wenera nodded and then looked at the Trill. “What happens now?” she said while rubbing her still sore chest.

“We return to Eagle,” she said. “Once we have the location we beam in, take out Deite and her people, retrieve the antimatter and T’Ser and everybody goes home happy.”

It turned out the collective faces around her failed to show such confidence. If Star’s plan was going to work the way she had envisioned it, it would mark the first time since they had come to this planet that anything had unfolded as anticipated.

Mounting evidence suggested that nothing could be achieved on this world without paying a heavy price.

 

[TheLoneRedshirt]

Okay, I guessed that Wenera was wearing a flak jacket (Yay for me! ). A risky but successful gambit on Star's part. Considering Wenera's mood, I'm sure she'd be happy to give Nora the experience of catching a bullet.

Looks like the Prias has figured out Schwarzkopf. Whether it will do any good remains to be seen.

"Mounting evidence suggested that nothing could be achieved on this world without paying a heavy price." - That last sentence sums up the story very nicely and leaves me with a sense of foreboding. I don't think this will end happily ever after.

 

[mirandafave]

“Commander, don’t get me wrong,” said Wenera. “But I don’t think I like you very much.”

LOL!

Good stuff. Yes had an idea of Wenera's fate but the Admiral's motives and reasoning to achieve them are puzzling still. Good stuff. Lot's of intrigue and again ominous - I have a feeling the speech and many other things will not go well or certainly not as planned.

 

[DavidFalkayn]

Looks like things are rushing to a climax--Star and Schwarzkopf have irons in the fire--it'll be interesting seeing how those irons shake out.

 

[CeJay]

They hadn’t exchanged more than a couple of words since they had departed the warehouse.

They were now seemingly headed towards the capital city which was situated at the foot of a valley and when they reached the surrounding hills Balik could spot the majestic spires of this metropolis, home of over ten million Tiaitans. Both Tia and Ait. But different to the Western Deserts there wasn’t much conflict between the two people here. Not because the Ait enjoyed anymore freedoms but because the Tia’s grip here was so much stronger.

It was after all the very heart of Tiaita, the seat of the government which resided in the opulent Sanctuary complex and also the location of the single largest military base on the planet. Security was so tight that the New Light had never managed to establish a foothold here. The government had cracked down so hard on crime and terrorism that they had long ago given up to make a difference here.

Balik absentmindedly rubbed his neck but quickly withdrew his hand when Deite turned to glance at him. “I know how you feel,” she said. “The pain, the anger, that feeling that your chest is compressing so tightly that it becomes difficult to breathe. You need to take those feelings and direct them towards our enemy. That is the only way to lessen the pain.”

He nodded slowly.

“The truth is, I’m glad that we are working together again. And you couldn’t have picked a better time to join me. We stand at the threshold of our greatest victory. We will be witnesses of destiny unfolding.”

“Here?” he said with skepticism. “I still don’t understand how we can hope to make a difference here if we are having such a hard time making a lasting impact half a world away.”

“We’ve been trying to hurt the Tia by attacking them from the outside and where has it gotten us? Nowhere. This is the perfect place for our most deadly strike. We’ll rip out their hearts and then watch them bleed to death.”

“How?”

Deite looked directly into Balik’s eyes as if she could probe his mind. For a short moment it appeared as if she was reconsidering bringing him into her confidence.

“Are you familiar with the Prophecy, Balik?”

“Yes,” he said. He was old enough to have grown up within the government controlled education system were the teachings of the fundamental tenets of their faith had been mandatory and rigorously imparted onto the pliable minds of young students.

It had been impossible to escape it and so he had been forced to learn about the Prophecy. The ancient prediction of the second coming of the Anointed One, the emissary of the Brothers. The liberator of the people.

As he had become older and after joining the New Light, Balik-Ait had turned away from the religious doctrine which had been used to keep him and his people enslaved as second class citizens. For him, living a life free of theocratic rule was the reason he was fighting in the first place.

He had always assumed that Deite was of similar convictions.

“There will be fires so bright they will appear to outshine the lights in the skies and the suffering will be great,“ she quoted from the ancient text. “We will give them their fires and they will get their suffering. It will be a cleansing that will dwarf anything the Tia have ever done to us. It will be the vengeance of an entire people, the beginning of a new era and the last chapter on the Tia,” she said and then glanced out of the window to focus onto the city again.

Balik had noticed that they were no longer approaching the capital, instead the driver was keeping them at a distance.

“There is no more fitting place to start than on their most sacred ground. The place they began will be the place that will herald their doom.”




“Where are they now?” said Owens.

DeMara Deen tapped a couple of panels at her station and the main view screen on Eagle’s bridge brought up a satellite image of the capital city. A flashing red reticle marked a small, moving spot along the hills surrounding the city.

“They are traveling eastwards at sixty kilometers per hour on a path that will keep them well clear of the city,” said Deen.

Captain Akinola who had not left Eagle’s bridge since this joint mission had begun stepped closer to the screen. “That can only mean that they’ve already turned the antimatter into a weapon and placed it somewhere in the city. We have to locate it before they get the chance to detonate.”

“We should warn the population,” said Wenera. “Get them to evacuate.”

But Star shook her head. “We do that and we risk the breakout of a panic. We’ll lose all hope in finding the bomb in time,” she said and turned to look towards Xylion at the back of the bridge. “Commander, any luck with sensors?”

“Negative. Apparently the Tiaitans have become very efficient at interfering with our scans. We have performed three sweeps of the city and have not been able to pick up any traces of antimatter or of Lieutenant T’Ser.”

“Keep trying,” said Owens. “We need ideas, people. If the bomb is already deployed, Deite will not be leading us to it. We need another way to find it and we need it now.”

McBride spoke up. “Can you play the last part of their conversation again?”

The Tenarian at ops nodded and activated the required panels.

“There is no more fitting place to start than on their most sacred ground. The place they began will be the place that will herald their doom.”

“That’s the clue,” said Solly Brin. “Their most sacred ground. She must be talking about a place of worship.”

Star walked closer to the screen which still showed the capital. “We’re talking about a city with more than ten-thousand churches and temples. There is no time to search them all.”

“Then we focus on the most significant ones,” suggested Owens.

“Take your pick,” said Star and began to point out places on the screen. “The Church of the Brothers, the Holy Temple of Ascension, the Great Cathedral, the Temple of Tia’s Landing, the Sanctuary, the First Monastery, The Church of Tia’s Grace. And there are at least two dozen more with equal significance to the Tiaitans. It could be any one of them.”

“Wait,” said Nora Laas as she was looking over a data padd. “The place they began,” she added and then looked up. “She said the place where they began. The Temple of Tia’s Landing is where Tia incarnate, one of the Brothers, first set foot onto the mortal’s soil and from which he created the Tia in his own image. It is, quite literally, where the Tia began.”

“That’s according to their religious texts, Lieutenant,” said Star.

The Bajoran glared at Tazla Star. “Yes. What exactly are you implying?”

“You sound like a Tia. You should keep in mind that these are legends and myths, not historical facts. Their so-called gods, the brothers, are nothing more than two high powered pulsars in this region of space.”

“And you sound as if you have spent too much time with these terrorists. Something you still will have to answer for, by the way. And just because you or some of the Tiaitans don’t believe doesn’t mean it isn’t real. Who do you think you are that you can pass judgment on an entire people and their faith, anyway? Maybe you want to question my people’s next? How about it? Do you feel like trying to disprove the existence of the Prophets?”

Star was all but ready to retort but Owens put a quick stop to it. “This is neither the place nor the time to discuss the validity of any spiritual belief. What matters is that most Tiaitans believe that the Temple of Tia’s Landing is a sacred site. Which means it might very likely be Deite’s target.”

The two women nodded shortly to acknowledge what he had said and then shot each other one last glare before they broke eye contact.

“I say it is our best shot,” said Captain Akinola and glanced at Owens who nodded in agreement. “We should dispatch a team immediately to search the building and locate and disarm the bomb. And I have just the right man for the job.”