Star Traks: Banshee "The Truth Is Out There, Part Two" By Brad Dusen "Knit yourself a web of lies conceal yourself in your disguise but when you're brought before the eyes of truth, you'll be the one who cries." -Author Unknown "My ankle hurts!" "My head hurts!" "Shut up! Both of you!" "I don't see you being productive." "I can't be, I'm the one in the handcuffs!" "Sure, sure! That's your excuse!" A silence had fallen over the cell. Velorn sat in the corner, his head held low in shame. "I'm sorry, Captain." Commander Donovan said softly as she slumped down into the corner. "I should have warned you." "You did the best you could." Jad sighed, staring at the force field that separated them from freedom. "What we need now is a plan to get out of here." "That won't be necessary, dear Captain." A voice cackled as a figure stepped out of the darkness. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am-" "Arigo Kolem, head of the Society for the Pursuit of Truth, non-joined Trill, age 48." Jad cut him off. Arigo glared at Jad. "I see Section 31 has eyes everywhere." "You'd be surprised." Jad grinned. "Now what do you want from us?" "Oh it's really quite simple." Arigo paced the outside of the cell. "All I want you to do is to show yourself and order the Banshee to go to Earth, uncloaked, and hover above the Federation Capitol Building for all eyes to see. Then you will be free to go." "Until you have us arrested." Velorn added. "Yes, well, I cannot be held accountable for any legal troubles you may face in the future." "Then why should we cooperate?" Donovan asked. "Because if you don't, you will die a very slow, painful death." Arigo said, "And there is nothing you can do about it, either! MWA HA HA HA HA HA HA!!" He started cackling loudly, bellowing uncontrollable laughter. "Your fly's down." Vorezze noted. Arigo froze, looked down and zipped up. "Well, I will, uhh, just be going." He took off into the hallway. "So what do we do now?" Donovan asked softly. "Pray that Charlotte can find a way to rescue us." "That bleak an outlook, huh?" "Yep." "First Officer's Log, Stardate 53471.1: Following the orders of now captured Captain Vorezze, I have taken the Banshee far from Saranta II where we will attempt to formulate a rescue plan. As of this time, we are yet to have much success, so I am turning to Captain Vorezze's alternative, a file he specified before I escaped." Charlotte and Axik stood in Jad's ready room. Charlotte was busily rummaging through sets of isolinear chips, reading their labels. "Music, reports, log entries, crew reprimand documents, more crew reprimands, even more crew reprimands..." She pulled out a neon green chip. "Ah, here it is. Emergency Plan 1." She slid the isolinear chip into the slot and pressed play. Jad's face appeared on the viewer. "Commander Burns, if you are listening to this, then odds are that something very serious has happened to myself that requires the aid of this file's contents. For whatever reason, you are to go directly to Section 31 Headquarters and ask for assistance." The recording said. "But there is no Section 31 Headquarters." Charlotte muttered. "Now before you go saying 'Hey, there is no Section 31 Headquarters..." Jad began. "I hate when he does that." Charlotte muttered. "...you have to realize that Section 31 doesn't even trust it's own officers with the knowledge that such an installation exists, not because they fear that an agent will expose them but rather that they fear a captured agent could be mentally probed and have the both the existence and the location revealed to potentially hostile forces. Do you understand?" "Not in the slightest." Charlotte muttered. "Good, let's move on." The recording continued. "To reach Section 31 Headquarters, you have to go to the remote Tiaren Nebula. From there..." He went on. "Do you think we should be taking notes?" Charlotte asked. "Nah, I'm sure we can remember it." Axik said. "Now remember," Vorezze began, "If just one number in the sets of 15 pass-codes is off, then a series of 35 Sabre Class starships will rain down on the ship and obliterate it. So for the love of Swiss cheese, take notes!" "Oh boy..." Charlotte uttered. "We can play this back, right?" It was sometime around midnight and Vorezze was curled up in the corner of the cell, asleep. Then he heard footfalls and shouting. "Where are you taking me?" Jad looked up to see Velorn being dragged off by two SPT guards. He blinked, then put his head down. "Eh, at least it's not me." "I have called this meeting on the behalf of Captain Vorezze and Captain Velorn, who as you both know are missing in action at the moment." Charlotte began as she paced the length of the observation lounge. "Does this mean I get promoted to second officer?" Ben asked hopefully. "No, it means that we are to mount a full scale rescue operation with the help of Section 31." Charlotte said. "We are to go to Section 31 Headquarters and seek out assistance." Charlotte paused and waited for a series of questions about how Section 31 Headquarters could exist. There was silence. "Aren't you going to ask how there can be a Section 31 Headquarters when it's not supposed to exist?" Vince shrugged. "We know it exists. You didn't?" Charlotte furrowed her brow. "You mean to tell me that Captain Vorezze told all of you, and not me?" They all nodded. "That bastard! See if we rescue him!" Charlotte sat down at the chair at the head of the table and crossed her arms, pouting. "Ben, plot a course for the Tiaren Nebula, maximum warp." Axik said. Ben said in a high pitched voice, "But Grandma, I don't believe you!" Axik furrowed her brow. "What the hell was that?" "It's my new catchphrase." Ben grinned. "Very nice, now shut the hell up and set a course." "Yes ma'am." Ben got up and headed into the bridge. "Stupid Jad... doesn't tell me about Section 31 HQ... I'll show him..." Charlotte muttered. "Okay, seeing as though Commander Burns is off in la-la land I will continue." Axik stood up. "Even if we rescue Captains Vorezze and Velorn and Commander Ashley Donovan, we have to deal with the Society for the Pursuit of Truth. It's very likely that they will find a way to gather evidence during our rescue to expose us to the rest of the Quadrant." "If I may, Commander." Carn said. "I have analyzed Section 31's history and have found that on two similar occasions, someone has endeavored to expose it, but failed. It may be prudent to follow similar techniques as were done in the past." "What did they do the last two times?" "On one occasion, the ship that the group had been traveling on suffered a navigation malfunction and flew directly into a solar flare, subsequently eradicating it. On the other instance, the group was gunned down by a mysterious pack of men in black." "That seems a tad too violent, Lieutenant. There are too many members of the Society to simply kill them all." "It is plausible, however." Vince suddenly jumped in. "How so?" "Society leader Arigo Kolem owns an Axis Class starship called the Sinclair that he uses as his mobile base of operations. We could arrange for it to succumb to a sudden Breen attack and be eradicated." "That's all fine and good, but how do we get the Breen to attack the Sinclair?" "Get a stock of Breen torpedoes from Section 31. Make it at least LOOK like it was the Breen." "Good plan." Axik said. "Stupid Vorezze... doesn't trust me with important secrets... doesn't even tell me the place exists..." Charlotte kept muttering. "Dismissed." Axik groaned. Vorezze and Donovan sat in silence, eating their breakfast. The food consisted of some form of alien egg scrambled with cheese and served with a toast that was a shade of green which they both hoped was supposed to be that way. "Get in there!" A guard rounded the corner holding a nearly limp Velorn. They deactivated the force field, tossed him in the cell, reactivated it and walked away. Velorn lay there, groaning in pain. Jad sat there for a moment as the Vulcan writhed in agony. "Hi there." He said, nodding as he slurped up some more egg. "Hungry?" "Not in the slightest." Velorn gasped. "Your loss." Jad shrugged. "We're approaching the Tiaren Nebula, Commander." Ben said as he stared at the approaching dust cloud on the screen. The edge was a shade of bright turquoise that grew to a deep, dark magenta towards the center. "Scan for the first satellites in the vicinity." Charlotte paced the bridge. "I found one on the very edge of the nebula. It looks to be an old research probe." "Transmit Passcode Alpha to it." Charlotte ordered. Vince pressed the send button. On the viewer, the satellite suddenly lit up with green running lights. "That's the 'Ok' signal.'" Charlotte said. "Take us in, Ben." The Banshee entered the murky darkness of the Tiaren Nebula. "Picking up the second satellite." Vince said. "Transmit Passcode Beta." The satellite turned green and the Banshee continued it's journey into the depths of Section 31. "That guard's been staring at us forever, it seems like." Jad whispered to Ashley as they stared at the thin, mean looking female guard who stood by their cell. "What's she thinking?" Ashley whispered. Jad reached out, looking into her mind. The woman's thoughts were vague, but his eyes widened. "She is having a fantasy about one of us." Ashley burst out laughing. "Shhhhhh!" Jad said. "Maybe we can use this to our advantage." "How?" Ashley whispered. "Watch..." Jad got up and strutted towards the door. He put his elbow against the frame of the cell door and leaned, smiling to reveal his pearly white teeth. "Hello there." He said deeply. "What do you want?" The guard asked coldly. "I was just wondering how someone so... incredibly gorgeous as you could be involved in this 2 bit operation." "It's because of people like you." The woman shot back. "Is it hot in here?" Jad asked. "No." "Hmm, I think it is." He proceeded to peel off his turtleneck to reveal his black tank top fitted tightly against his muscular torso. "I'll turn the heat down." The woman pressed the control panel. Jad furrowed his brow and sat back down next to Ashley. "No good?" Ashley asked. Jad huffed. "She didn't give me the time of day." Ashley snickered, then patted him on the shoulder. "Err, there there, Captain. There there." She got up and walked over to the door. "Excuse me, I'm thirsty, could I have some water?" The guard smiled excitedly. "Sure. I'll be right back." She bounced off down the hall to the replicator. "Hmmmm..." Ashley rubbed her chin. The guard came back. She handed the glass at Ashley through the 1 way force field. Ashley poured on a Southern accent. "Thank you, ma'am." She drank it, then rubber her hand over her brow. "Gosh it's hot in here." She unfastened her turtleneck's neck and unzipped it a little, showing some slight cleavage. "Oh... I can, *gulp* have the heat turned down..." The guard stuttered. "Why that would be real nice of ya." Ashley batted her eyelashes. Jad sat in the back of the cell with his mouth hanging open. The woman walked to a control panel and lowered the temperature 5 degrees. Ashley wrapped her arms around herself. "Well gosh, now I'm cold!" "I could turn the heat back up, but..." The woman began. "I think I just need somethin' to wrap myself up in." Ashley said, still in her Southern Belle accent. "I can give you my jacked." The woman said excitedly. "Why that would be just dandy. C'mon in here." Ashley flashed her pearly whites at the guard. She began thinking the same message over and over again, hoping Jad would hear her. The guard dropped the force field and stepped inside, then took her jacket off. "Here you are." Jad came up from behind and shoved the guard against the wall. She fell to the floor unconscious. "My hero!" Ashley said, still Southern. "Good riddance." Ashley snapped back into her normal voice. "You're just mad because she liked me and not you." "Well DUH!" Jad picked up the guard's phasers, handed one to Ashley and ran out the door. "Umm, what about Velorn?" Ashley asked. "We'll, uh, get him later." Charlotte was shaking. She had heard about Admiral Larry Walker before, but never met the man in person. They say that he once made Captain Picard cry during a Dominion War briefing when Picard wanted to take the Enterprise to help the sixth fleet when Walker wanted it to lead another offensive. He'd been put as the head of Section 31 after Newman's death earlier that year. She glanced out the window. The USS Cerebus, a sleek, powerful Cheektowaga Class starship slowly drifted by. Second only to the Sovereign Class, the Cheektowaga Class was the most powerful ship the Federation ever built. Resembling a cross between the Intrepid, Sovereign and Prometheus classes. Section 31 Headquarters itself was a massive space station complex, the largest space station ever constructed. Inside was a complete habitat for the residents there, such as family members of Section 31 officials or many of the engineers and scientists there. The station also contained several docks where ships could be designed or constructed. From this window, Charlotte could see a Nebula Class ship half completed. It was cold in there. The room's design resembled the cold, monotone grays of the Defiant or Intrepid class. The chair in the waiting room was comfortable. Several PADDS were strewn about a glass coffee table with electronic issues of various magazines and newspapers. "Commander Burns?" A tall, thin Bolian woman emerged from the doors. It was Walker's secretary. "Admiral Walker will see you now." Charlotte was numb from fear. She got up, shaking slightly. "Thank you." She said weakly. She took two steps forward, then her knees gave out and she hit the floor. "Are you okay?" The secretary asked. "I'm fine." Charlotte grunted as she pulled herself off the ground and tired to regain her composure. "Oh by the way," The secretary said from her desk, "Admiral Walker wanted to make it clear that for the purposes of professionalism, it's best to forget about an incident between you two in a spaceport bar 5 years ago. He said you'd know what he meant." "Umm, yes. Of course I do." Charlotte looked around nervously. "Err, excuse me..." She darted into the office. He sat at a large desk with several displays on it in front of a large bay window that overlooked the central point of the nebula, a small glowing star that emitted the metaphasic radiation which kept the station concealed from probes. It was a spectacular sight. The ceiling was raised 2 floors, with massive displays stretching up, showing maps of the Quadrant and galaxy, a layout of the station and communications terminals. All paled in comparison to Walker himself. He was about two meters tall even and at least 150 kilos. His skin was as dark as coal and his gazed forward like burning embers. He had a full head of wiry white hair that stood in stark contrast to his skin. Charlotte knew this man well enough to know that his ominous appearance was nothing compared to what she was about to experience. "Commander..." Walker had a voice that thunder would envy. One that could snap gods to attention. "A-Admiral." Charlotte stuttered. "What brings our flagship home on such urgent news that it could not be discussed over subspace radio?" Walker's voice seemed half annoyed, half curious. "We have run into a significant roadblock with the Society For the Pursuit of Truth." Charlotte began. "They have Captured Captain Vorezze, Velorn and Commander Donovan." She quickly backed away from the desk to avoid flying objects. Charlotte had expected a rage of fury. Instead, Walker clasped his hands in his lap. "So you want help?" "Basically. We need to stop them before Section 31 is exposed." "Commander Burns..." Walker got up. In the office's dim, dramatic lighting, his already dark figure was engulfed in shadow. "I was in the middle of lunch when I heard the news that the Banshee had come here and that you needed to speak to me." Charlotte gulped as Admiral Walker stood directly in front of her, staring down at her from his massive height. He even towered over Captain Vorezze. "I don't like my lunch being interrupted!" "Well th-this is a very urgent issue!" Charlotte slowly inched backwards. Walker followed her with every inch, not moving his face an inch away from hers, casting an icy gaze into Burns' eyes. "Yes, I realize that. Now I will tell you this once and once only. I DO NOT like being interrupted while I'm eating lunch!" "Y-you said that already." Charlotte squeaked as she hit the rear wall. "Listen and listen good. I don't care what it takes, ELIMINATE the Society in any way you can. Bomb them, vaporize them, brainwash them, bribe them, whatever it takes to silence them! Especially Arigo Kolem." "Who?" Charlotte slid out from between Walker and the wall and stood behind a chair. "I went to law school with him." Walker sighed. "He was brilliant, but also very obsessive. He believed that there was a great evil in the Federation, polluting it with impurities. He went on to become the most successful and respected lawyer on Trill. He made an early retirement, though, to fund the Society For The Pursuit of Truth. He has since been on Section 31's tale for the past 10 years. We've had to cover our tracks 10 times over compared to how we used to." Walker let out a long sigh. "Commander, do what it takes. All of our resources are at your disposal. Stop them. And stop him, before it's too late." "Aye, sir." Charlotte said, then turned and left. After Commander Burns had left, Walker sighed and walked over to the window, gazing out at the beautiful vista around him. "Of all ships to rely our future on... it had to be the Banshee......" Escorted by two guards, Arigo walked up to the cell of his favorite prisoners. Okay, his only prisoners, but that was beside the point. "Oh Captain. Wakey wakey!" He called out, then looked into the cell. He saw a woman crumpled on the floor, unconscious. "You're not Captain Vorezze..." "They're gone." Velorn said, huddled in the corner of the cell, finally awake. "Gone?" Arigo raised an eyebrow. "Gone, adjective. The state of not being present, departed." Velorn shot back. "They couldn't have gotten far." Arigo muttered. "Security, go on alert, Vorezze and Donovan are loose in here somewhere." "How do you know they haven't run and left town already?" Velorn asked. "I highly doubt they could leave here. We're on a ship in space." Arigo cackled. "Now, as for you, you shall have to suffice. Come with me." "If this is to be prodded with more electrodes, I must respectfully decline." Velorn said. "Just get over here." "First Officer's Log, Stardate 53475.3: After formulating a plan at Section 31 Headquarters, we are en route to intercept the Sinclair, where we will rescue our crewmembers and hopefully finish the STP at the same time." "The plan is simple." Commander Burns said as she addressed the crew. "We have a stock of 40 Breen torpedoes that were recovered from wreckage after the final battles of the Dominion War. We will generate a small gas cloud using the contents of our Bussard Collectors that we gathered while in the Tiaren Nebula. When the Sinclair gets close enough passing by, we beat the snot out of the ship, get our crew and tractor it to Section 31 for some good ol' fashioned mental rehabilitation." Ben said in a high pitched, juvenile voice "But Grandma, I don't believe you!" "Ben, that was funny the first time, now it's just getting annoying." "I think it looks rather good, don't you?" Arigo motioned to a podium in front of a flag draped on the wall with the Federation's seal on it. "Exactly what am I supposed to do?" Velorn asked. "It's simple. Right now, the Galactic Cup Pareses Squares game is going on, the most heavily watched event in the quadrant. Literally countless trillions of people will be watching it live. I have taken out a 15 minute block of commercials for you to tell the galaxy everything about Section 31." "Ingenious, but what if they believe it's a hoax?" Velorn asked. "Enough will follow us. Your days as a criminal are numbered, Captain." Arigo started laughing maniacally. "Wow, I love this antagonist stuff. It's so much fun!" "Indeed." Velorn sighed. "Security to Kolem. We've spotted Vorezze and Donovan on deck 3." "It's a small ship, FIND THEM!" Arigo bellowed. "Yes, sir." "You, read this." He handed a PADD to Velorn. "This was all the information we extracted from you during your torture sessions." "What fond memories this brings back. Should I thank you?" Velorn asked. "Start the cameras." Arigo said. "Start reading or else you will die." Velorn sighed and began reading. "People of the Federation and of the Galaxy at large. I am here today to confess to my sins against you. I am a participant in the biggest Federation lie ever. I am part of the organization Section 31. An evil shadow arm of Starfleet that sacrifices all the precedents the Federation goes by in order to obtain it's own sordid goals. You spelled precedents wrong." Velorn looked up. "Shut up and keep reading." "I wish to enlighten the people so that we may stop the evils of people like me from reaching the rest of the galaxy." "I think the guards are right behind us!" Jad shouted as he and Ashley darted down the hallways of the Sinclair with a phaser rifle in hand. "In here!" Donovan ducked into a room labeled "Broadcast Control." "...you, the people, have the power to be rid of the evils of Section 31. Stand up and fight and you can live an existence pure from this sin and evil!" Velorn said, finishing the speech. "Cut!" Arigo grinned evilly. "Well read. Just for that, we won't decapitate you like we will Vorezze and Donovan." "How thoughtful." Velorn said dryly. "Prepare to send the broadcast." Arigo said triumphantly. "1 minute to air." Arigo stared at the screen. "My life goal is about to be fulfilled." A smirk crossed his face. Never before had he been so excited. "Three... two... one..." The technician pressed play. The image of an insectoid alien woman holding a squeeze tube of cream in her talons appeared on the screen. "These days, I need my thorax to look that shade of pea-soup green that just drives the males wild. That's why I rely on new ThorWax..." "THORWAX!?" Arigo bellowed. "What the hell is this!?" He glanced up to the control room where he saw Jad and Ashley standing there, waving at him. "NO!!!" He screamed, grabbing a phaser. "NOOOOOO- OOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!" He set to full power and shot out the support struts, causing the room to come crashing to the floor. He breathed heavily, seething with anger. "Sir, now we can't stop this commercial and put Captain Velorn back on." The technician said. "F***!!!!!!!!!" Arigo screamed, shooting the technician, who vanished in a blaze of fire. He turned, panting heavily as Jad and Ashley stumbled from the room's wreckage. "YOU! YOU DID THIS!!!!!" He ran after them, taking pot shots with his phaser. "It's over, Kolem!" Jad shouted out. "NO! I WILL NOT GIVE UP!" Arigo bellowed. He ran forward, but fell as the Sinclair rocked violently. "Bridge to Arigo. There appears to be a Breen ship hiding in the nebula we were passing. It just took out our warp engines." "FIGHT BACK!" Arigo slammed his hands onto the podium as Velorn slowly backed away. "DON'T LET THESE SCUMBAGS WIN!" "Scumbags? Never heard that one before." Jad said softly. The Sinclair shook again. "Sir, it's not the Breen. It's the Banshee! They're attacking us!" The bridge officer shouted again. Arigo's forehead was coated in sweat as Sinclair shook more and more. "You did this!" Jad nodded calmly. "Yep!" "NO! I WON'T LET MY LIFE'S WORK BE DESTROYED!" He charged at Jad and Ashley, firing his phaser madly. In a sudden blue swirl, Captain Vorezze, Captain Velorn and Commander Donovan were gone. All that was left was Arigo, who collapsed into a sulking heap. "IT'S NOT FAIR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" "Direct hit to the Sinclair's main engines." Vince said on the Banshee's bridge. "Good work." Charlotte replied. "Is our crew back home?" "Yes, ma'am." "Put the Sinclair in a tractor beam and take them back to Section 31 Headquarters with us." Charlotte sat back down. The turbolift doors opened as Jad, Velorn and Donovan emerged. "JAD!" Axik jumped up and tackled Vorezze. "Hi hun, miss me?" He laughed as Axik wrapped every appendage she could around him. "NEVER do that again!" Axik said. "You'll get no argument on me about that." Jad said. "Charlotte, out!" He shooed Burns away from his chair. "We were right, all STP members ARE on board the Sinclair." Vince said as he read his data analysis. "Good work. All of you." Jad said. "It's good to be back." "I liked being Captain..." Charlotte pouted. "You can be Captain next time I'm abducted." "YAY!" "Captain's Log, Stardate 53477.2: The Banshee has returned to Section 31 Headquarters to drop off the Society for the Pursuit of Truth. They will go through intensive mental conditioning to make them believe all they went through was a dream. I have to say, I love modern science when things like that are possible. If only I knew how to do that... I'd make sure no one remember Axik and my own show of exhibitionism in the ship's theater last week." "THEY DO EXIST! I'm telling you, they do!!!!!!!!!!" The crew stood in silence as they watched a video of Arigo Kolem being dragged down a hallway in the Tantalus V mental institution. "There's no hope for him to recover and be free again?" Jad asked. "None." Brian replied. "Good." "I WILL PROVE IT! I WILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The door slammed shut. Jad sighed. A heavy feeling came over him. "Do you think we'll see him again?" "Odds are we will. Things tend to work that way." Dan commented. "Well..." Commander Ashley Donovan said. "I have to be going. I would like to thank you all for rescuing me. I can't tell you how courageous it was." "Courageous enough for you to get in bed with me?" Ben asked. "GOD NO!" "So what are you doing now, Commander?" "I'll be staying here at Section 31 Headquarters for a while to study for my next assignment: monitoring the activity of The Starshine Kids." "Sounds like fun." Charlotte smirked. "Hey, at least I won't be caught or anything for this one." "Good." Jad smiled as he escorted Donovan to the turbolift. "I don't want to be coming to your rescue all the time." Ashley shook her head. "Don't worry, Captain. I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself. Goodbye, everyone. And thanks." The doors closed. The Banshee sat there, in the heart of what it had just defended so vigorously. A strange feeling came over Jad. "Do you think Section 31 is as bad as Arigo claimed?" "It depends." Axik said. "Section 31 is supposed to be a good thing, but we have to make sure that what we do is beneficial to the Federation, not just ourselves." Jad nodded along. "You're right." He sighed. He'd questioned the goodness of Section 31 before, and he was again. But as he looked out over the core of the organization, he began to realize that he can make Section 31 whatever he wanted, good or bad. It was only then that he realized that it was not Section 31 itself that was good or bad, but the people in it. He decided then, that with all his power, he and the Banshee would be one of those good people. After all, otherwise, what was the point of it all? NEXT: Is the Banshee's crew that insane that they need counseling? Section 31 thinks so, so they shuffle them all off to a retreat where they can touch their inner children and bond with each other. The crew may learn that getting to know each other makes violent warfare seem fun in "Group Hug."