Star Traks: Banshee






                            "UPSTARTS"
                          By Brad Dusen











            For Laura Terry.  You encouraged my
            writing eight years ago, and it stays
            with me today.  This novel is dedicated
            to you, because it never would have
            happened without you.               -BD









             "A little rebellion now and then is a 
             good thing."        -Thomas Jefferson
 










             
PROLOGUE





	The crowd was milling in the streets by now, awaiting the 
arrival of former Grand Nagus Zek.  The Ferengi government had 
taken over economical control of Viranis recently and Zek was 
one of many speakers to announce plans for the world's future.
	'I feel out of place.'  Thought Captain Jad Vorezze as he 
wandered through the crowd, clad in ordinary civilian attire.  
The Betazoid towered at six foot three over the considerably 
shorter Ferengi around him, though he could also pick out 
several Nausicaans and even a Klingon in the crowd.
	He glanced around, surveying the crowd further.  The only 
one of his officers who he spotted was Commander Charlotte 
Burns, who was standing on a street corner nearby.
	Charlotte let out a sigh as she glanced around, then 
turned as she was tapped on the shoulder.
	"Yes?"  She looked down at a Ferengi standing next to her 
who looked to hold the rank of DaiMon.
	"How much are you?"  The Ferengi drooled, looking 
Charlotte up and down.  "No more than 20 slips of latinum."
	"For the last time," Charlotte bellowed, "I'M NOT A 
PROSTITUTE!"
	"I know whore when I see one!"  The DaiMon barked back.
	Charlotte grabbed the Ferengi's ear and started pulling 
him around.  "For the last time, NO!"
	'Charlotte says no to someone...'  Jad thought to himself 
as he watched the scene.  'Not surprisingly, Hell has just 
frozen over...'

	Commander Vincent DiSanto skipped along the rooftops of 
the buildings lining the street, as if maintaining vigil over 
the crowd below.  As with everyone else on the planet, he wore 
simple dark civilian clothing.
	He reached under his jacket and tapped his hidden com-
badge.  "DiSanto to Vorezze."  He said.
	"What is it, Commander?"  Jad asked, his voice somewhat 
drown out by the noise of the crowd.
	"I've completed scouting the area and I see no sign of 
anything suspicious."  Vince said as he looked down, barely 
able to make out the figure of his commanding officer in the 
crowd below.  "Although I do see Commander Burns in a back 
alley beating the living tar out of a Ferengi male."
	"Very good, Commander.  Anything else to report?"
	"No sir, although I think that Bolian guy in the rainbow 
T shirt is winking at me."
	"I'm very happy for you, Commander.  Vorezze out."
	Vince paused for a moment.  "Hey, wait a second..!"

	Captain Vorezze walked along the street.  For the first 
time in a long time he felt cold.  While the temperature on 
the Banshee was normally kept cool, the uniforms made up for 
that.  Of course instead of his uniform, Vorezze was wearing 
standard black pants and a nearly skin tight dark green 
pullover that his girlfriend, Commander Tagel Axik had bought 
him for his recent twenty-ninth birthday.  She argued that it 
looked good on him.  He wasn't about to argue with her 
opinion.
	"Anything to report?"  Jad asked Commander Burns as she 
emerged from the alleyway, dusting her hands off.
	"No, although you might not want to go back there until 
the medics get a chance to remove that Ferengi hornball from 
the dumpster."  Charlotte said happily as she and Jad walked 
along the street.
	"What about for our mission?"  Jad asked her.
	"No one seems to know anything about what is supposed to 
happen here.  I've asked around."
	"Keep your eyes open, then."  Jad paused, suddenly 
noticing that Charlotte was staring at him.  "What is it, 
Commander?"
	"I never noticed how nice your pecs and abs were until 
just now."  Charlotte smacked her lips and looked at the 
captain with a depraved expression.
	"Umm, yeah."  The captain nervously backed several steps 
away.  "Just keep your eyes open AND keep them directed 
elsewhere."
	"Yes sir."  Charlotte replied cockily as she turned away.
	The two stood in silence for a moment, gazing forward at 
the still empty press box where Zek would be standing in a few 
minutes.
	"What is it now, I can sense you thinking about something 
to do with my shirt."  Jad demanded.
	"It's nothing..."  Charlotte snickered.
	"Never lie to a Betazoid."
	"It's just that, well, your nipples are hard."
	"WHAT!?"  Jad looked down at his chest.
	"It's probably just the cold weather, that's all."  
Charlotte giggled.
	"Commander, it's just your imagination."  Jad said 
matter-of-factly.
	"DiSanto to Vorezze."  Vince said over the comm.
	"Vorezze here."
	"Sir, I thought you should know something that I see from 
up here."  Vince said.
	"What is it?"  Jad sprang to attention.
	"Your nipples are hard."
	Jad breathed heavily, attempting to calm himself.  
"Commander DiSanto?"
	"Yes sir?"  Vince replied meekly.
	"Don't make me come up there!!"
	Vince was laughing hard now.  "Sorry, Captain, I..."  He 
paused.  "Sir, look on top of the building across the street."
	Jad and Charlotte turned to see a small figure walking on 
the building across the street from them.
	"Sir, he's armed."  Vince said worriedly.
	"Vince, lay low.  I'll give you more orders in a second."  
Jad turned to Charlotte.  "Contact the Banshee and have 
Commander Smith beam down with a security team."
	"What are you doing, nipple boy?"  Charlotte asked.
	"I need to save the Nagus."
	"But he's not even out here yet!"
	At that moment, computerized trumpets sounded with the 
Ferengi anthem.  Zek, accompanied by his attendant and 3 
guards walked out and traveled to the podium that was set for 
him.
	"People of Viranis..."  The prune like leader said in his 
high pitched nasal voice.
	"I hate you Betazoids..."  Charlotte said.

	Vince ran now along the rooftops, ducking below the 
guardrails as he assumed a position directly across from the 
figure on the roof.  He set up his rifle if he had to possibly 
phaser the man down should he try anything.

	"We, the Ferengi commerce authorities, along with the 
Federation government, will usher in a new era of cooperation 
between our two peoples as Viranis basks in the security of 
the Federation and the commercial power of the Ferengi."  Zek 
said from his podium to a cheering crowd.
	'God that man needs a vocal cord scraping.'  Jad thought 
to himself as he ran forwards through the crowd.  'Or a 
testosterone boost.'
	Vorezze's combadge rang. He answered it.
	"Burns to Vorezze."  Charlotte said as Jad continued his 
sprint.
	"What is it Commander?"
	"Commander Smith has beamed down with an away team.  
He'll be on the scene in a few minutes."
	"Very good Commander.  Vorezze out."  Jad moved back 
through the crowd.
	Vorezze's combadge rang again.  He answered it.
	"DiSanto to Vorezze."  Vince said as Jad shoved his way 
through the populace.
	"Yes?"
	"I'm in position to snipe the sniper."  Vince said.
	"If that's a real term, then good work.  Vorezze out."  
Jad was almost to the podium.
	Vorezze's combadge rang for a third time.  He paused, 
then answered it.  "Vorezze here."
	"Jad, hun," Axik's voice rang, "I'm making Hasperat for 
dinner, where is the braktik root?"
	"In the cupboard between the dill and the oregano."
	"Thanks hun."
	Jad paused for a moment, thinking of the spicy, yummy 
Hasperat.
	"Captain?"  Charlotte tapped him on the shoulder. "The 
Nagus?"
	"Oh, right."  Jad turned and ran towards the stage.
	"...and with this new joint governing policy," The Nagus 
continued, "Our revenues will EXPLODE!"
	A phaser bolt lanced down from a nearby rooftop, striking 
the podium and missing the Grand Nagus by mere centimeters.
	"WHA!!!"  Zek screamed as he ran off the stage into the 
protection of his bodyguards.  "Get me back to Ferenginar!  
And get me my beetle snuff!"
	"Vince!"  Jad screamed into his combadge as the crowd 
erupted into chaos around him.
	"Oh, right."  Vince replied.
	Jad looked up to see a phaser blast jump from one rooftop 
to the other, striking the gunman down.
	"Vorezze to Smith.  Meet me on the roof of the SolarTech 
Computer Company building in the central square."
	"On my way."  Dan said over the comm.

	Vince and Jad arrived at the scene at the same time.  
"Where'd he go?"  Jad looked around to see no one near the 
tripod mounted phaser rifle.
	Vince took out a tricorder.  "There's a transporter 
resonance.  He must have been beamed away."
	Dan and his team reached the roof.
	"Captain, look at this."  Vince pointed to some graffiti 
on the wall.  It had words written on it in an alien language.  
He ran his tricorder over it.  "It's been sprayed on 
recently."
	"Dan, you're pretty fluent in various languages, do you 
know what it says?"  Jad motioned for his security chief to 
come over.	
	Dan stared at the alien writing for a few moments, then 
his eyes widened.  "It says...  'This is just the tip of the 
iceberg.'"
	Everyone around gasped in disbelief.
	Vince smirked.  "That's the best they could come up 
with!?"
	"Take a sensor image with the tricorder."  Jad ordered.
	"Done."  Vince folded up the tricorder.
	Charlotte finally got to the roof.
	"Is everyone gathered?"  Jad looked around.
	"Yes, sir."
	"Vorezze to Banshee.  Six to beam up."  They vanished in 
a swirl of blue light.





CHAPTER ONE





	Rain clouds hung low over the city and a pale mist 
descended from them to slicken the world below.  With ample 
pace, a woman quietly walked down the sidewalk, a force field 
umbrella clutched tightly in hand to keep her dark raven hair 
dry.  She really did hate frizzies, after all.
	She moved with machine-like precision, swerving between 
clusters of businesspeople talking on the sidewalk and others 
lined up at street vendor stands for a quick lunch.  That glop 
on a stick did smell tempting...
	Inisil was on a mission, however.  Thoughts of food would 
have to wait.  She rounded the corner, onto a sidewalk that 
graced one of the city's main thoroughfares.  Ground shuttles 
scurried along the rain glossed streets before rising up at 
the end to enter an airborne expressway.  She stopped at a 
street corner, waiting for traffic to clear before she crossed 
to the other side.  As she waited, a large shuttlecraft with 
chrome plated warp nacelles and what appeared to be a racing 
stripe landed nearby.  The side hatch opened to reveal a young 
human male of no more than twenty four years of age sitting at 
the conn.  "Hey sweet cheeks!"  He shouted above the heavy 
bass of Klingon pop music.  "How about you come in here and we 
go out for a drink, I know a great little bar about 2 light 
years from here."
	With an irritated huff, Inisil turned to stare at the 
young man and his elaborate shuttle.  Her eyes flickered with 
light as she scanned him.  "According to my ocular implants, 
the size of your genitalia is disproportionately small to that 
of your shuttle."  She said coldly.  "As such I have no 
interest in you."
	Inisil couldn't tell what the man said as he cranked up 
his music system a little louder, but her audio enhancements 
faintly detected him saying she was "itchy."  He quickly 
closed the hatch and flew off.
	The light changed and Inisil walked briskly across the 
street.  She was used to such encounters over the span of her 
life.  She was eternally beautiful.  While she was, in 
reality, nearly ninety-eight years old, she was also only 30% 
organic.  After an accident almost claimed her life, most of 
her body was replaced with bionic implants, grafted so 
perfectly on that she looked no different than she did before 
it happened.  The only side effect is that her aging process 
ground to a halt at the age of twenty-five.  Of course people 
in the twenty-fourth century aren't supposed to care about 
looking old...
	The Federation municipal building stood tall against the 
storm clouds.  Dim lights glowed from within the shimmering 
transparent aluminum-clad facade.  Here was the seat of the 
Federation government on Viranis.  Some called it the 'tower 
of bureaucracy' while others called it a cancer on the face of 
the capital.  Inisil waited outside.
	Ten minutes or so passed before Jeritt finally emerged 
from the building.  A native Viranin, Jeritt stood just under 
two meters in height, his skin almost bone white and his eyes 
a vivid purple.  Viranin hair was about one hundred times 
thicker than normal humanoid hair and sat in a neat, 
businesslike arrangement on his head like a small plate of 
black pasta.  He wore a standard Federation style business 
suit on his body and a sly, cocky grin upon his face.
	"Your meeting with the governor went well, I assume?"  
Inisil asked as she approached Jeritt.
	Jeritt turned to his aide and smiled.  His teeth had a 
natural silvery shine to them that reflected the lightning 
that crackled overhead.  "Of course, Inisil.  I promised 
legions of construction robots for the space station 
construction project.  She narrowly avoided soiling herself 
upon the news, as far as I could tell."
	The two of them walked down the sidewalk under the 
protection of the force field umbrella.  "What of the reports 
of Starfleet intelligence officers on the planet?  We might 
wish to be additionally cautious."
	"Starfleet intelligence is a contradiction."  Jeritt 
laughed as he rounded the corner.  "What few agents are here 
aren't supported at all, their home offices are more concerned 
with operations on Romulus and Cardassia to pay any real 
attention to me."
	"I'm sure there are multiple ways we could dispose of 
them."  Inisil said as the two rounded yet another corner, a 
depraved look gracing her face as the topic of assassinations 
and homicide came up.
	"No..."  Jeritt turned to her.  "If we do that, then 
Intelligence will just realize that someone on Viranis doesn't 
want them here and send even more agents."  He breathed in 
deeply.  "They must find nothing so they think there is 
nothing real to be found."  He then stopped dead in his tracks 
and looked around.  "Where the heck did you park my shuttle!?"
	Inisil pointed down the street.  "The only parking spot I 
could find was just around the corner from our current 
location."
	Jeritt grimaced.  "You parked my brand new luxury shuttle 
in the bad part of town?"
	"I thought all parts of this city constituted the 'bad' 
neighborhoods."
	"Touche."  Jeritt sighed.  The two rounded the corner 
only to find a lone shuttle on the decaying street, windows 
dented and cracked and the expensive exterior decorative 
plates gone.  "Oh for the love of the great bird!"  Jeritt 
screamed.
	"It would appear that tomorrow's appointment to have the 
shuttle outfitted with a better security system came a day too 
late."
	Jeritt's eyes became slightly brighter with anger, a 
common feature among Viranins as he pressed his hand against 
the hatch's handprint pad.  The shuttle beeped and the hatch 
very slowly sprung open.  "Rest assured, when I succeed in 
wrestling control of Viranis from the Federation into my own 
hands, I will use whatever means necessary to silence petty 
criminals like this."
	Inisil stood alone by the side of the shuttle as Jeritt 
awaited the hatch to open.  As she waited, a scruffy looking 
Viranin in his mid-20's, drenched from the rain and wearing 
ratty old clothes, approached her.  "Yo, bitch, gimme your 
banking chip."
	Inisil looked at the man and raised her eyebrow.  "It's 
broad daylight, could you wait at least until it is dark?"
	The man huffed.  "Desperate times call for desperate 
measures."  He removed an exotic looking knife blade from his 
pocket.
	Inisil smacked her lips and retrieved a small black orb 
from her own pocket.  She squeezed it and a holographic boxing 
glove shimmered into existence below the sphere, encased in 
the same kind of force field that made holographic objects on 
the holodeck so very real.  The man had little time to react 
as the boxing glove slammed into his crotch, sending him to 
the ground writhing in tears. 
	Inisil squeezed the sphere again and the glove vanished.  
She turned and approached Jeritt, who was watching the scene 
with a depraved amusement.  "You are aware that the personal 
security device industry, which has been thriving quite a bit 
in the last 25 years, will be hurt considerably if you are 
successful in crushing those who commit crimes."
	Jeritt shrugged as he entered the shuttle.  "I'm sure 
they'll get over it eventually.  If not, I'll expel them from 
the planet."
	"So true to your revolutionary spirit."

	The city of Kon Arlaan was very gray.  Gray spires 
encased in gray glass mixed with rounded Federation 
architecture rose to form a disjointed skyline of contrasts 
between the angular and the blunt.  Many towers were 
abandoned, home for pre-Federation businesses that had since 
fled.  Viranis's neo-capitalist system was never able to make 
the transition to the Federation's moneyless ideal, and many 
businesses either closed or left the planet.
	Inisil piloted the shuttlecraft through the skybourne 
traffic stream, a continuous tubular formation of small craft 
that would seem to resemble schools of fish swimming in the 
ocean more than any form of expressway.  Transit was the 
lifeblood of Viranin culture.  While the population of most 
Federation planets beamed their way around their respective 
worlds, Viranins held a certain cultural joy in their ability 
to transport themselves, savoring the journey as much as the 
destination.  In many ways Viranis was much like the Earth 
that never was as a result of the third World War - though 
most Viranins would be loathe to admit the similarities.
	Jeritt himself was the head of one of the few major 
corporations that Viranis had left.  The Muric Robotics 
Company was the leading supplier of autonomous robots in the 
quadrant.  Jeritt himself was behind the success, perfecting a 
manufacturing process that combined small, efficient, self-
sustaining robots with specialized armors and hulls capable of 
withstanding all known forms of radiation and interference.  
As such his robots were used for everything from construction 
in turbulent regions of space to science probes that could 
touch down on the surface of stars.  It was perhaps this one 
feature that allowed him to compete with well-established 
Federation companies.
	"What is this message the computer says I have?"  Jeritt 
asked as he sifted through the tampered innards of his 
shuttle, examining what was stolen.
	Inisil spoke as she intently piloted the shuttle towards 
the Muric Tower.  "It was left on your system this morning by 
one of your plant managers while you were meeting with the 
Federation governor."
	Jeritt tapped the controls and sat back as a hologram 
materialized before him.  It was the manager of the plant he 
had located on Virasis, Viranis's largest moon, a human by the 
name of Grant Fulton.  "Jeritt, this might seem random to you, 
but recently I have become increasingly aware of what you are 
planning to do.  I had only suspicions until I accessed the 
designs database and saw what was being produced at this time.  
I cannot, as a Federation citizen, allow this to stand.  By 
the time you get this message I will have reported your 
activities to Starfleet.  For the sake of Viranis, I can't let 
this happen."  The hologram faded out.
	With a heavy sigh, Jeritt glanced over at Inisil.  "I 
knew I shouldn't have reversed my policy against hiring 
Humans."
	"Would you like me to have him killed?"  Inisil asked 
with a small bit of glee in her eye.  "Just say the word and 
his shuttle becomes space dust."
	Jeritt rubbed his chin and stared out the window as his 
craft began to land on the roof of his skyscraper.  "No, I 
want to get at his flight records to see where he goes."  He 
leaned back and pondered.  "Activate the device in his 
shuttle, keep the craft intact but kill the man."
	"Very good, sir.  You do know how much I enjoy my hired 
hits, after all."
	Jeritt smiled.  He was grateful he'd installed that 
"Hitmen for Dummies" program in her computerized memory unit 
several years ago.  "That man will not live to tell Starfleet 
of what is about to transpire here.  And even if he did, I'd 
like to see one crew that could stop me."





CHAPTER TWO





	"LIEUTENANT RAYHAN, PUT THAT LASER TORCH DOWN!"  Chief 
Engineer Lieutenant Commander David Riley bellowed as he 
rushed towards the Trill engineer as he put the cutting device 
dangerously close to assistant chief engineer Lt. Serric's 
head.
	"But I just wanted to see if it would come out the other 
side."  The Trill pouted as he dropped the torch and slumped 
down on a step by the warp core.
	"I'm sure it would."  David grumbled.  "And it would have 
killed him in the process."
	"Oh..."  Rayhan looked down and rubbed his big toe into 
the floor in an ashamed manner.  "Do we, like, need him or 
something?"
	Becoming increasingly exasperated, the engineer handed 
the Trill a large sponge and said, "Here, go clean out 
Jeffries tube 16-F."
	Rayhan's face lit up as he scurried off.  "I get to play 
janitor again!"
	Captain Vorezze strode into Engineering at a brisk pace, 
glancing about.  "Commander Riley?  Are you in here?"
	"I'm right here, Captain, what did you need?"
	"Why did you turn your communicator off?  I've been 
trying to reach you for an hour."  The captain huffed.
	"Really?"  David said.  "I turned it off because the 
tactical systems maintenance department kept making prank 
pages to me."
	Jad, paused to speak, but simply shook his head and 
decided against it.  "Anyway, our cloaking device seems to be 
malfunctioning, while we were in orbit we were leaking 
particles and that might have made us detectable.  We've 
pulled away from the planet and have parked in a remote part 
of the system and dropped the cloak, so I need you to work on 
getting it operational again as soon as possible."
	David nodded.  "I'll get to work on it right away."
	"Burns to Vorezze."  First officer Commander Charlotte 
Burns's voice rang out over the comm.
	"Vorezze here."  Jad grumbled at the sound of his XO's 
voice.
	"A shuttlecraft is rapidly approaching our direction.  
It's hailing us."
	Jad flinched.  No one was supposed to see the Banshee 
while it was in the Viranis system.  That's why he'd taken 
such great pains to find a remote part of the system to park 
at while the cloak was repaired.  "Umm... tell them we're not 
home."
	"We tried that already sir, the pilot asked 'If no one's 
home, how did you respond?'  He stumped us there!"
	"Curses!  He's a smart one, he is."  The captain rubbed 
his chin.  "I'll be right there.  Vorezze out."  He turned to 
Riley.  "I want that cloak up and running as soon as 
Betazoidly possible."
	David nodded.  "Aye sir."
	The captain turned and left, leaving the chief engineer 
standing for a moment, brainstorming possible problems the 
cloaking device might be having.  Lieutenant Serric walked up 
to David as the chief engineer stood in thought and proceeded 
to tug at his arm sleeve.  "Yes, Serric?"  David turned asked.
	"Can I have a snack?"  The assistant engineer rubbed his 
gurgling stomach.
	David patted the Bolian on his little blue head and said, 
"Not yet, you have to wait until after nap time, then you can 
have a snack."
	Serric pouted and trudged away.

	Captain Vorezze emerged onto the bridge as a group of 
officers huddled over the communications console.  The captain 
paused for a moment and raised his eyebrow.  "Exactly what are 
all these people doing here?"
	Commander Charlotte Burns shot her head up, flinging 
random specs of dandruff in the air in the process.  "When we 
heard a shuttle was approaching people ran to the bridge on 
the off chance it might be another girl scout going out of her 
way to sell cookies, but we lost the transmission."
	Charlotte tapped a few controls and the last pieces of 
the message replayed over the speaker system.  "This is Grant 
Fulton, I have an urgent message for any Starfleet officers 
who can listen to me.  You have to know that – ACK!"  The 
message ended with an abrupt sparking sound.
	Jad glanced at the shuttle on the viewer.  "Has it been 
moving since the transmission ended?"
	Charlotte shook her head.  "No, sir, it hasn't."
	Jad brushed more white flakes of skin off his shoulder.  
"Please stop that, it's like it's snowing in here."  He turned 
to Commander DiSanto, who was filing his nails at the tactical 
station.  "Mr. DiSanto, tractor the shuttle into the main 
shuttlebay and have a security detail ready."
	"Aye sir."  Vince said as he engaged the beams.  After a 
few moments of careful maneuvering, he said "Okay, sir, it's 
in the main bay."
	"Excellent.  Let's go see what Mr. Fulton wants."
	An alarm began beeping as Vince glanced down at his 
console.  "Sir, another ship is approaching, another 
shuttlecraft."
	Jad spun around.  "On screen."
	The image of a small shuttle appeared racing towards the 
Banshee.  Emblazoned on the side of the shuttle was a red 
polygon figure with the words "Pizza Hut" below it.
	The captain's shoulders sank.  "Okay, who ordered the 
pizza!?"

	Fulton's shuttle was a small, dark green spacecraft that 
vaguely resembled a miniature Bird-of-Prey.  It sat in the 
center of the large shuttlebay in the Banshee's saucer section 
with an eerie silence.
	Chief of security Commander Daniel Smith cautiously 
approached the shuttle.  "Are tricorders picking anything up?"  
He asked one of the nearby guards as he clutched a phaser 
rifle.
	"Negative, sir."  The officer said.  "It's not even 
picking up any life forms inside."
	One of the other guards began to giggle incessantly.  
"Hey, check it out!  If I scan Madison's head, the tricorder 
says it's empty."
	Dan grumbled as he examined the control panel on the 
hatch.  "I'm not seeing any way to get past this locking 
mechanism."
	"Try using a tricorder."  One of the guards suggested.
	Dan looked at the hatch in a perplexed manner, then 
turned to the guard.  "Why a tricorder?"
	The guard shrugged.  "Haven't you ever noticed that 
Tricorders can do just about anything if you tap at the 
controls enough?"
	Another guard nodded and chimed in.  "I got mine to dice 
onions once!"
	Commander Smith shrugged and pulled out his trusty 
tricorder.  "Here goes nothing."  He began to randomly tap 
buttons on the small device, which made beeping and whirring 
noises in response.  After a moment, the hatch sprang open.  
"Wow..."  Dan wasn't quite sure what to say, "never saw that 
happen before."
	The shuttlebay doors parted and Captain Vorezze sprinted 
in, chanting "What'd I miss!?  What'd I miss!?"
	"We just opened the shuttle."  Commander Smith said.  He 
turned to face the entrance.  It was dark inside, and the air 
held the pungent odor of ozone.  "Hello?"  Dan asked.  "Is 
anyone there?"
	He took a step forward, phaser withdrawn and clutched 
tightly in his hand.
	Captain Vorezze stood tense with anticipation as he 
watched Dan enter the dark depths of the shuttle.  The tension 
was interrupted when he heard a loud crunch coming from the 
security guard next to him as he chomped down on a handful of 
popcorn.  Jad raised his eyebrow and looked at the officer as 
the scent of butter drifted into his nose.  "Where did you get 
that?"
	The guard next to Jad swallowed the popcorn down and said 
"I made it with the tricorder."  He motioned to another guard, 
who was holding a flat pan made of lightweight foil.  The 
guard pointed the tricorder to it, and it proceeded to inflate 
with a rapid popping sound.
	Commander Smith emerged from the shuttle.  "I can't find 
anyone in here."
	Jad furrowed his brow as he reached over and took a 
handful of the guard's popcorn.  "That's odd," he crunched 
down on it, "someone had to have placed that distress call."
	Dan scanned again with his tricorder.  "I'm detecting 
some residue on the interior surfaces.  It looks to be that of 
a human who was vaporized by a phaser beam."
	There was a strange mechanical noise from inside the 
shuttle.  With a fast motion, a small device that looked 
vaguely like a metal crab with a shiny black top scurried out 
of the shuttle and towards one of the guards.
	"What the heck is that!?"  One of the guards asked, 
pointing to the machine with his popcorn pan as it neared him.
	Without warning a phaser bolt erupted from the top of the 
device, hitting the popcorn pan and causing it to instantly 
pop.
	"Woah, that was kind of cool!"  The guard said.
	"Get down!"  Dan screamed out as he shot at the killer 
crab, which quickly scurried out of the way.
	Another phaser bolt lanced out of the machine, hitting 
the top of Fulton's shuttle as Dan ducked out of the way.  He 
grabbed his phaser again and shot the crab, causing it to 
explode in a massive spark of acrid smoke.
	The group of four guards, the captain and Commander Smith 
stood in a stunned silence for a moment before one of the 
guards asked "What the heck was that!?"
	Dan glanced down at the small pieces of debris from the 
device, kicking the charred pieces aside with his foot.  "I'm 
guessing that's what bumped off our pilot."
	"The question is why."  Jad asked.  "Seal off this 
shuttlecraft with a force field and post guards to monitor it 
24/7.  I want to make sure no other surprises come off of that 
thing."
	"What do we do now, sir?"  One of the guards asked 
Captain Vorezze.
	Jad sighed.  "Someone had to have sent that crab thing 
after him on purpose, and I bet it's related to our 
investigation on Viranis."
	"Not necessarily."  The guard shrugged.  "When I was in 
the academy a few years ago I once had to deal with a killer 
case of crabs and that wasn't given to me on purpose."
	Jad cringed.  "That's not even the same thing... and 
that's just nasty regardless!"  He turned to Dan.  "I'll be in 
my ready room.  Keep me posted."  With that the captain 
turned, grabbed another handful of popcorn, and left.





CHAPTER THREE





	"Construction has almost been completed."  The middle-
aged woman on Jeritt's screen said in front of the backdrop of 
the Federation emblem.  Her name was Olivia Powell, the 
Federation governor of Viranis.  "We never would have been 
able to finish such major parts of the station without the 
help of your robots, kind sir."
	Jeritt loathed the very sight of Powell but nevertheless 
forced his face into a convincing smile as he said, "Oh but it 
is an honor to be part of the construction of the glorious new 
Starbase 1534."  He then silently thought to himself 'You 
stupid puppet politician.'
	"I know this should help turn Viranis's economy around as 
I have been working diligently to do for the last several 
years."  Powell said with a certain joy in her voice.
	'What are you talking about?  You haven't done jack 
s**t!'  Jeritt thought to himself before saying, "Oh I know 
you've been giving our economic turmoil your utmost 
attention."
	"Why thank you.  I must say, Jeritt, you and your company 
have been some of my biggest supporters."
	'Well why wouldn't I want a weak, feeble, indecisive 
governor ruling over a planet with a pending crisis?'  Jeritt 
asked himself in his head.  "Oh but you've done so much for us 
as a people, Governor Powell, your strong leadership really is 
inspiring."
	"Well thank you again.  I've other matters to attend to, 
but I do hope I will see you at the ceremony to commission the 
station the day after tomorrow."
	"As you Humans would say, I shall be there will bells 
on!"  Jeritt smiled.  "So I can bludgeon you over the head 
with one."  He suddenly bit his tongue when he realized he'd 
said his last statement aloud instead of thinking it.
	Powell looked confused.  "Beg pardon?"
	"Oh nothing, nothing at all.  I must be going now, Jeritt 
out."  He quickly closed the transmission.
	The screen went dark as Jeritt leaned back in his desk 
chair and glanced about his office.  It was a somewhat 
palatial affair.  Jeritt had the money, so he had no qualms 
about spending it.  Viranin artwork adorned the walls, most of 
it abstract art featuring shapes and patterns that, from a 
distance, formed coherent depictions of scenes from Viranin 
history and mythology.  His desk was large and immaculately 
organized, made of a polished black stone resembling marble, 
except that the marble texture glowed a soft, subtle blue.  He 
turned in his chair to look out the window.  Kon Arlaan was 
somewhat alive looking at this time of the evening.  Dim 
lights illuminated the office towers still in use in scattered 
patterns.  Many buildings were only partially lit because they 
were only partially occupied.  Apartment towers were more 
active looking, with lights flickering on slowly as Viranins 
across the city began to return home from work.  The sole 
bright spot was the Federation municipal building where 
Governor Powell no doubt sat doing nothing all that 
constructive.  Every window in the fifty story smooth, 
mirrored tower was lit.  
	The sky behind the buildings of downtown was painted a 
mix of dark storm clouds and the blood red glow of the 
twilight horizon that shown through in random patches of clear 
sky.  Viranis was normally a stormy world, caught in an 
eternal spring rain.  Summer and winter did not exist here, it 
was only spring.
	Inisil entered in a hurried pace, clutching a PADD in her 
hand.  "Fulton's shuttle cannot be located."  She said with a 
dismayed tone of voice.
	Jeritt turned in his chair and took the PADD.  "What was 
his last known location?"
	"According to our computers he was headed towards the 
asteroid belt on the outer reaches of the system.  The belt 
forms a circle but has nothing of interest the center."
Jeritt noticed a series of hails on the transmission records.  
"What were these last hails to?"
	Inisil looked over to them.  "They appear to have been 
directed towards a Federation starship, but recent scans 
report none are in the vicinity."
	Jeritt paused, staring intently at a star chart on his 
display screen.  "Just because we can't find one doesn't mean 
that a Federation ship, possibly one from Intelligence, isn't 
here.  We saw those interlopers who botched our attempts to 
scare off the Ferengi, but we never figured out where they 
came from."
	"Could they not just be lone agents stationed on this 
planet permanently?"
	Jeritt shook his head.  "No, we'd be seeing more of them 
if that were the case."  He stood up and walked towards the 
exit.  "Send a group of mining robots to the asteroid, make it 
look like they're scanning for useful materials inside the 
asteroids but make sure they take a thorough look at the area 
around the belt."  He turned and stared out towards the 
heavens.  "Something tells me we're dealing with a deadly and 
cunning adversary."


	"Bwahaha!  I won again!"  Lieutenant Commander Vincent 
DiSanto shouted triumphantly as "You Won!" flashed across the 
game of Pong that he and Lt. Cmdr. Ben Rachow were playing on 
the main viewer.
	"Damnit, I hate losing to a dork like Vince."  Ben 
winced.
	Assistant Captain Velorn sat in his usual rigid pose in 
the command chair, watching the two officers play as he said 
"If it is any consolation, Commander Rachow, I was hoping you 
would win."
	Vince glared at Velorn.  "You're not supposed to play 
favorites!"
	"Believe me when I say neither of you two are my 
favorites."  The Vulcan responded.  "Commander Rachow is 
simply the least annoying."
	"Thanks!"  Ben grinned.  "I think..."
	Vince's controls began to beep with a proximity alert.  
"Captain, we have four small objects approaching our 
location."
	"On screen."  Velorn said.  "I hate to interrupt your 
game but we are on a mission."
	They looked vaguely like a cross between a mosquito and a 
hornet.  A central unit containing the main computer unit had 
wing-like engine nacelles attached to the back and four 
spindly gripper legs.  On the bottom was a bulbousy section 
that contained the power supplies and storage and the top was 
a powerful drill mounted on a round pivot.  Four of them flew 
in formation at low warp.
	"They appear to be mining robots."  Vince said as he 
analyzed the sensor data.  "Should I go to Red Alert and bring 
the captain out of his conference?"
	Velorn shook his head.  "No, our cloak has been restored 
so they shouldn't be able to see us.  They are probably just 
searching for minerals in these asteroids."  He sighed.  
"Besides I like being in command for a change."
	The mining robots on the viewer latched onto the surface 
of various asteroids, digging into their surfaces while 
sending out scans into the space around them.

	Commander Smith sat in Captain Vorezze's ready room 
alongside head scientist Dr. Elizabeth Lang.  "We've been able 
to get a positive identification that it was, in fact, Grant 
Fulton who was in that shuttle."  Dan said as he sat across 
from the captain at his desk with his hands folded in his lap.
	"I assume you used that organic residue you found in the 
shuttle's cabin and matched it to his records?"  Jad asked as 
he rocked back and forth in his desk chair.
	"Unfortunately that option was not available to us at the 
moment."  Liz said.  "Fulton was vaporized by that phaser 
blast, and when a living organism is vaporized, it breaks 
apart most of the chemical bonds and shreds the general 
structure of cells and the organelles it contains.  There 
would be no DNA left intact to do the comparison."
	Jad furrowed his brow.  "Well how do we have a positive 
ID then?  I need to make sure we're doing this accurately for 
once so Admiral Walker doesn't yell at me and make me cry 
again."  Which was true.  The Viranis case was the Banshee's 
first truly in-depth Section 31 assignment they'd received 
since the ship had been inducted into the secret organization.  
At all costs, Jad wanted this mission to be a stunning 
success.
	Dan removed a folded black leather pouch-like object from 
the box that sat next to his chair.  "We found his wallet on 
the pilot's seat of the shuttle."
	The captain shrugged.  "Not exactly scientific, but it'll 
do.  What do we know about him?"
	"We did a search and found fifteen Grant Fultons who 
resided in the Viran System.  Given the age range, we were 
able to narrow it down to Grant B. Fulton, a laid-off street 
sanitation worker in the southern Viranis city of Sorese, 
Grant H. Fulton, the male identity of a famous drag queen 
whose stage name is Miss Jiggles McKee, Grant J. Fulton, who 
manages a Muric Robotics Company plant on Virasis, a moon of 
Viranis, and Grant S. Fulton, a professional landbeast rider 
from the rural Viranis province of Lariss."
	"That's quite a few suspects that we'll have to sort 
through."  Jad said as he sipped an iced tea.  Oh how he loved 
his iced tea.
	"Not really," Liz went on, "We were able to determine 
this was Grant J. Fulton of the Muric Robotics plant."
	"Genetic cross reference?"  Jad asked.  "Or hacked 
computer records?"
	Dr. Lang glanced over at Commander Smith, who proceeded 
to speak.  "We found this ID badge inside the wallet."  Dan 
removed a badge labled 'Grant J. Fulton – Manager, Muric 
Robotics Co.'
	Jad huffed.  "You're not wowing me with your high-tech 
prowess."
	"Moving on."  Dan said.  "We've seen records of Fulton's 
recent transactions."  He handed the captain a PADD with a 
list of purchases on them.  "You can see by this list that he 
looks to have been shopping for items for some kind of long-
term trip or time away from home in his last few days."
	The captain glanced at the PADD at the list of 
transactions.  "Weapons, power packs, shuttle fuel, gigantic 
box of graham crackers..."   He set the PADD down and rubbed 
his chin.  "Definitely seems like he was expecting some 
turbulent times.  Are these records from his bank?"
	Liz shook her head.  "We found these receipts inside 
Fulton's wallet."  She removed several crumpled pieces of 
paper.
	Jad got up and set his empty iced tea in the replicator.  
It proceeded to vanish in a swirl of light.  He felt somewhat 
uneasy at the moment and he wasn't sure why.  "The real 
question, though, is who killed him?"
	"We were able to determine that the phaser blast that 
killed Fulton was the same resonance frequency as the phaser 
blast that struck former Grand Nagus Zek's podium three days 
ago, so we know that the weapon on that little robot in the 
shuttle was from the same source."  Dan noted.
	"Wallet?"  Jad rubbed his temples as a headache overtook 
him.
	Dan and Liz nodded simultaneously.
	"Do we have any suspects?"
	Liz spoke.  "Well we know that Fulton worked for Muric.  
He was the manager of a large production plant, and reported 
directly to the head of the corporation, a Viranin businessman 
named Jeritt.  Seems to me that the best place to start would 
be to see if Jeritt knows why someone would want to kill him."
	Jad reclined back in his chair and sighed.  "And was that 
from the wallet too?"
	Liz furrowed her brow.  "No... we hacked into the Muric 
computer database to get that information."  She stood up, 
followed by Commander Smith.  "What kind of an amateur 
research team do you take us for?"
	Jad shook his head.  "Commander Smith let's ready a team 
to head down to Viranis tomorrow to talk to this Jeritt 
fellow, see if he can shed any light on the situation."
	"Aye sir."
	"Dismissed."  Jad sat back in his chair as the two 
commanders silently left.


	Jeritt sat quietly in his chair as he sipped a cup of 
aransa, a Viranin beverage similar to coffee but slightly 
sweeter.  It was a deep, warm purple in hue and the aroma it 
let off was slightly fruity.  "Have the robots detected 
anything yet?"  He asked, not looking up from his copy of the 
Federation Times.
	Inisil sat in a chair across the room, watching the 
display screen intently.  "Not as of yet, although they did 
find some duranium deposits that might be of use for 
construction at some point."
	Jeritt nodded as he set the drink down.  "Excellent, make 
a note of that."  He looked up at his assistant, who wore a 
rather glum expression on her normally emotionless face.  "You 
look upset, what's wrong?"
	Inisil sighed.  "I had a rather unsuccessful date last 
night."
	Jeritt nodded, folding his hands in his lap and leaning 
back.  He did his best to be attentive to the needs of his 
employees.  He reveled in his ranking as one of the best 
companies to work for on the planet.
	"He made an extremely unwelcome advance at me."  The 
cyborg said coldly.  "When he attempted the move I had little 
choice but to break the wrist of his offending hand... then 
his other wrist... and then both of his legs, just for good 
measure."  She let out a heavy, pained sigh.  "I don't think 
he's going to call like he said he would."
	Jeritt shook his head.  "Another suitor who was brash 
enough to try and hold your hand?"
	Inisil nodded.
	"I'm sure the right guy is out there for you somewhere, 
one who isn't as easily broken into small pieces."  Jeritt 
said as he walked over to his assistant.
	"Thank you, sir."  Inisil smiled.
	Neither Inisil nor Jeritt were paying attention as the 
sensor image of a mining robot fluttered in the foreground of 
the display screen on the wall.  As it headed towards the open 
center of the asteroid belt it suddenly became crumpled, as if 
it had just hit some kind of invisible wall.  Derelict, it 
drifted backwards and let out sparks.
	Jeritt turned to the display screen.  "What happened to 
that robot?"
	Inisil guessed.  "It probably collided with one of the 
asteroids."
	"Hmmm..."  Jeritt stood and deactivated the display.  
"Remind me to have someone work on improving their 
navigational systems.  In the meantime, I'll examine the 
findings tomorrow.  I need dinner now."
	Inisil nodded again and rose.  "Where do you wish to 
dine?"
	"I was thinking that restaurant a few blocks away that 
serves... oh what is that exotic stuff called... 'Mexican' 
food?"
	"Very good sir."
	Jeritt grabbed his coat.  "I wonder where the planet 
Mexica is, I'd be interested in visiting sometime if their 
food is that good."
	Inisil followed her master as he headed out the door.  
"Perhaps when the world is under your control, you'll finally 
have the time and the freedom to go and find it."





CHAPTER FOUR





	The room was dark as Captain Vorezze sat propped up in 
his bed, his arms wrapped securely around Commander Tagel.  
The Bajoran leaned her head back and turned slightly so her 
face rested against the captain's neck, her long, curly red 
hair flowing down his back and shoulder.  Jad quietly and 
slowly caressed her bulging abdomen where, somewhere inside, 
the combination of the two of them was growing and reaching 
fruition.
	"Dr. Isaac is growing impatient."  Axik whispered quietly 
as she caressed the captain's arm.
	"He's still waiting for those platform shoes to come in?"  
The captain asked of the five foot high doctor.
	"No, he knows what gender our baby is.  He's dying to 
tell us, I can see it in his face."  She smiled wryly.  "Like 
he'll explode if he can't let the secret out."
	Jad smiled and let out a content sigh.  "Well he has to 
understand that we want to be surprised."
	"You're a telepath, what do you think it'll be?"
	Jad gently stroked his imzadi's hair.  "I can't read that 
just yet.  But I can tell you what I hope it'll be."  He 
gently kissed her neck.
	"What do you hope for?"  She cooed at the sensation of 
her lover's lips on her flesh.
	"I want it to be a girl."
	Axik smiled, her warm blue eyes staring into Jad's face.  
"That's odd, most men seem to wish for a son."
	"Yeah, but I figured if it's a girl and she grows up 
wrong I can just say 'You're just like your mother!'"
	"Oh..."  Axik furrowed her brow.  "Well in that case I 
hope it's a boy."
	Jad let out a long sigh as he glanced over at the wall 
chronometer.  "It's almost time for me to get up."
	"I don't like being on a mission so close to the end of 
this."  Axik rubbed her own stomach.  "I want this child to be 
born into calm environment, not one of constant red alert 
sirens."
	"Just because I inadvertently screamed 'Red alert!  All 
hands to battle stations!' in my sleep the other night and the 
ship's sirens all went off doesn't mean this won't be a 
wonderful environment to bring a child into."
	Axik sighed again.
	"I'll tell you what." Jad kissed her on the forehead.  
"When this mission is complete, I'll take a shore leave.  
We'll go to Risa.  If the baby isn't born already, we'll stay 
there until it is.  If it is born already, we'll take it with 
us."
	Axik's expression changed from worry and wonder to that 
of warmth and happiness.  "I just want to make sure the baby 
grows up right."
	"I'm sure it will.  The baby will have two very good role 
models to teach it all the morals and values it will need to 
lead a healthy normal life."  Jad began to get up.  "And I'll 
tell you what, when I get back from my mission today, we'll 
have a romantic dinner and then spend some time in our 
favorite holodeck program."
	Axik squealed with delight.  "Leather Love Dungeon!?"
	Jad grinned and nodded.
	"Oh, Jaddy, thank you so much."  She hugged him and 
squeezed him tight.  "We're going to make the best life 
possible for this baby.  We'll make sure it has a healthy, 
normal childhood."
	"DiSanto to Vorezze!"  The tactical officer's voice rang 
out over the comm.
	Jad grumbled and reached over on his nightstand to press 
his combadge.  "Vorezze here, what did you need?"
	"I'm going to be like half an hour late for the mission 
today.  I kind of got something embarrassing caught in my 
zipper."  Vince said sheepishly.
	"Hold still, you're just going to make it worse!"  Dr. 
Isaac was heard shouting in the background.
	The captain raised his eyebrow and thought for a brief 
moment.  "Commander none of our clothes in this day in age 
even have zippers on them."
	"I know..." Vince winced, "that's what makes this so 
embarrassing."
	Jad shook his head.  "Just be there as soon as you can, 
I'll let Commander Smith know about the delay."  The Betazoid 
rolled over in his bed and kissed Axik on the forehead again.  
"I have to go get ready, we're going to try to track down this 
Jeritt guy today.  It shouldn't take long though."
	"Be careful, Jaddy."  Axik said with a worried look on 
her face.
	Jad smiled warmly at the beautiful Bajoran in his bed.  
"I always am, sweetie."  He turned and promptly fell over his 
nightstand.

	Dr. Elizabeth Lang sat hunched over a console in her 
laboratory deep within the Banshee.  The lights were low as 
she tapped at controls, adjusting various readouts and 
analyzing what she saw.  A half eaten breakfast bagel sat on a 
plate that was resting above the console.  Eating would have 
to wait.  To the doctor, solving a puzzle that was put before 
her was more important than food or sleep.  It was a matter of 
preserving her own pride.
	"Look at this material readout."  She turned to Commander 
Dan Smith, who sat sleeping in the chair next to her.  
Angered, she kicked Dan's chair, sending him spinning in 
circles and crying out as he was flung from his peaceful, 
albeit uncomfortable, slumber.
	The chief of security yawned.  "What is it?"
	Liz pointed across the screen.  "According to this, the 
materials used to build the phaser that the small robot inside 
Fulton's shuttle was equipped with is the same materials used 
in standard Federation phasers."
	"Well I think we could have ruled out the Klingons, yes, 
since we're several thousand light years from their 
territory."  Dan snapped back, cranky from his lack of sleep.
	"True," Liz noted, "but doesn't it seem just a little odd 
that a Federation citizen would murder another citizen?  It's 
not like murders are common these days."
	Dan reached over and felt blindly on the counter before 
locating his cup of coffee.  He raised the glass mug to his 
mouth and took in a large gulp of the warm, bitter, energizing 
liquid.  "True, but you and I both know that Federation 
technology can easily fall into the hands of others."  He set 
the mug down.  "Besides, Viranis has the highest crime rate of 
any planet in the Federation, so it's not like we're talking 
about Earth or some other normally safe and secure planet."
	"I don't know."  Liz shook her head.  "Something about 
this doesn't feel right."  The scientist glanced over to her 
beloved pet hamster, Zeke, who sat diligently on the 
countertop a few feet away from her, stuffing a pile of 
sunflower seeds into his ever infating cheek pouches.  "Isn't 
that right, Zekey-pooh, something doesn't seem right."
	Commander Smith flashed a frightened look as he sipped 
his coffee again.  "Something's not right, that's for sure."  
He mumbled to himself.  "I need to get going, I have to meet 
the captain in transporter room three to go down to the 
surface for a while.  Let me know if you find anything else."
	"Oh I sure will."  Liz began rubbing the underside of her 
hamster's chin.  "I sure will won't I Zekey."
	A look of bewilderment came over the security chief's 
face as he slowly backed out of the lab.


	Inisil slowly walked back and forth through the lobby of 
the Muric tower, waiting patiently for a food order that 
Jeritt had placed for his lunch.  The receptionist sat rigidly 
at her desk, watching the cyborg pace back and forth.  Jeritt 
had Inisil handle most of the disciplinary responsibilities 
for his company, and her 'counseling' sessions with employees 
who were deemed delinquent were known to be extraordinarily 
unpleasant experiences.  She didn't want to raise the cyborg's 
ire.  Especially not while she was quietly slipping blank 
isolinear chips from the supply room into her purse.
	The doors of the lobby parted and three men dressed in 
Viranin style business suits strode in, though neither of the 
three were Viranin.  Inisil stopped and glanced them over, but 
her shoulders sank when she saw the men were not carrying 
food.
	Captain Vorezze stood in the middle of the formation and 
whispered quietly to Commander Smith and Commander DiSanto at 
his side.  "Okay, I believe that's Jeritt's personal assistant 
up ahead of us."
	Dan wiggled his eyebrows and smiled.  "She looks like the 
type who I'd like to have assist me in a personal way."
	"That's kind of unprofessional."  Vince sneered at him.
	Dan huffed.  "You just don't see women like the rest of 
us."
	"Hush."  The captain intervened.  "Let's remember our 
codenames that we use.  I'm Dontar, Dan, you're Leopold, 
Vince... you're Bubbles."
	Vince grumbled.  "C'mon, I hate being Bubbles!"
	"Then Dan can be Bubbles next time we go undercover, but 
for now, the names stand.  Remember, we're reporters for the 
Kon Arlaan Tribune, doing a feature story on prominent Viranin 
businessmen."
	"And how are we going to get into questions about Grant 
Fulton's death using that ruse?"  Dan inquired.
	"Just follow my lead."  Jad whispered.
	"Last time you said that I inadvertently walked into a 
force field."  Dan grimaced.
	Inisil watched the three as they talked quietly back and 
forth, but even with her enhanced hearing she was unable to 
determine what they were discussing. "Can I help you 
gentlemen?"  She briskly walked forward, half prepared to 
shake their hands, half prepared to snap their necks.  Of 
course she pretty much approached everyone like that.
	Jad turned from his subordinates and faced Inisil, 
flashing his most dashing smile and saying in as calm and 
confident a voice as he could, "Why yes, my name is Dontar 
Honeycut, these are my associates, Leopold and Bubbles."  
	"My parents were cruel."  Vince chimed in for his own 
defense.
	Jad continued.  "We're here to see if we might have a 
word with Muric Robotics owner Jeritt for an article we're 
doing on Viranin businessmen for the Kon Arlaan Tribune."
	Inisil looked the three over, scanning them with her 
ocular implants for anything suspicious.  A snazzy device 
courtesy of Section 31 kept the away team's phasers, 
tricorders and communicators hidden from all scanners, though 
Inisil did find Commander DiSanto's choice of thong underpants 
slightly disturbing.  "Please wait here."  She said coldly 
after concluding they posed no immediate threat.  "I shall 
find out if he is able to see you."
	Jad nodded and smiled again.  "Thank you kindly, madam."
	Inisil exited the lobby into a turbolift.  As the doors 
closed, the three officers relaxed.  "Well she's a pleasant 
one."  Vince groaned.
	Dan began to speak. "She's still got a nice..."
	"Commander?"  Jad interrupted.  "Don't gross poor Vince 
out."  He looked towards the door with an expression of worry.  
"Something's not right about her, I couldn't read anything 
from her.  Not her thoughts, not her emotions, nothing.  And 
very few species are unreadable to Betazoids."
	"Jeez, cold, emotionless, AND unreadable."  Vince sighed.  
"Reminds me of my ex."
	"That guy Jim you used to hang out with?"  Dan asked 
slyly.
	Vince pouted.  "I hate you all."

	Jeritt stood in his office in front of a mirror, holding 
up two different colors of suit jacket and analyzing his 
reflection.  Inisil strode in at a brisk pace.  "Sir?"  She 
asked impatiently.
	The Viranin turned to her with the two coats still in 
hand.  "Which of these coats do you think makes for a better 
iron-fisted dictator outfit?  I want to start filling out my 
wardrobe now before I have to throw all the good tailors on 
this planet in jail for their side jobs smuggling 
prostitutes."
	"The green one."  She said hurriedly.  "My liege, there 
are three men here to see you, claiming to be from the Kon 
Arlaan Tribune who wish you interview you for an article they 
claim to be doing, but I feel they are very suspicious."
	Jeritt draped the coats over a chair and turned back to 
his assistant.  "How so?"
	"Well first off, none of them are Viranin.  In fact if my 
imaging scanners are correct, the microscopic skin pattern on 
the face of the lead man matches the complexion of a Betazoid, 
not a Human.  There are minor enough differences to tell."
	Jeritt sat down at his desk and rubbed his chin.  "That 
alone doesn't necessarily seem odd, Viranis has a fairly large 
population of foreigners."
	Inisil nodded.  "This is true, but there is something 
else."
	"And that is?"
	"There is no Kon Arlaan Tribune."
	Jeritt sighed.  "That does sound odd, but I would rather 
not arouse suspicion by turning them away.   Send them in to 
see me."
	"Yes, sir."  She turned and left.

	Jad felt nervous as he stood in the lobby, Commanders 
Smith and DiSanto bickering endlessly behind him.  Part of 
Betazoid telepathy was the ability to sense danger as well, a 
product not of a single mind but of being close to a mind or 
group of minds that had malicious intents.  
	He felt vulnerable for once.  Perhaps it was because, for 
the first time in years, Jad realized that he actually 
mattered.  For all his shortcomings and his arrogance, he had 
always regarded himself as a soldier who was prepared to die 
for the Federation if need be.  That was all fine and good to 
him if he did before, though.  His family took him for dead 
anyways when he joined Section 31 and he was required to fake 
his own death.  For the longest time, he didn't really have 
anyone important whom he'd be concerned about if anything 
happened to him.  Yet every time he envisioned a worst-case 
scenario - swarms of guards, a hail of phaser fire, all 
leading up to his own demise, his thoughts returned to Axik.  
His imazadi.  He didn't want her to be alone, not with his 
child on the way.  No... it was more selfish than that, he 
realized.  He didn't want to part with her at all, to ever 
leave her side.
	"What do you think?"  Dan suddenly derailed the captain's 
train of thought and snapped the Betazoid back into reality.
	"I think I want to marry Axik."  Jad said distantly, 
still somewhat lost in his own inner consciousness.
	Dan paused as he and Vince looked at each other with a 
mutually perplexed expression.  "Okay, but that doesn't quite 
answer the question of who you think would win in a slap 
fight, Vince or Lieutenant Esther Harlow from the science 
department."
	Jad shook his head.  "Sorry, I was distracted.  Besides, 
Harlow's the oldest member of the crew, she's almost eighty.  
Given that I'd say Vince might last an extra two minutes 
before he gets knocked out."
	Vince was about to speak when the turbolift doors opened 
and Inisil emerged, a glare of suspicion emanating from her 
dark brown, almost black eyes.   "Jeritt will see you now."  
She said coldly and stood aside so that they might enter the 
turbolift.
	"Very good."  Jad snapped to attention and smiled at the 
irritated cyborg.  "Come along Leopold and Bubbles."
	"I don't know how but I'm going to make you pay for 
this..."  Vince grumbled as he entered the turbolift.
	The three stood in silence for a moment as Inisil pressed 
her hand to the control plate of the lift to release the locks 
on certain floors.  "Executive suite, floor 47."  She said.  
The turbolift's computer beeped in response and the unit began 
to hum softly along.
	Several more moments of awkward silence passed.  Vince 
stood biting his fingernails while Dan kept his eyes attached 
to Inisil's backside.  Sensing increasing unease, the captain 
finally decided to speak.  "So... uh, you're Jeritt's 
assistant?"
	Inisil nodded coldly with a slight look of death in her 
eye.  "I am responsible for managing both his business and 
personal affairs, as well as several other important duties in 
the company."
	Jad nodded, pretending to be interested.  "I almost 
assumed you were his wife or girlfriend or something."
	Shaking her head, Inisil replied, "No, Jeritt has no 
interest in women."
	Dan smiled and put his arm around Vince.  "What a 
coincidence, neither does our associate, Bubbles."
	Jad quickly elbowed Dan in the stomach for that remark 
and then elbowed Vince for the remark he sensed the tactical 
officer was about to make.
	"He has no interest in men, either.  Viranins tend to be 
naturally asexual unless they are attempting to produce a 
child."
	'Does this mean you're not available?'  Dan thought to 
himself as the lift pressed on.
	'I heard that, Commander!'  Jad echoed out in Dan's mind.
	'Sorry, sir!'
	"Of course anyone who worked for a newspaper in Viranis's 
largest city would know that."  Inisil's gaze became more 
piercing.
	Jad looked around nervously.  "I'm new to this planet."
	"I'm sure."  Inisil said flatly, quite unconvinced.
	The lift reached the forty-seventh floor and the doors 
parted.  Beyond them lay a brightly lit, richly decorated 
corridor.  The captain felt a sudden sense of ease.  'Nothing 
bad ever happens in nice places like this, it's always 
abandoned factories or deserted planets and the like.'  He 
thought to himself.
	'Don't be so sure, we've had bad things happen to us in 
nicer places.'  Dan thought back.
	'Commander?  I thought I stopped projecting my thoughts 
into your head a few minutes ago.'
	'Nope, I heard everything you've been thinking since 
then.  Including a recap of last night's bedroom activities 
with Commander Tagel, you sick, sick individual you.'
	'Jeez, and people mock me for what *I* supposedly do 
behind closed doors.'  Vince's mind chimed in.
	'Commander DiSanto!?  You were hearing my thoughts too?'  
Jad became red with embarrassment as they walked.
	'Oh yeah, every horrific detail of it.'  Vince's mental 
voice sounded slightly disgusted.
	'For the love of the Great Bird I'm never going to live 
this one down.'  Jad shook his head.
	'Nope.'  Dan and Vince thought in unison.
	They were interrupted as Inisil led them to a closed 
door.  "Mr. Jeritt is waiting for you on the other side."  She 
said coldly.
	In an effort to be polite, Jad took Inisil's hand.  "Well 
I thank you ever so kindly for your assistance, madam."
	Inisil's eyes became narrow and full of loathing.  "I 
could break you, little man."
	"I'd be careful, I'm pretty sure he's into that."  Dan 
muttered.
	"Well I don't want to keep Mr. Jeritt waiting."  Jad 
said.  The three men turned and entered through the closed 
door.  On the other side lay a spacious office with gold toned 
walls and rich blue carpets and matching furniture.  The rear 
wall of the office was one long series of windows offering a 
panoramic view of the Kon Arlaan skyline, currently shrouded 
in a pale mist so only the silhouettes of the skyscrapers 
appeared against the gray sky.  A desk was placed in the 
center of that rear wall and behind it sat Jeritt, relaxed and 
composed
	"Welcome, gentlemen."  The Viranin's voice was calm and 
deep.  If Jeritt was nervous or suspicious of the away team's 
presence, the confident smirk on his face masked it well.
	Jad shook Jeritt's hand and took a seat across from him 
at the desk, removing a PADD from his jacket and preparing to 
take notes.  "Mr. Jeritt, my name is Dontar Honeycut, I'm 
preparing an article on powerful members of the Viranis 
business community, and naturally you appeared at the top of 
my list."
	"I'm flattered, truly."  Jeritt nodded.
	"I was just wondering if you could tell me a bit about 
your company and what you do here."
	Jeritt nodded and leaned forward.  "Muric is the largest 
manufacturer of self sufficient robots in the quadrant.  Our 
robots serve a variety of purposes, everything from space-
borne projects like asteroid mining, construction and repair 
to household chores."  Jeritt stood up.  "In fact let me show 
you our latest creation."  He walked over to a cabinet on the 
side wall of the office and removed a small robot, no larger 
than a basketball.  It consisted of a long polished metal tube 
and four jointed legs.   The Viranin set it on the floor and 
it began to scurry over where the three officers sat. "This is 
Rex, our new virtual pet robot."
	Rex hopped up onto Dan's lap and began to nuzzle up to 
him.  "Very nice." Dan said nervously as he gently stroked the 
robot's hard brushed duranium hull.  "Not quite as cuddly as 
the real thing though."
	A compartment on the underside of the robot opened and 
shot a warm yellow liquid out all over Dan's pant leg.
	Dan cringed.  "I'll give you kudos for trying to be 
realistic, though."
	Jeritt picked the robot back up and deactivated it.  
"We're still working some of the kinks out of the behavioral 
program, but we expect it to be a big seller."
	Jad nodded as he jotted notes onto his PADD.  The notes 
were not about Jeritt but rather simply read "Note to self: 
make fun of Cmdr.  Smith later for robot pee."  "That's quite 
interesting."  Jad looked up.  "Where do you manufacture your 
robots?"
	"Our primary development plant is on the moon of 
Virsasis, the lower gravity environment helps a great deal 
when they are put together.  Most of our space-borne robots 
are self-replicating, however, once we get the designs 
finalized."
	Jad was becoming slightly frustrated.  He was getting 
nothing particularly useful about his mission from either 
Jeritt's words or from his inner thoughts.  "And that plant is 
managed by a gentleman named Grant Fulton, correct?"
	Jeritt tried not to appear surprised, partially because 
he was not.  He figured the plant managers name might come up 
at some point, yet he didn't want his suspicions of Jad, Vince 
and Dan to show through.  Not to a Betazoid.  "Yes, that is 
correct, has been an excellent plant manager for many years 
now."
	"And what do you have to say about his recent mysterious 
death?"
	Jeritt paused.  Something was definitely fishy now and he 
knew it.  "I was unaware that he was dead, to be honest with 
you.  He disappeared a few days ago, I'd assumed he simply 
fled the planet like so many others have done to escape the 
poverty here."  That was a partial truth and he knew should 
pick up as truth if Jad was scanning his mind right now.  "But 
you delivering me this news is rather... troubling."
	"Do you have any idea why someone might want to kill 
him?"   Dan asked, following the captain's lead as he'd been 
instructed.
	"No."  Jeritt said tersely.   "This is a very dangerous 
world, crime has risen exponentially since the Federation took 
over fifty years ago and botched our economy with their own 
economic principles.   People are poor, starving and 
desperate."
	The captain felt a sudden rise in anger within Jeritt's 
mind that was suddenly repressed.  "I see..." he said 
nervously.
	The situation came to a standstill and Jeritt knew he 
needed to end it.  Inisil's suspicions were right, for he knew 
normal reporters would not be asking these questions.  "I hate 
to cut this short, but I believe I need to be excused.  
This... news that you've brought me, it's upset me somewhat, 
as I'm sure you can understand."
	Jad nodded and looked and Dan and Vince.  "I believe we 
should be on our way as well.  I believe we have enough 
information for an article."
	"Very good."  Jeritt shook Jad's hand again, then pressed 
a button on his desk to page Inisil into the room.
	The cyborg entered, disgruntled looking as ever.  "Yes, 
my lord?"
	"Our good reporters are ready to leave.  Show them to the 
turbolift."
	Inisil nodded as Jad, Vince and Dan got up from their 
chairs.  "It was a pleasure to meet you, sir."  Jad smiled, 
suddenly more confident.
	The three walked silently alongside Inisil through the 
hallway to the lift doors.  "The turbolift is programmed to 
take you directly to the lobby.  I suggest exiting the 
building immediately.  Security here is very strict, and it 
would be most unfortunate should you wander astray and have to 
encounter them."
	Jad chuckled nervously as he entered the lift.  "We're 
late for a lunch appointment anyways.  Come along, gentlemen!"
	"It was a joy, as always."  Vince smiled at Inisil, who 
gave him the look of death in response.
	The doors closed and the three officers felt a sense of 
relaxation.  "Something's not right at all with them."  Dan 
muttered.  "Did you get anything from his mind, Captain."
	Jad shook his head.  "No, that's what's strange.  Every 
time I peered into Jeritt's mind, all I got was him going 'La 
La La La La La La' over and over."
	"Maybe it's a new hit in the Viranis music industry that 
he can't get out of his head?"  Vince offered.
	"I doubt that."  The lift arrived at the lobby and the 
three walked out towards the door.   "Commander, get me all 
the information we have on Jeritt when we get back to the 
ship.  I think he's hiding more than he lets on."
	"Aye, sir."

	Jeritt sat in his office, eerily still save for him 
rolling a small metal ball that was a desk ornament around in 
the palm of his hand.  "They knew about Fulton's death."  He 
said softly to Inisil, who stood rigidly by his side.
	"Do you believe them to be intelligence agents?"  Inisil 
asked.
	"They have to be.  No one knew of his death except the 
two of us and whoever found his shuttle."  Jeritt turned and 
examined the images of Jad, Dan and Vince from a security 
senor watching them in the lobby.
	"They seemed a bit too unorganized and, well, 
unintelligent to be with Starfleet Intelligence, though."  
Inisil noted.  She motioned to the screen, where Commander 
DiSanto, with all his might, was pulling on the handle of the 
front door, which was clearly labeled "Push."
	"No, I believe it's just an act meant to deceive us."  
Jeritt said as he watched Jad and Dan join in Vince's pulling 
effort.  "No one could possibly be THAT moronic..."





CHAPTER FIVE





	"Such a crowd has turned out today for this dedication 
ceremony, it's certainly a glorious sight."  A busty Viranin 
reporter said as her image played on the subspace news feed 
displayed on the Banshee's primary viewscreen.  "Hundreds of 
people have turned out for the dedication ceremony of Starbase 
1534 in orbit of Viranis."
	"Seems like a damn out of the way place to put a starbase 
if you ask me."  Lieutenant Commander Ben Rachow sneered from 
the helm.
	"Indeed, this sector is extraordinarily low traffic."  
Assistant Captain Velorn nodded coldly.  "However I did not, 
nor I was I planning on asking you.  Hence your point is 
irrelevant."
	"In just a few minutes we'll be hearing Governor Powell's 
opening remarks to kickoff the countdown to tonight's big 
event, so stay with us!"  The reporter continued.
	Jad, Vince and Dan emerged onto the bridge from the 
forward turbolift, once again clad in their black Section 31 
uniforms.  "Well that was an unproductive outing."  Commander 
Smith grumbled.
	"Hey, this frozen virath-cream cone I got from that 
street vendor was worth it."  Vince said as he licked the pale 
green, foul smelling frozen treat.
	"I take it that you were unable to extract any 
information from Mr. Jeritt, as I had assumed would be the 
case."  Velorn huffed as he relinquished command to Captain 
Vorezze.
	Jad plunked himself down in the chair, squirming about 
for a bit to find the most comfortable position.  "Our 
questioning yielded less than spectacular results, yes, but I 
do think we should be looking at him as our primary suspect."
	Velorn snorted.  "Section 31 has outfitted us with 
advanced and illicit technologies to aid in our fight to 
secure the Federation.  These include tools that would allow 
us to locate Jeritt, beam him out of even the most heavily 
shielded vessel or facility, extract information from his mind 
and erase his memory of it, all in a matter of minutes and you 
prefer to dress up and play detective."
	Captain Vorezze squinted his eyes at the lower captain.  
"Maybe I felt this might be a more effective way of doing 
things."
	"No, it's irresponsible handling of a potentially 
dangerous situation."
	"Captain, please just hush, I've had a hard day as it is, 
I don't need to be dealing with your endless criticisms."
	"I most certainly will not hush."  Velorn said 
defensively.  "My entire purpose on this ship is to educate 
you in the ways of Section 31 and criticize when you're not 
following procedure and that is what I intend on doing."
	Jad sighed and faced the Vulcan, who was breathing 
heavily with beads of sweat forming the face that was supposed 
to be stoic and emotionless.  "Velorn, do you remember when 
you taught me the Vulcan neck pinch for self defense?"
	Velorn furrowed his brow in confusion at the sudden topic 
change.  "Yes, why?"
	Jad reached over and performed the maneuver on Velorn, 
causing the Vulcan to fall limply back into his chair.  "Much 
better."  Jad smiled and stood up.
	"He's going to be furious at you as soon as he regains 
consciousness."  The otherwise silent Commander Charlotte 
Burns said from her chair flanking the other side of Jad as 
she intently picked on a scab.
	"We'll just have to use some of our 'illicit Section 31 
technology' to wipe his mind of the last two minutes then, now 
won't we."  Jad grinned.
	"So you were down there for how long and we're still 
clueless in this investigation?"  Charlotte asked as she 
examined the scab minutely as she clawed at it.
	"He's a difficult one to read, he must have somehow known 
I was a Betazoid and did everything he could to resist me 
reading him."
	"I think most of us tend to do that."  Charlotte 
muttered.
	Commander Smith glanced over to the viewscreen.  
"Speaking of our friend, there he is."
	Governor Olivia Powell stood at a podium on the 
viewscreen, flanked on each side by her Lieutenant Governor to 
the left and Jeritt to the right.
	Jad froze as he stared into the Viranin's vivid purple 
eyes.  "Turn it up."  He ordered.
	With a sudden blare, Cher's "The Shoop Shoop Song (It's 
In His Kiss)" was belted out over the loudspeaker.  Jad spun 
around and stared at Vince.
	"Oh..."  Vince said sheepishly.  "You meant the 
viewscreen transmission... not my music."
	The music stopped and Powell's voice rang out over the 
speakers.  "People of Viranis, a new era is upon us.  Earlier 
today, construction robots generously supplied by Muric 
Robotics Company owner Jeritt put the last pieces of starbase 
1534 in place.  Tonight at 2000 hours, we will be officially 
dedicating this station to the people of Viranis.  Join us for 
a celebration, if not in person at the station than at one of 
many other parties tonight."
	"Big whoop, the base is only going to make things worse."  
Charlotte said as she found another scab to pick at.
	Jad turned to her.  "What do you mean?"
	"Viranis is a capitalist society."  She said.  "More 
traffic from the Federation isn't going to do them any good 
because Starfleet types aren't about to start paying for 
things."
	"Since when do you know about economics?"  Jad asked, 
slightly surprised.
	Charlotte smiled.  "I had an affair with several 
economics professors at the academy."
	Jad cringed, then turned back to the viewer.  "Jeritt's 
not blocking me."  He said softly.  "He doesn't know I'm 
watching."
	Ben smiled and sighed.  "Just like those girls in the 
women's lockeeeer I mean, uhh... nevermind."
	Jeritt took to the podium on the screen.  His dashing 
smile lit up the room with all its hollow warmth and he 
projected his charms onto all who would listen.  "My fellow 
Viranins, this is a great day for our peoples."
	"He's planning something."  Jad mumbled, probing across 
the vastness of space as hard as he could.  The crew around 
him sat mesmerized, like children around a campfire waiting 
for him to unfold the rest of the story.
	"A new era for our world is on the brink of dawning.  
Soon our crime shall begin to fade and our prospects shall 
look brighter."
	"It involves the starbase..."
	"There was no greater honor for me than to donate my 
resources to construction of this impressive space station.  
It became a personal cause to me, for I knew the night it 
opened would change Viranis forever!"  The crowd around Jeritt 
burst into applause.
	"He's going to make his move tonight."  Jad's voice 
suddenly became tense and panicked.
	"Join us tonight in celebrating the birth of a new 
Viranis.  I promise it will be a night to remember!"  A second 
round of applause burst out and Jeritt stepped down off the 
podium.
	"We have to be at this gala tonight."  The captain said 
softly.
	Lt. Cmdr. DiSanto huffed at tactical as he filed his 
nails.  "Good luck, those kinds of things are harder to get 
tickets for than the Federation Antique Festival I tried to go 
to last year."
	"We're Section 31 agents, Commander."  Jad said with a 
wry smile.  "We have advanced resources to handle problems 
like that."
	"We do?"  Vince asked, examining his self-finished 
manicure.
	The captain walked over to the replicator and spoke.  
"Four forged tickets to the starbase 1534 dedication ceremony 
and gala."
	In a swirl of light, four tickets appeared on the 
replicator pad.  Jad grabbed them and spun around with an 
enthused grin on his face.  "Who wants dress up and schmooze 
with rich people!?"


	His charms were endearing enough that even after such a 
brief speech, people passing him in the hallway of the 
Federation Municipal Building in Kon Arlaan still waved with 
appreciation and even applauded.  Jeritt soaked it all in, 
basking in the spotlight cast by those who hadn't a clue what 
the night would really hold for them.  He strode at a brisk 
pace with Inisil glued to his side.
	"Our plans for the evening remain unchanged then?"  
Inisil asked quietly as they entered a less crowded corridor.
	"Of course they are."  Jeritt said tersely, flashing his 
smile at a passerby.  "I'm not about to let one awkward visit 
spoil three years of intense, careful planning."
	"They might attempt to intervene."  Inisil cautioned.
	Jeritt turned to face her.  "Among all the things you've 
been for me since I hired you ten years ago, you've never once 
failed me as my head of personal security.  You are 
unbelievably beautiful, and that makes you all the more 
deadly, for no one will so much as suspect what insanely 
lethal abilities you possess."
	"Flattery does not answer my question."  Inisil quipped, 
her voice eternally lacking emotion.
	"In plain Viranin:  if someone tries to stop me, snap 
their necks and throw them out an airlock."
	Inisil cracked a smile.  "That might just make this a 
potentially enjoyable evening, sir."
	"I thought that might pique your interest."  He said as 
he abruptly rounded a corner.
	The cyborg became increasingly flustered with the abrupt 
movements and daringness of the man she was assigned to 
protect.  "Where are you going now, sir?"
	Jeritt poked his head around the corner.  "Just let me go 
to the bathroom in peace."  He turned and walked down the 
hallway to the restroom door.
	"Oh..." Inisil relaxed slightly and stood guard.  "I'll 
just wait here..."


	Lieutenant Commander Vincent DiSanto sat leisurely in a 
chair in the quarters of Dr. Elizabeth Lang.  The room seemed 
to lack personality as Vince looked around.  Most officers 
kept pictures or holograms of friends or loved ones and other 
personal effects strewn about.  Aside from a disturbingly 
large collage of pictures of Zeke the hamster that hung on the 
wall, Liz's quarters were rather Spartan, a testament to her 
minimal social life.
	"So Lieutenant Thompson asked me out again."  Vince said 
as he flipped through a copy of Agrothi & F'itch Klingon 
clothing catalog that Liz had on her coffee table.
	"Why didn't you say yes, you keep saying she asks you out 
regularly."  Liz said as she pawed through her closet to find 
something to wear to the gala.
	"Not she..."  Vince sighed as he set the catalog down.
	"Oh..."  Liz grunted as she wiggled into a tight evening 
gown.  "I say you say yes anyways, you might like it if you 
try it!"  She giggled
	"Ummm, eww!"  Vince crinkled his nose.  "That's like me 
telling you to try being with a woman."
	"Lord knows Commander Rachow's been barking up that tree 
for the last two years."  Liz sighed as she emerged from her 
bedroom.  She was clad in a tight but elegant looking evening 
gown.  It lacked a particular color because it was in a 
constant state of change – one moment dark red, the next the 
colors would swirl into a dark green, repeating through all 
potential colors in random order, but whatever color it was, 
it shimmered lightly like it was made out of diamonds.  Her 
lipstick, shoes and eye shadow changed to match the color of 
the dress as well.
	"I like being single, though."  Vince shrugged.  "More 
time for me and what I like to do.  You wouldn't believe how 
many musicals I've learned how to sing since I came on this 
ship."
	Liz nodded a bit as she fastened a pair of earrings.  
Most women didn't have pierced ears but rather earrings of the 
day tended to be self-adhering through a powerful bio-magnet 
technology.  "I tend to agree.  I don't feel like I 'need' 
love either.  If it happens it happens, but I can stand on my 
own two feet.  I guess you could say I'm just a modern, 
enlightened, ultra-feminist woman."  She turned, ensemble 
complete, to face Vince.  "Does this dress accentuate my 
cleavage enough?"
	Vince smiled.  "It's beautiful."
	Liz picked up her handbag, inside which she'd stashed a 
phaser, a tricorder and a personal force field.  "I wish you 
were coming with us.  We could have fun, stuffing our faces 
with hors d'oeuvres and picking on what people are wearing 
like we used to do in The Twilight Zone before it got boring."
	"Not my fault everyone wears black on this ship."  Vince 
grumbled.  "I'm on backup duty anyways, if there's trouble I 
have to come rushing with my phaser blaring.  It's my time to 
be a real manly man."  Liz realized Vince's voice suddenly got 
deeper as he said 'manly man.'
	She looked at Vince nervously.  "Commander Smith is going 
to be on that team too, right?"
	"Yeah..." Vince said confusedly.
	Liz sighed with relief.  "Good, I feel better now if 
something bad did happen."
	"Well just tap your combadge twice and we'll rush to save 
the day."  Vince grinned.  He loved acting all manly and 
stuff.
	Dr. Lang paused for a moment and furrowed her brow.  
"Wait if you're staying here, who's my 'date' for this 
mission?"
	Vince looked around nervously.  He knew the answer but 
was reluctant to say it.  "Uhh, errr... Commander Rachow..."
	Liz's eyes widened with fear and she grabbed her combadge 
and tapped it twice.
	"Yeah, that'll only work once you're on the station."
	"Damn!"  Liz pouted.

	With a frosty glass of iced tea in one hand and a stack 
full of PADDs in the other, Captain Vorezze hurried into his 
quarters.  He was running late, as usual.  He set the iced tea 
down on his desk and turned, only to have the PADDs slapped 
out of his by the lash of a whip.  He looked up to see 
Commander Tagel standing in her favorite pair of leather 
stiletto boots and clad in various pieces of leather lingerie.  
Even in her near-term pregnant form, her body was in 
immaculate shape from her gym exercises and commanded a 
significant level of sex appeal.
	"I've been waiting for you, slave."  She said seductively 
as she curled the end of the whip around her free hand.
	"Oh... right..."  Jad looked around nervously, not 
wanting to admit the truth that he'd completely forgotten 
about their holodeck plans.  "About that, I was thinking maybe 
we try something different tonight."
	"You want to change the safety word?"  Axik smiled 
seductively as she straightened her leather collar by tugging 
on one of its five inch long metal spikes.
	"I was thinking maybe we should go out instead."  Jad 
offered nervously.  "There's a dedication ceremony for the new 
starbase tonight and I think we should go."
	Axik's shoulders sagged and a disappointed look came over 
her normally gleeful face.  Jad could tell both by her body 
language and her thoughts that she was suspicious of 
something.  "Why do you think we should go?"
	Jad bit his lip.  He knew what he was about to say would 
ignite Axik's Bajoran fury, but he also had a policy of never 
lying to her.  If their relationship ever came to an end and 
she was talking about him to someone, the only thing he wanted 
to be sure he could never be called was a liar.  "I think it's 
important to our mission that we be there."
	The rage was not there.  Jad had expected shouting, an 
argument, or something along those lines.  All that he saw was 
a look of sadness that crept over Axik's face.  "I see."  That 
was all she said.
	"Honey, don't be upset."  Jad put his arm around Axik's 
chain-linked-leather-clad shoulders.
	"I'm not upset!"  She snapped back, oblivious to the fact 
that lying about her emotions to a Betazoid wasn't a terribly 
worthwhile endeavor.  "You go on your mission, like a good 
captain."  Her voice cracked as though holding back tears.  
"I'll just go to the holodeck by myself and whip the wall for 
being naughty and make the love hammock my bitch."  She turned 
and headed for the door.
	"Axik..." Jad stopped her as she prepared to leave.  His 
eyes, warm and green as a lush forest, scanned her face.  Her 
eyes, clear and blue as the water that gives the forest life, 
met with his.  "I love you."  He wasn't sure what him saying 
that was supposed to accomplish, as if that one three word 
phrase could somehow undo the damage he was slowly inflicting 
upon his own true love.
	The Bajoran said nothing, but simply kept her gaze on the 
captain's eyes for another moment before silently turning and 
walking out the door.
	For a moment Jad was tempted to chase after her.  Every 
nerve in his body was on fire with emotion as pain swept 
through him after he saw the look of hurt in his imzadi's 
eyes.  Then he turned and looked out the window.  The mushroom 
shaped form of Starbase 1534 hung over the gray and blue 
sphere that was Viranis.  Jad couldn't help but feel that the 
fate of that station, as well as that of the world below it, 
rest in his hands.  He couldn't forsake his duty, even if it 
meant hurting the woman he wanted to spend his life with.
	His personal life would have to wait.  Suddenly glum, Jad 
sank into his desk chair and sighed, staring at the 
condensation as it dripped down the side of the glass of iced 
tea.  Speaking to himself, he said, "I think I need to give 
this tea a Long Island accent."

	Dr. Lang stood rigidly in transporter room 4, her color-
shifting ensemble currently a shade of deep amber.  Lt. Cmrd. 
Rachow stood at an uncomfortably close proximity, clad in the 
a questionable looking powder blue tuxedo with ruffles that 
looked like it had emerged from a time capsule in which it 
should have been burned instead.
	"I must say, Doctor, you look ravishing tonight."  Ben 
smiled at Liz as he ran his hand down the doctor's back.
	Liz smacked the horny helmsman's hand away and tersely 
replied, "I know."
	"You know this tux is vintage 1970's earth.  Passed down 
from generation to generation."  Ben said as he ran his hands 
along the ancient fabric.
	"The 1970's have been over for four hundred years.  And 
most of humanity is grateful for that."  Liz replied tersely.  
"It was a dark, dark time for fashion, and don't get me 
started on some of the sick, twisted authors that were born 
that decade..."
	Ben was prepared to make yet another unsuccessful and un-
witty remark to Liz when the doors parted and a confused 
looking Captain Vorezze came wandering in.  "Oh...  here you 
guys are."  He said in slightly slurred speech, smacking his 
lips as he stood in the doorframe.  "The last five transporter 
rooms I went to were empty."
	Liz leaned over to Ben.  "I think he's drunk."  She 
whispered.
	Ben raised his eyebrow.  "I didn't think Section 31 
officers were allowed to get drunk.  Even The Twilight Zone's 
bar doesn't stock real alcohol."
	"Maybe he's got a private stash."  Liz shrugged, then 
turned to the captain.  "Sir weren't you bringing Commander 
Tagel?"
	Jad shook his head.  "Naaaaaah, she decided she'd rather 
go do other things so I had to invite someone else at the last 
minute."  The captain then broke into a spat of intense 
giggling.
	As if on cue, Charlotte walked through the door wearing a 
surprisingly conservative black pantsuit.
	Ben spoke as Cmdr. Burns surveyed the team.  "Quite a 
fitting choice for a last resort."
	Charlotte opted to ignore that remark and instead focused 
on the captain, who had plunked down on the edge of the 
transporter pad, leaning back and staring blankly off into 
space.  "Is he okay?"
	"He's drunk or high or something."  Ben shrugged.  
"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can only be an improvement to his 
behavior."
	"Good point," Charlotte nodded, "let's go."
	Liz and Ben hoisted the captain up into a weak standing 
position on one of the pads and assumed their own spots.  
Charlotte looked forward at transporter chief Cellis.  
"Energize."
	In a swirl of sparkling blue light, they were gone.

	Lieutenant Commander David Riley walked through the lower 
levels of the Banshee with a stack of PADDs in hand, finally 
done with one of the more grueling shifts he'd had in recent 
memory.  Of course any day when he decides to let his 
engineers play dodgeball as a reward for a job well done is 
usually a trying experience.  He reached a turbolift, and when 
the doors opened, he saw a droopy looking Commander Tagel 
standing there, leaning her head against the wall.  "Lost your 
way?"  He nervously asked the leather clad Bajoran.
	"No."  Axik weakly shook her head.  "I'm not even sure 
where I'm going."
	David paused for a moment.  Given her current outfit, he 
wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know where she would be 
going.
	"I'm not sure about anything anymore."  She sighed again.
	"I see..." David said nervously.  "Have you considered 
talking to Counselor Stokes?"
	"What good will that do?"
	David shrugged.  "She's the counselor.  She's supposed to 
help you through your problems with constructive personal 
analysis and unbiased listening."  He stopped to think for a 
moment.  "Whether or not she actually does any of those things 
is a completely different question, but you could give it a 
shot."
	Axik nodded.  "Maybe I should.  I have a lot on my mind."  
She turned to address the turbolift's controls.  "Computer, 
deck 14."
	The lift hummed along silently for a moment before David 
spoke again.  "Ummm... Commander?  You might also want to 
consider changing outfits before going to see the counselor.  
I'm not sure what her reaction would be to your current getup, 
but I'm going to venture a guess that it won't be a good one."


	Governor Powell had a certain grace to her as she greeted 
guests in the impressive lounge of the otherwise empty 
starbase 1534.  Massive five-deck high windows gave a 
spectacular vista of Viranis and the space around it.  A small 
orchestra was hired to provide background music and what few 
Starfleet officers had been assigned to the station were all 
shoved into dress uniforms and made to be servers wandering 
around with trays of hors d'oeuvres and glasses of champagne.  
Her logic was that, since Starfleet's newest dress uniform 
designs looked like something an Italian waiter would be 
wearing, she may as well have them play the part.
	Liz hesitantly held onto Ben's arm as she approached the 
Governor to hand in their fake tickets.  "Thank you for 
joining us tonight!"  Powell said warmly as she collected the 
tickets.
	Jad and Charlotte were next.  Charlotte held tightly onto 
Jad's arm more for the sake of ensuring the captain didn't 
fall over drunk than to create the convincing aura of a 
couple.
	"This place is packed."  Ben noted as he glanced around, 
the four officers standing by the hors d'oeuvres table.  
	The majority of the crowd was human.  Various members of 
the Viranis Ruling Council, also oddly primarily human, 
floated about, as did many prominent business leaders.  Trophy 
wives of all shapes, species and sizes gossiped in clusters.
	"Good lord."  Charlotte muttered.  "I haven't seen this 
much blue blood in one place since I ran that Bolian slasher 
holo-novel a few weeks ago."
	"That must be Jeritt."  Liz said quietly, pointing to 
Jeritt off in the distance.
	Ben raised his eyebrow as he laid eyes upon Inisil for 
the first time.  "Well hello, hello, Miss Jeritt's Date."  He 
grinned slyly.
	"Don't let her see me, she might recognize me from 
earlier today!"  Jad said nervously, slowly regaining his 
cohesiveness.
	Charlotte huffed.  "Shouldn't you have thought of that 
before you came on this mission?"
	Jad pouted.  "I wanted to come though."
	Liz glanced across the room as the two began to move in 
their direction.  "We'd better think of something fast, 
they're heading our way."

	"Will you relax?"  Jeritt said softly as Inisil darted 
her glances around the room frantically.  "We haven't seen any 
trace of agents yet, this is all going exactly as planned."
	"I still can't help but feel that something might 
interfere with our plans."  Inisil replied.
	"We have backup plans, so that's an irrelevant point.  
Besides, it's a party, loosen up, relax."  Jeritt grabbed a 
glass of champagne from a passing waiter and took a swig.  "At 
least until I launch my diabolical plan for world domination 
into action, then you can stop relaxing."
	The two finally arrived at the table and Jeritt took a 
plate and began to survey the food offerings.  "Ugh, mostly 
Terran food."  He shook his head before noticing a woman 
standing by the table.  She was clad in a dark pantsuit and 
looked eerily beautiful yet eerily repulsive at the same time.  
It was Charlotte.  As Jeritt neared her, he noticed that she 
smelled like a strange combination of cheap perfume and burnt 
hair.  "Pardon me, ma'am."
	Charlotte turned and moved out of the way before saying, 
"You're Jeritt, right?"  She reached out and extended her 
hand.
	The Viranin nodded as he consumed a cracker.  "Yes, yes I 
am.  And you are?"
	"Oh it's such an honor to meet you."  Charlotte faked 
giddiness as best she could.  "My name's, errr, uhh, 
Charlene!"
	"A pleasure to meet you, Charlene."  Jeritt smiled 
despite being somewhere repulsed.  He then observed that her 
date looked somewhat less repugnant and opted to try to 
include him in the conversation.  "And what is this fellows 
name."
	A nervous Captain Vorezze spun around and Jeritt was 
faced with a man near his own height.  He was 
indistinguishable from a Human or a Betazoid save for the a 
moustache which, peculiarly enough at first glance looked like 
little more than the tails of two cocktail shrimp stuck to his 
upper lip.  "Why yes, my name is... Jed.  Jed Varmit!"
	"A plesure to meet you as well."  Jeritt nodded.  "So 
nice of so many people to come out for tonight's celebration, 
don't you agree?"
	"Oh I know!"  Jad smiled.  "Such an energetic event, it 
really is."  Jad smiled as Jeritt turned away to collect more 
food.  As he smiled, half of his fake moustache fell off.  The 
Betazoid immediately spun around to hide his face.
	"You know Starfleet said a station of his magnitude could 
never, ever have been brought to working order in just three 
mere weeks."  Jeritt said cockily as he spread some cheese on 
another cracker.  "My construction robots broke every speed 
record in the Federation for construction time."
	"Indeed."  Jad turned again with a napkin covering his 
mouth.  "Definitely a feat of engineering."  His speech slowly 
became nervous and flustered.
	"Ahh, well, I won't keep you, enjoy the party."  Jeritt 
smiled again, shaking Jad and Charlotte's hands before 
disappearing into the crowd.
	"Ugh."  Jad sighed once the Viranin was out of sight.  "I 
need another drink."
	Charlotte rolled her eyes.  "Just promise me you're not 
going to try to molest any ice sculptures like you did last 
time we went undercover to a party and you got drunk."
	Jad huffed as he grabbed a glass of champagne.  "It's not 
my fault the ice sculpture had a nice rack."


	Axik's eyes were slightly moist from spurts of crying as 
she lay on Counselor Stokes's couch.  She clutched her stuffed 
targ in her arms as she spoke with a shaky voice.  "I just 
don't know about him anymore."
	Counselor Emily Stokes sat in a chair across from Axik, 
PADD in hand and a judgmental glare in her eye.  "Well what do 
you think is causing the troubles of your so-called true love 
affair?"
	"I want a raise a family."  Axik said softly.  "Lead a 
normal life.  Jad wants to keep playing Captain, rushing in to 
save the Federation from destruction at the last moment."
	Emily nodded.  "Well those are two somewhat noble causes, 
raising a family and serving one's people.  You could see how 
the captain might have difficulties deciding between which 
takes precedent."
	"I don't."  Axik sniffled. "It's always been clear to 
me."
	Emily sighed.  "Because you're not the captain of this 
ship.  You're not the one who's responsible for the safety of 
eight hundred fifty lives, or the successful completion of 
mission after mission.  And he's not the one with the product 
of your sinful relationship gestating in his loins.  If HE 
were the one who was pregnant,"  Emily paused to ponder that 
thought for a moment, "and God help us if THAT ever happened, 
but if he were carrying the child he'd see things different 
too."
	Axik rubbed her chin.  "So I should get him pregnant 
then?"
	The counselor looked at Axik for a brief moment.  The 
Bajoran's face was flush with raw emotions, yet seemed to echo 
a certain amount of vacancy.  "Commander... something tells me 
that's not going to be a terribly successful attempt on your 
part.  Just a hunch."
	The Bajoran sighed.  "I just want him to love me, to want 
to spend time with me."
	Emily shrugged.  "You two will spend plenty of together 
in Hell for bringing a child into this universe out of 
wedlock, don't you worry."
	A look of wonder came over Axik's face.  "Hell...  
where's that?"
	The counselor grumbled.  "Look, Commander, something you 
need to understand is that we are all in the military, even if 
it doesn't always seem that way.  We're officers of the 
Federation, and our duty is to protect it.  Captain Vorezze is 
just doing his duty.  You have to accept that, if you two are 
to stay here, that his duty comes first."
	Axik bit her lip.  "Maybe I don't want to stay here 
then."  She sighed.  "Maybe I don't want to sit here on the 
ship by myself on nights while my one true love is out working 
hard on some mission."


	Highly inebriated, Captain Vorezze leaned on Dr. Lang's 
shoulder as she approached the drunken Betazoid.  "Hiya, 
toots!"  He slurred.
	Liz raised her eyebrow.  "Why did Commander Burns let you 
have more champagne?  She knows you can't hold your alcohol."
	"I can hold it just fine!"
	Liz sighed.  "Then why are you currently urinating in the 
fountain?"
	Jad shook his head.  "'Cause the bathroom was 
waaaaaaaaaaay over there."

	Governor Powell stood at Jeritt's side as the two 
surveyed the crowd, Jeritt still savoring the flavors of the 
night.  "I must say, Governor, these snacks are delectable."  
For the first time ever, Jeritt realized he was uttering a 
complement to Powell that was actually remotely truthful.
	"Why thank you, I picked the menu out myself."  Powell 
smiled.  "Although someone should probably tell that Klingon 
gentleman over there that he's supposed to remove the crab 
legs from their shell before eating them."
	Jeritt glanced around.  For all he'd been legitimately 
enjoying himself he knew it was time to throw his plan into 
action.  "Governor if you'll excuse me, I need to find a 
restroom.  I don't like using public ones so I'm just going to 
go find one near the banquet hall."
	Powell nodded.  "Go right ahead, I trust you completely."
	An evil smile crossed Jeritt's face as he turned.  "I 
know."

	"Hey doctor, does this remind you of anything?"  Lt. 
Cmdr. Rachow said slyly as he waved a cocktail weenie in Liz's 
direction.
	Liz sighed and replied dryly.  "In size only."
	Charlotte began to look around nervously.  "Where did 
Jeritt go?"
	"He's moving."  Liz said as she eyed Jeritt out of the 
corner of her eye.  "Heading towards an exit."
	"Good, I was getting sick of watching him."  Jad giggled.
	"No, sir, you said you thought he was going to make his 
move sometime, this might be it!"
	Jad suddenly snapped to attention, though still heavily 
intoxicated.  "Okay, I'm going to go after him.  You three 
stay here and make sure nothing happens."
	A worried expression came over Dr. Lang's face.  
"Captain, are you sure that's wise?  You've had an awful lot 
to drink."
	"I haven't had that many!"  The Betazoid shot back 
indignantly.  "I've only had..." He paused and began to slowly 
count drinks on his fingers.  Then he moved on to his second 
hand.  Then his first hand again.
	"Oh just go, he's getting away!"  Liz barked back.
	"Yes, ma'am!"  Jad squeaked.  He removed his phaser and 
handed it to Liz.  "Here, hold this for me 'til I get back."  
With that he darted off into the crowd.
	A puzzled look appeared on Liz's face as she clutched 
Jad's phaser and looked over at Charlotte.  "Do you think he's 
going to need this?"
	Charlotte shrugged.  "I sure hope not."

	The corridors of the starbase away from the banquet hall 
were dark.  The station was still completely unmanned, and 
this provided Jeritt with the idea time to exploit that fact.  
His pulse was racing now, for it was now or never, the 
culmination of years of planning, manipulation and the kissing 
of Governor Powell's posterior - metaphorically, of course - 
and it would all fall into play on this one single night.  
Jeritt rounded the corner and saw Captain Vorezze standing in 
front of the turbolift doors.  "I can't let you proceed."  Jad 
slurred.
	"And I can't let you stop me."  Jeritt barked back.  
"I've waited too long for this night."
	Jad furrowed his brow.  This was when the cool captain 
stuff he loved came into play and he knew it.  "I'm going to 
have to take you out then."  He reached into his coat.  
"Hey... where's my phaser."
	Jeritt paused to give the drunken Betazoid a look of 
sheer confusion.
	The captain huffed.  "Hold on a moment, I'll find it."
	Jeritt groaned with annoyance.  "I don't have time for 
this."  He snapped his fingers and in a flash Captain Vorezze 
was on the ground with Inisil standing triumphantly over him.  
"Take care of him, Inisil."  Jeritt said coldly.  "I'll be in 
Ops."  The Viranin disappeared into the turbolift.
	Jad staggered to his feet. He swayed, dazed and drunk, as 
he stared at Inisil at the end of the hallway.
	"So, Mr. Honeycut, we meet again."  Inisil said coolly.
	The captain weakly pointed in Inisil's direction.  
"You're a bitch, ya know that?"
	Inisil squinted her eyes.  "I'm quite aware."
	The cyborg clenched her fist and prepared to attack.  At 
that moment, Jad's eyes began to roll into the back of his 
head and the alcohol overtook him.  He abruptly collapsed into 
a crumpled heap on the hallway floor.
	Inisil paused with confusion, walking towards Jad.  Her 
internal scanners told her he was out cold.  She shrugged.  
"Not quite the valiant struggle I was hoping for, but it'll 
do."  She grabbed his feet and dragged him down the corridor.

	Charlotte stood nervously in the banquet hall, watching 
the crowd mill.  Several people were dancing now as the 
orchestra began to play fiery Latin music.  Charlotte just 
prayed they weren't on the verge of busting out some Ricky 
Martin.  "The captain's been gone a while."
	Liz and Ben nodded as they both rabidly consumed a tray 
of bacon wrapped crab meat.
	Commander Burns sighed.  "Do you think we should check on 
him?"
	Liz's head perked up as she locked eyes with one of the 
servers.  "They're bringing out cheesecake!"
	Charlotte gasped with delight.  "Okay, screw the captain.  
Doctor?  Find me a fork!  That's an order!"
	"Yes ma'am!"  Liz took off in search of a utensil.

	The Operations Center of the starbase was dark, save for 
the glow of the control consoles and the minimal emergency 
lighting.  The place had that new starship smell still, 
unfettered by years of occupation.
	Jeritt took a seat at a rear console.  Upon turning on 
the computer screen, he was faced with a familiar LCARS 
display with the heading "Welcome to Starbase 1534" and below 
it was a menu of options:
    "- I am a Starfleet officer assigned to this station, 
       please log me into my available controls and Starfleet 
       account.
     - I am a visiting Starfleet officer on this station, 
       please log me into my Starfleet account.
     - I am a civilian visiting this station, please provide 
       me with information.
     - I am a hostile intruder to this station, please help 
       me take over all primary systems and controls."
	Jeritt selected the last option.
	"Welcome hostile intruder."  The computer's voice said.  
"Would you like assistance in locating and anesthetizing the 
command crew and security forces?"
	"Please do, they're all in the banquet hall."  Jeritt 
smiled.  He loved Starfleet's ultra-easy to use interfaces.
	"One moment, please."  The computer responded.
	Jeritt pressed a button and turned to face the main 
viewscreen, which displayed an image of the banquet hall.  
There was a hissing noise and a purple haze formed as 
Starfleet's knockout gas of choice, anesthezine, began venting 
into the room.  Partygoers began to run about in a panic as 
they dropped like flies.  Liz appeared on the viewer, fighting 
the temporary paralysis that was coming over her body as she 
reached, with all her might, for the piece of cheesecake that 
lay just out of her grasp.  She could have tapped her combadge 
twice and alerted the Banshee, but somehow, the cheesecake was 
just more important.  Finally she, and all the guests, fell 
into a state of forced unconsciousness.
	"Anesthetization complete."  The computer said.  "Would 
you like a tutorial on operating the station's weapons, power, 
security and other major systems?"
	Jeritt shook his head.  "That shall be all for now, 
computer."
	The computer beeped in response.  "Thank you and enjoy 
your commandeering of Starbase 1534.  Have a nice day."
	A grin crossed Jeritt's face.  It was all he could do to 
stop himself from bursting into a fit of maniacal laughter.  
The first phase of his plan was complete.  He controlled the 
starbase and, more to the point, it's powerful weapons and 
vessel launching systems.  As such he controlled the space 
around Viranis.  He turned the viewer to an image of Viranis.  
Staring at the swirling clouds below him, he softly said, "Let 
my rebellion begin."





CHAPTER SIX





	The bridge crew was silent.  There wasn't much to do as 
the ship sat idle.  The form of starbase 1534 gave no 
indications of what might be happening on board.  The planet 
below seemed quiet, too.  Not even so much as a thunderstorm 
to watch from above.
	"How long has it been?"  Commander Dan Smith sat at his 
security station with increased unease.
	"They've been gone for approximately four hours."  
Lieutenant Carn sat at the science console in Dr. Lang's 
absence.  One would think an android would have more accurate 
memory than to use an approximation, but Carn wasn't very 
typical of most androids.
	"I wanna say something's wrong."  Vince chimed in.  
"Shouldn't we have heard from them by now?"
	Dan nodded.  "Sadly both Captain Vorezze and Commander 
Burns left without realizing that Velorn hadn't quite 
recovered from receiving a Vulcan neck pinch."
	Everyone glanced over to Velorn, who sat limply in the 
command chair, his eyes half open and drool running down his 
chin as he softly uttered, "Looooooooooooogiiiiiiiiic."
	"It's a party over there regardless."  Dan shrugged.  
"They're probably just having a good time."


	Jad felt throbbing pain as he opened his eyes.  He tried 
to move before realizing that his hands were bound in 
Starfleet-issue handcuffs.  "Good god, where am I?"
	Dr. Lang, also in handcuffs, sat leaned up against the 
wall beside him.  "You of all people should be delighted to 
wake up in a pair of handcuffs."  She quipped.
	The captain rolled over and propped himself up.  "Where 
are we?"
	"A brig somewhere in the bowels of the starbase, I 
assume."  Liz looked around, a forlorn expression across her 
face.
	Jad flinched with pain again.  "My head hurts so much."
	"Hangover serves you right for drinking so much."
	He shook his head.  "No, I fell and I must have hit my 
head.  Betazoids don't get hangovers no matter how drunk we 
get."
	"Good thing, too."  Liz said.  "Give you people a thimble 
full of champagne and you're up on a table dancing with your 
pants off."
	"One time..." Jad grumbled.  "Where's Commander Burns?  
Or Commander Rachow?"
	Liz shrugged.  "I haven't seen them, I've been in this 
cell since I woke up from the gas."
	"Ben, I don't care if you're shackled, stop putting your 
hand there!"  A scream sounding like Charlotte came from the 
next cell over.
	"Guess that answers that."  The captain muttered.
	"It was a fun night while it lasted."  Liz sighed, 
staring at the blue haze of the force field in front of them.
	"Not for me."  Jad said.  Memories were trickling back 
now.  They were lightning fast moments, all of them with 
Axik's eyes as the shining center.  Those clear blue eyes that 
echoed of pain and hurting, staring at Jad through his own 
memories.  The captain shuddered, a shudder that came from 
deep within his being.  "Commander Tagel and I had a fight."  
Somehow that wording made it sound simpler than it was.
	"About what?"  Liz asked quietly.  She saw the look that 
came over the Captain's face.  His eyes became somewhat vacant 
as his mind began to drift into his own thoughts.  They held 
worry, pain and fear deep within their emerald green irises.
	"It wasn't really a fight..." The captain reluctantly 
began to open up.  "I told her I had to go to the dedication 
ceremony, because I had to stop Jeritt from executing his 
plan..."
	"And a lot of good that did."  Liz muttered quietly to 
herself as the captain spoke.
	"But when I said that, she just got this look of pain on 
her face."  Jad paused, turning to Dr. Lang.  "It was like I 
just killed a kitten in front of her or something."
	The doctor nodded.  "Having not slaughtered many kittens 
in front of people to gauge their reactions, I'll just assume 
she looked hurt."
	Jad nodded silently.  "I seem to be good at hurting her."
	"Love does that to people, Captain.  I was only in love 
once."  Liz leaned back against the wall again.  "It was just 
before I was stationed on the Banshee.  We were together for 
three years.  The thing I learned about love, from that 
experience, is that love, in its truest, most powerful form, 
is the most painful."
	"I thought it was supposed to be this great thing.  It's 
not supposed to make me reel in pain."
	"That's how you know it's real, though.  Because you need 
someone so much, you have such a deep-rooted connection, that 
when they hurt, you hurt.  When you're apart you feel it.  And 
every ounce of pain can be countered by the joy you feel 
during the best times.  It all balances out."
	The captain closed his eyes.  "I liked being single 
better."
	"It's a simpler, albeit much more shallow existence."  
Liz nodded.  "That's why I have my Zekey-Wekey."
	"Somehow I don't think a small rodent is going to fill 
the void that Axik could leave in my life if she left me."
	The captain waited patiently for a response, but Dr. Lang 
was far too engrossed in talking gibberish to her hamster, who 
was laying on the floor in a pair of miniature handcuffs 
alongside her.

	"It's got to be them."  Jeritt said in a perplexed tone 
as he sifted through Starfleet database records in the 
Operations Center of the starbase.  "Captain Jad Vorezze, USS 
Banshee, thought to be deceased more than a year and a half 
ago."
	Inisil stood by his side, staring down at the screen.  
"The descriptions do match, and I find it highly unusual that 
we'd have four individuals who apparently belong to Starfleet, 
all of them from the same ship that was supposedly destroyed."  
She glanced about, constantly fearing a potential intruder.  
"Besides I also don't believe the dead can rise from the 
grave."
	He was even more confused now.  The Federation usually 
kept the identities of its intelligence operatives a secret, 
through a combination of no public rosters and descriptions 
and highly detailed false identifications.  This he knew fully 
well, for he'd made it a point to learn all of Starfleet 
Intelligence's usual tricks before he even began planning.  
"Tell me, Inisil, if you were to find four apparent Starfleet 
officers, ones who are listed as dead, at a large event, what 
would you do?"
	"Snap their necks and dispose of their bodies."  She 
replied flatly, without even pausing to think.
	"Besides that."
	The cyborg paused for a moment now.  "Perhaps discover 
what agency they are truly working for.  It seems evident that 
they still work for Starfleet in some capacity, given the 
equipment they possessed and Captain Vorezze's resolve to 
thwart your takeover plans."
	"That might be a good start, then."  Jeritt stared back 
at the profile photograph of Captain Vorezze on the display 
screen.  "The Federation is far more illicit with its methods 
for gathering intelligence and propagating its agenda than it 
would ever care to admit.  Finding out just what division they 
work for seems essential."
	Inisil nodded in agreement.  "Then snap their necks and 
dispose of their bodies."
	"We might need them as a bargaining chip, though."
	"So keep one, dispose of the others."
	"No neck snapping!"  Jeritt shouted.  His voice echoed 
slightly in the emptiness of Ops.
	Inisil hung her head down with a look of sadness.  "Yes, 
sir."
	With a devilish look slowly crossing his bone white face, 
Jeritt said slyly, "Perhaps we should attempt to gather 
information from our four mysterious operatives.  Whatever 
they provide us could be a more useful bargaining chip with 
Federation representatives than all the hostages on this 
station combined."
	"Shall I commence with torturous interrogation, sir?"  
Inisil asked giddily.
	Jeritt nodded as he stared forward at the captain's bio.


	The anxiety was eating away at her.  Commander Tagel sat 
sullenly at her place at the operations manager station, 
gazing sullenly over the display before her, managing the 
systems of the complex piece of machinery on which all of 
their lives depended.  A light would blink on and she would 
know just what it meant.  'Power fluctuation in power manifold 
21-C4 caused by normal wear and tear.'  She silently rerouted 
power around the fluctuation and posted an alert to 
engineering.  'Turbolift shaft 84 reports warning for 
scheduled maintenance.'  She thought as another light came on.  
Silently she put that on the repair schedule.  'Artificial 
gravity compromised on Deck 24, caused by the evil gremlins 
gnawing on the emitters.'  She couldn't take it anymore and 
spun around to face a contemplative Commander Smith.  
"Commander, shouldn't they be back by now?"  The Bajoran's 
voice broke the bridge's eerie silence.
	Dan glanced up from his tome of spells, hexes and curses.  
"These kinds of missions take time."  He said before pausing 
to think.  "And you've been asking that every ten minutes for 
the last hour."
	Axik sighed, almost shuddering as the emotions began to 
overwhelm her.  "I want to talk to Jad."  She sighed, not 
realizing she was thinking aloud.  "I just wish I could force 
him to love me as much as I love him."
	"Love spells aren't until chapter twelve."  Dan said 
tersely without looking up as he turned the tattered, yellowed 
page.  "You'll have to give me some time on that."
	The previously silent Lt. Cmdr. DiSanto spoke.  
"Actually, maybe we should go over there.  It has been a 
while."
	Dan closed the book, frustrated by the constant 
interruptions.  "Since when are you so eager to go on an away 
mission?"
	"It's boring here.  Besides, if everything's fine, the 
bar might still be open."  A smile began to creep across 
Vince's face.  "That means I could get me an appletini!"
	"I guess you're right."  Dan stood up.  "Commander 
DiSanto, Lieutenant Carn, let's go."
	Axik stamped her foot as her eyes bugged out slightly in 
rage.  "I'm coming too!"
	Vince turned to Dan.  "Should we really be taking a 
pregnant Bajoran on a potentially dangerous away mission?"
	Dan shrugged.  "We're taking you, aren't we?"
	"I'm just going to shut up now before I set myself up for 
anything else."


	Visions were swirling around the captain's mind as he 
tried to make the best of his time by meditating in the corner 
of the cell.  One moment he saw a blue sky, and a house, and a 
yard.  He saw Axik at the door with a child in her arms.  
Without opening his eyes he blinked and the mental image 
changed.  The viewer of the Banshee became clear now, looking 
out over a vast nebula, a pristine region of space to explore, 
to protect, to serve.
	Dr. Lang sat nervously on the opposite end of the cell, 
staring at the captain as he sat almost motionless.  She was 
no telepath, but she knew that he was lost in an internal 
emotional turmoil.  The look on his face and in his eyes told 
it all.  She tried to think of things she could say to him, 
ways to comfort him, but she resigned.  The captain had always 
been an enigmatic figure to the crew, and she didn't know him 
nearly well enough to offer any advice.
	'I'm alone without her.'  Jad thought to himself as his 
mind wandered further.  'It's just me and my work.'  His mind 
wandered again, then something happened.  He paused and slowly 
opened his eyes, staring over at Dr. Lang.  'She's thinking 
about me...  wondering about me...' For a moment he longed to 
speak, release all his pain, every emotion that he'd bottled 
up from years of emotional distance from those he surrounded 
himself with.  He sensed she was a kindred spirit.  Part of 
Dr. Lang wanted to get to know him better, but not 
romantically, rather as a friend, as a fellow isolated soul.  
His own sense of privacy, and his own personal inner 
awkwardness prevented him from speaking.
	"Captain Vorezze."  Jad looked up to see Inisil standing 
at the force field, phaser in hand and a look of depravity in 
her eyes.  "And Dr. Elizabeth Lang.  In the other cell we have 
Commander Charlotte Burns and Lieutenant Commander Benjamin 
Rachow."
	Jad attempted to stare down the cyborg as he spoke, see 
if he could somehow get her to break.  "I'm afraid I never got 
your name."
	"Inisil.  Not that it's of any consequence to you, other 
than perhaps so that you might know the name of the one 
responsible for your demise."
	"If you know our names then you know how valuable we 
are."  Liz spoke up in a surprisingly confident voice.  As she 
spoke she slowly tucked Zeke away behind the edge of the 
brig's cot to keep him safe.  She wasn't sure what was about 
to happen, all she knew was that the murderous glint shining 
from Inisil's eyes contradicted what she was about to say.  
"You wouldn't kill us."
	"You might serve numerous purposes, yes."  Inisil said as 
she paced back and forth.  "But once we've exhausted those 
uses for you, rest assured that we will dispose of you quickly 
and thoroughly."  She stopped and smiled as a thought occurred 
to her. "And since you're all apparently dead we don't even 
have to deal with covering it up afterwards!"
	"What do you want out of all of this?  You must have some 
goal."  Jad growled.
	"Our goal," Inisil said, "is to rescue Viranis from the 
clutches of the Federation and restore our independence."
	"That's funny."  Jad smirked.  "I'm here to rescue 
Viranis from the clutches of you."
	Inisil huffed.  "Regardless, it is time for your 
interrogation.  You will come with me."
	"I'm comfortable here, but thanks for asking."
	"That wasn't a request."  Inisil deactivated the 
forcefield and walked into the cell.  With one hand she picked 
the captain up by his belt and carried him horizontally out to 
the door, the forcefield crackling back on behind her.
	"I can walk on my own, you know!"
	Liz said nothing as the brig doors closed behind them.  
There was nothing she could do but wait.

	A dead silence had overtaken the starbase, moreso than 
the silence that had engulfed the station when it was 
unmanned.  This was the kind of silence that only came when 
something was terribly wrong.  The quiet was interrupted for a 
brief moment by the musical jingle of the transporters.  
Comamnder Smith, Lieutenant Carn, Commander Tagel, Lt. Cmdr. 
DiSanto and two guards snapped to attention as they glanced 
about their surroundings.
	Dan sniffed the air, shining the light mounted atop his 
phaser rifle around.  "We must be close to the banquet hall, 
the scent of food is in the air."
	Carn nodded as he inhaled the scent for his android brain 
to analyze.  "According to my internal sensors, the scent is 
of McNuggets.  Chicken McNuggets."
	Vince smiled.  "That's my favorite kind of McNugget!"
	Axik stamped her foot as she examined her tricorder.  
"Where's Jaddy!?"
	"There is a large cluster of life signs still in the 
banquet hall."  Vince said as he examined his own tricorder.  
"Several more life signs are scattered across the station."
	"Curious."  Carn said as he tapped at a control panel.  
"For some odd reason I can't access any of the station's 
systems, they're all locked out."
	Dan frowned, glancing nervously about.  "Someone must 
have taken control of the station then.  That would explain 
quite a bit."
	"Oh..."  Carn deactivated the wall panel.  "I thought the 
computer was just being a bitch to me.  Kind of like the main 
computer of the starship Blasdell, because I used to date the 
main computer of its sister ship, the Lackawanna."
	"We'd better be careful, we have to make sure no one 
knows we're here."  Dan turned to Vince.  "Commander DiSanto, 
did you bring the device to keep the intruder sensors from 
detecting us?"
	Vince nodded and removed it from his satchel.
	"Good, let's go."  Dan led the group as they took a 
single step forward.  At the same moment, the piercing screech 
of the intruder alert siren sounded.  Dan turned angrily to 
Vince.  "I thought you brought the device with you."
	A puzzled look came over Lt. Cmdr. DiSanto's face before 
it was suddenly illuminated again with a spark.  "Oh, that's 
what's wrong."  He chuckled nervously.  "I forgot to turn it 
on."
	Dan shook his head as they walked brisky down the hall.  
"Thankfully, if this is Jeritt's doing, he's just one man, so 
he won't have much luck taking all of us down."

	"I'm not a cruel person."  Inisil attempted to explain 
herself while she strapped Captain Vorezze into a medical 
gurney, which she'd converted into a makeshift interrogation 
table.
	"Of course not, you're just misunderstood."  Jad grumbled 
as his feet became bound.
	"I do what is necessary to protect myself and my master."  
Inisil began tightening the captain's belt restraint.
	"I suppose that's noble."  Jad sighed as he glanced at 
the tray of sharp, pointy objects he could only assume were to 
be used on him momentarily.
	"You are a threat to my people."  She grunted as she 
tightened the Captain's wrist straps.  "So I find no pity 
while combating you."  She paused as she finished tying the 
captain down.  The wrists and waist were quite tough, Inisil 
could see as she surveyed the captain from top to bottom.  She 
stopped halfway down.  "Captain, please.  Try to keep that 
thing under control."
	Jad flinched.  "Sorry, force of habit."
	"Inisil!"  A deep voice boomed out from behind the 
android.  She spun around to see Jeritt standing in the 
doorway.
	"Yes, my lord?"  She asked as she polished a hook shaped 
torture device on an antiseptic cloth.
	"We have intruders in the banquet hall."  Jeritt glanced 
over to the captain on the table.  "It looks like they're from 
his ship."  Jeritt paused as he looked at the captain, then 
whispered to Inisil, "Is it just me or does it look like being 
tied up turned him on."
	Inisil shrugged.  "Did we load our security systems onto 
the station yet?"
	Jeritt nodded.  "Yes, they're in place.  I would like you 
to deal with the intruders using the security devices.  I will 
conclude the interrogation of the captain."
	"Yes, my liege.  I will deploy the Sentries now and 
supervise their operation."  Inisil turned and left.
	Jad looked up at Jeritt as he struggled slightly to see 
if there was any way to free himself from his restraints.  "I 
don't care what you have up your sleeve, I doubt you're any 
match for the forces of my ship."  Okay, so that was a blatant 
lie and Jad knew it.  Thankfully Jeritt was not the telepath 
in this situation.
	"I've prepared for every possible contingency."  Jeritt 
said.  "And besides, you know your forces aren't as invincible 
as you'd like to think.  I can see it in your face."  So much 
for Jad's poker face.
	"Even if you defeat the forces of my ship, Starfleet will 
not let this rebellion stand."  Jad's face was stern with 
authority and confidence.
	A smile crept across Jeritt's face, and a sinister 
twinkle flashed in his eye as he spoke.  "That, my good 
captain, is where you come in.  You and I need to have a 
little chat about just who you work for."
	"You won't get any information from me."  The captain 
said defiantly.
	"I'm afraid your obduracy will only render your situation 
worse."  Jeritt wheeled over a cart of small tools.  "I am a 
businessman, so I know when I need to be ruthless to obtain 
what I require."  He picked up a small device looking vaguely 
like a phaser but with a round, blunt end that glowed a deep 
crimson.  "First I might simply try an old fashioned burn gun 
on you.  Sear random bits of your flesh until you start to 
talk.  If that doesn't work, I'll use this Klingon pain stick, 
sending horrendous amounts of pain barreling through your body 
until your inner will breaks.  You will endure hours upon 
hours of unending physical agony until I get the information I 
require from you."
	Jad swallowed hard as beads of sweat began to appear on 
his forehead and his eyes widened with each horrific tool that 
Jeritt picked up off of the table.
	"I do have some good news for you, though."  Jeritt said.
	"What's that?"  Jad raised his eyebrow and spoke with a 
nervous twinge in his voice.
	"I just saved a ton of money on my shuttlecraft 
insurance."
	The captain's shoulders sank and he grumbled under his 
breath.
	Jeritt said nothing, but simply picked up the first tool 
and stepped towards the captain.

	The faint scent of anesthezine hung in the air as the 
away team entered the banquet hall.  Tables were overturned 
and food lay scattered around the floor.  In the center of the 
room, dozens of party guests lay tied up in shackles, 
squirming around like fish on dry land.
	"For the love of the prophets."  Axik said as she looked 
around the wreckage of the party.
	Commander Smith stepped forward and surveyed the crowd of 
people, bound and gagged, most of them blindfolded as well.  
"No wonder the captain wanted to come to this so badly..."
	One of the guards approached a guest and scanned them 
with a tricorder.  "Everyone here seems to be in stable 
medical condition."  He said.
	"Can we get their shackles off?"  Vince asked.  "They 
might be able to tell us who did this."
	Dan glanced down at the electronic blindfolds and gags, 
all of them attached by bio-magnetic constrictors.  "These are 
advanced restraining devices.  I don't know if we'd be able to 
get them off."
	The guard tapped a few buttons on his tricorder and the 
shakles of one guest clicked, the blinking lights went dead 
and they fell to the floor.
	Commander Smith huffed and turned to the guard.  "I'm 
starting to get sick of that."
	The guest coughed and breathed heavily before almost 
whispering, "Thank you so much!"
	Dan leaned down and helped the guest up as the team went 
around freeing others. "What happened?"
	"Things were going great, then suddenly purple gas 
started coming out of the vents, and before I knew it, 
everyone just fell to the floor."
	"Sounds like my sixth birthday party."  Vince grumbled.
	"We need to get these people out of here."  Dan stood up 
and slapped his combadge.  "Smith to Banshee."
	"Isaac here!"  Dr. Brian Isaac said over the comm.
	The chief of security raised his eyebrow with confusion.  
"Dr. Isaac?  Why are you in command?"
	"Because the rest of the command crew is over there and 
Captain Velorn is still a drooling vegetable."  The chief 
medical officer replied back.
	Velorn's voice was audible in the background slurring 
"Liiiive loooong and proooospeeeeer."
	Dan shrugged.  "Doctor we need a space set aside in a 
large room.  Use a cargo bay, spare shuttlebay, anything, we 
have about 300 people we need to beam over."
	"This had better not be another kegger you're planning."  
Dr. Isaac said wearily. "You remember what the captain said 
after the last one you threw."
	"This is not a kegger, and everyone will be keeping their 
tentacles to themselves this time."
	"Alright then.  I'll have someone get a bay ready, it 
should only take a few minutes.  I'll contact you as soon as 
we're ready to commence beaming."
	"Thank you, Doctor.  Smith out."
	Lieutenant Carn stepped forward.  "I've scanned the rest 
of the station with my tricorder.  Apart from the group in 
here, there are a cluster of various humanoid life forms in a 
brig complex about 70 decks below us."  He tapped at the 
controls again.  "Aside from them, the only other life signs 
on the station are that of a Viranin and a Betazoid in a small 
room just off of the operations center 30 decks above us."
	Axik sprang to attention and hopped to her feet.  
"Jaddy!"
	Dan tensed up.  "Jeritt has the captain."  He glanced 
over to Carn.  "Is it possible he knows who we are yet?"
	The android nodded.  "It is probable.  If he commandeered 
the station, he would have access to all of Starfleet's 
records.  And while there would be nothing detailing Section 
31, he would quickly find out that the Captain, as well as the 
other crewmembers we had on the station are supposed to be 
dead."
	A loud crash became audible and Commander Smith spun 
around, only to see Commander Tagel charging towards the exit, 
flinging chairs and tables out of her way in a heated rage.  
"Commander, where are you going!?"
	Axik spun around, her red curls reflecting the dramatic 
lighting of the banquet hall in such a way that the fiery 
color it gave off seemed appropriate for her mood.  "I'm going 
to fetch Jad."
	"It's too dangerous to go by yourself!"  Dan called after 
her.
	"I'll be fine!"  Axik bellowed back.
	Dan growled and turned to Carn.  "Lieutenant, go with 
her, make sure she doesn't get into trouble or get hurt."  He 
paused.  "Or that the captain doesn't get hurt when she finds 
him."
	The android nodded.  "Yes, sir."
	"Vince, take Ensign Madison and go check out the brig 
section and bring whoever it is back here.  Remember, we can 
beam into shielded areas just fine but we have to be back here 
to be beamed out."  Dan held up one of three pattern enhancers 
Lieutenant Carn had set on the ground.  "The Banshee won't be 
able to retrieve us unless we're inside the grid this makes."
	"We'll be fast."  Vince said.
	As Vince turned to leave, a phaser bolt suddenly arced 
across the room and struck the rear wall, sending a shower of 
sparks down from the striking point.
	Dan spun around and withdrew his phaser, only to be 
confronted with an empty room.  The remaining four members of 
the away team froze in place.  Commander Smith slowly turned 
his head to Vince.  "What was that?"
	"Lieutenant Carn and Commander Tagel are already well 
down the corridor, so it wasn't them."  Vince glanced around 
nervously, then looked down at his tricorder.  "No other life 
signs in the area."
	The room became quiet again as the four member away team 
stood motionless and silent, diligently listening for any 
clues and partly paralyzed by fear of whatever might be out 
there.  Except for Commander DiSanto.  He was busily humming 
along to 'Papa Don't Preach' as he scanned the room with his 
eyes.
	"Sir?"  One of the guards glanced at Commander Smith.  
"The tricorder is picking up faint power signatures."
	As if on cue, a dark gray figure hopped up onto a nearby 
table.  It was about half the size of a human male in height 
and boxy in shape.  It stood on large, sturdy legs that 
appeared to have anti-gravity pads on them for boosted jump 
range and its arms were capped on one hand with an array of 
cutting tools and on the other with what looked like the end 
of a phaser rifle.  Where one might find a head there was 
none, instead just a rounded bump of black tinted transparent 
aluminum.  From inside the bump came a fearsome orange glow.
	Vince looked at the robot with a confused expression on 
his face.  "What the heck is that?"
	"Looks like one of Jeritt's little toys."  Dan said.
	The machine abruptly raised its arm and shot at Commander 
Smith, who immediately darted out of the way.  Dan raised his 
phaser and shot back at the machine at full power.  It burst 
apart in a massive, smokey spark.
	Dan glanced around as the smoke cleared and held up his 
tricorder.  "Be careful you don't run into any more of those 
things."  Dan glanced over to Vince before pointing to the 
side exit.  "Turbolifts are that way."
	Vince chuckled nervously.  "Ensign Madison, why don't you 
go first.  I'll, uhh, bring up the rear."  He paused and 
glanced around at the three other crewmembers.  "What?  No 
joke about me 'bringing up the rear?'  I expected something!"
	"Rest assured we were all thinking it, Commander."  Dan 
said dryly.
	With a loud thud, another Sentry jumped up onto the table 
and fired in the direction of the away team.
	"Go!"  Dan shouted as Vince and Madison darted off.  He 
turned and shot the robot as two more scuttled out of the 
hedgemaze of fallen tables.  He glanced up to see Insil 
standing at the main entrance as several more of the robots 
came marching in.
	The cyborg smiled coolly as Dan and the guard shot 
frantically at the growing number of Sentries to surround 
them.  Suddenly, as she glanced around, she saw with her 
ocular implants two figures, a Bajoran woman and an android 
heading down the corridor to a turbolift.  Silenty and swiftly 
she raced after them.

	Lieutenant Commander Rachow and Commander Burns sat 
silently in their brig cell, staring forward blankly.
	"I thought being held hostage would be more interesting 
than this."  Charlotte said softly as she finished counting 
the grooves on the force field generator around the perimeter 
of the door for the seventh time.
	Ben looked over at the first officer.  In the dimmed 
lights of the brig, you almost couldn't see the massive 
amounts of lipstick on her teeth as she talked.  "You know, 
Commander, we could be having kinky prison sex."
	Charlotte glared at Ben and huffed in his direction.  
"Given the choice between sex with you and what I'm assuming 
will be interrogation with a Klingon pain stick, I'd choose 
the interrogation."  She turned away before mumbling, "At 
least then I'd get poked with a bigger stick."
	Ben tried not to look offended and held his chin up high.  
"Well don't complain about being bored then."

	"Isaac to Smith."  The doctor's voice rang out over the 
screech of phaser fire in the banquet hall.
	"It's about damn time!"  Dan shouted as he hurled a chair 
in the direction of an advancing Sentry.
	"We have two empty cargo bays ready.  Did you want the 
regular one or the one with the jacuzzi?"
	Dan froze for a moment.  "Why the heck does a cargo bay 
have a jacuzzi in it?"
	"Eh, the captain asked to have it installed during our 
last refit, I think."
	"Either one is fine, just prepare to start beaming the 
hostages out!"
	"Alrighty then.  Isaac out!"
	"Diez!"  Dan shouted to the guard.
	"Sir?"
	"Start beaming these people out via the pattern 
enhancers."
	"Aye, sir."
	Sweat began to drip down the commander's face as he spun 
around and shot at two more Sentries.

	"Then she just looked at me like I'd hit her or something 
and walked out."  Captain Vorezze said mournfully as he lay on 
the interrogation table.
	Jeritt sighed with exasperation as he set the Klingon 
pain stick down and rubbed his temples.  "Captain you've been 
prattling on about this Bajoran woman you've been seeing for 
more than half an hour without giving me any information."
	"I love her so much."  Jad bit his lip.  The inner pain 
he felt over his self-confessional revelations to Jeritt 
outweighed any physical torture that the Viranin could put him 
through.  "Why am I so destructive to our relationship?"
	"Well, it is possible to love someone too much to the 
point where you hurt them and yourself without even realizing 
it."  Jeritt replied.
	"Really?  I didn't think about that."  Jad's voice became 
pained and cracked slightly.  "I don't think about her enough 
in general."
	Jeritt shrugged.  "It happens quite frequently, why just 
a few years ago I..."  He paused and snapped his head up.  
"Wait, why in the world am I giving you relationship advice 
when I'm just going to have you killed soon?"
	Jad stuttered.  "B-Because I'll start bawling if you 
don't."  Tears began to well up in the Betazoid's eyes.
	With a heavy sigh, Jeritt removed a handkerchief from his 
pocket and handed it to the captain.  "We'll take a ten minute 
break and come back to your torturous interrogation when 
you've composed yourself."

	Despite being an android, Lieutenant Carn was having a 
difficult time keeping up with Commander Tagel as she marched 
determinately down the corridor.  "Commander, for the last 
time, the turbolift is the other way!"  Carn called out after 
her.
	"I know where I'm going!"  Axik turned and snapped back.
	If a machine could become irritated, Carn would have been 
past that point.  "No you don't, I'm the one with a floor plan 
of this station uploaded into my head!"
	The pair rounded a corner only to find themselves face to 
face with Inisil.  The cyborg stood rigidly with her hands 
folded in front of her.  "Good afternoon.  If you're looking 
for Jeritt and Captain Vorezze, they're busy right now.  In 
the mean time, you're more than welcome to let me kill you 
while you wait."
	Axik snorted and approached Inisil.  "Back off, toots!"  
She began to push Inisil aside.  "I need to find my man!"
	In a lightning fast motion, Inisil grabbed Axik's wrist 
and squeezed at a pressure point, causing the Bajoran to 
squeal loudly in pain.
	Carn reacted even faster, and in a swift punch to her 
chest he sent Inisil flying against the corridor wall.  "Are 
you okay?"  He asked the whimpering Bajoran.
	"I-I could have handled that."  Axik stuttered.
	Inisil stood up in a daze for a moment.  She had never 
expected such a powerful blow to come from Carn's average 
humanoid sized frame.  "That was an unwise decision."  Inisil 
squinted at Carn.  "I am a cyborg and can easily crush you 
like an insect if I so will it."
	Carn chuckled.  "Oh yeah?  I'm an android, and I eat 
cyborgs for breakfast."
	Axik turned to Carn and stared at him blankly for a 
second.  "I thought androids didn't eat breakfast."
	"It's a figure of speech."
	"Oh!  I see..."
	Inisil nodded in approval, staring down her new 
adversary.  "I see I have found a worthy opponent.  Sadly I 
must say that the day shall still be mine."  She cracked her 
knuckles and assumed an attack posture.
	"Commander Tagel," Carn said softly, "listen to me 
closely.  Turn around and run down the hall as fast as you can 
and hang the first right.  The turbolift is right there.  I'll 
be there as soon as I can.  Go!"
	Without hesitation, Axik turned and ran down the 
corridor.  Inisil began to sprint after her, but Carn darted 
in front of the cyborg and shoved her aside.
	"I will enjoy crushing you and using your broken body for 
scrap metal when this is over."  Inisil gritted her teeth.  
Faster than Carn anticipated, she lunged at him with a flying 
kick, toppling him to the floor.  Carn immediately sprang back 
up like the carpet was a trampoline and aimed a drop kick at 
Inisil's legs.  She was too fast for him, however, jumping 
above the kick and onto Carn's shoulders.
	"I would like to remind you that I have no circulation or 
airflow for you to cut off."  He said as she began to squeeze 
his neck tighter with her legs.  Struggling as best he could, 
Carn rammed his torso into the wall, causing Inisil to fall 
off.  He quickly darted down the hallway after Axik, but she 
was fast on his tail.  All he had to do was make it into the 
turbolift before her and seal the doors once he and Axik were 
inside.
	Inisil threw another punch at him and he ducked out of 
the way, stepping backwards as he fended her off.  With a 
swift kick, he sent Inisil flying back again before darting to 
the end of the hall where Axik stood.  Inisil came back fast 
and prepared to dive into the lift after him, but froze when 
the doors did not open.
	"I'm waiting for the lift to show up."  Axik said 
sheepishly as the two battling artificial lifeforms stared at 
her confusedly.
	They both nodded and stood patiently waiting for the lift 
to show up so they could resume fighting.  "So..."  Carn said 
to Inisil after a few moments of awkward silence.  "Take over 
Federation starbases often?"
	Inisil shrugged.  "This is my first time, but I got the 
hang of it pretty quickly."
	"Well that's good, I suppose that's one of the more 
interesting skills to put on your resume."
	"Oh it would be, yes.  My interrogation and assassination 
skills were what landed me this job for Jeritt, after all.  I 
had to have excellent credentials for that."
	Carn nodded.  "Oh I can imagine, job like that requires a 
ton of training."
	The doors of the lift finally opened and Carn and Inisil 
turned to look at each other again.  Carn spoke first.  "I 
suppose we should resume battling."
	"Indeed."  She said flatly.
	Axik darted into the turbolift as Carn delivered a strong 
kick to Inisil's metal-reinforced abdomen that sent her 
toppling backwards.  He quickly scurried into the lift and 
sealed the door.
	"Operations level please."  Axik ordered the lift as 
pounding on the door became audible.
	"Nice lady."  Carn noted as the lift hummed along.  "Once 
you get past the vicious, murdering cyborg aspect of her 
personality."
	Axik nodded in agreement.

	Commander Burns and Lt. Cmdr. Rachow stared intently at 
the swirling wall of energy that blocked them from the outside 
world.  "I don't care what you say," Charlotte said matter-of-
factly, "that energy pattern looks like Whistler's Mother."
	"Then Whistler's Mother is a babe, because I see a hottie 
with an amazing rack."  Ben said as he stared at the force 
field.
	"Please, everything reminds you of a hottie with a nice 
rack."
	Cmdr. Rachow looked Charlotte up and down before smacking 
his lips.  "No, not everything."
	"Set myself up for that one."  Charlotte grumbled.  She 
paused for a moment and looked up with an expression of worry 
on her face.  "Do you think we should try to check on Dr. 
Lang?  She's been alone in her cell for a good two hours now."
	"Zekey, not fair, you shouldn't be cheating at tic-tac-
toe like that!"  Dr. Lang's voice became audible from the next 
cell over.
	"Ep, she's fine."  Ben mumbled.
	The brig doors parted and Lt. Cmdr. DiSanto and Ensign 
Madison darted in, glancing nervously about.
	"Oh my god, I never thought I'd be happier to see twinkle 
toes come sauntering in!"  Ben exclaimed with joy.
	"Zekey, look, it's uncle Vince!"  Liz cheered from the 
next cell over.
	"Are you guys all right?"  Vince walked over and 
deactivated the forcefields.
	Charlotte stood up and hobbled out of the cell.  "Out of 
my way, I've had to pee for the last five hours!"
	"Sir, there are some other prisoners in here!"  Madison 
shouted from around the corner.  "It looks like Governor 
Powell and a few members of the Viranin Ruling Council."
	"Yeah I guess they're important too.  Let them out so we 
can get the hell out of here."  Vince shouted as he helped Dr. 
Lang back onto her feet.
	"Oh my knight in shining armor!"  Liz cooed as Vince 
helped her up.
	"Nah, there's only one thing I'm wearing right now that's 
shiney."
	Liz paused to think.  "That gold thong I gave you?"
	"Yep!"
	Madison came back around the corner with Governor Powell 
in tow and several other frazzled looking dignitaries.  "Is 
that everyone?"
	Vince glanced down at his tricorder.  "It looks like it."  
He closed it and withdrew his phaser.  "Let's get back to the 
banquet hall so we can beam out.  There are Golden Girls 
reruns on subspace broadcast that I could be watching right 
now."
	Leading the way, Madison and Vince turned and stepped 
towards the door.  As it opened they were confronted with a 
corridor packed with at least fifty Sentries with their 
weapons all trained on their heads.  Vince quickly backed up 
and the doors sealed.  "Okay, maybe we won't go out the 
front."

	Commander Smith sat crouched behind a table, shooting 
back at the Sentries as they continued to advance on the 
group.  "Diez?  How many more do we have to beam out!?"  He 
shouted above the phaser fire.
	"One more load, sir!"  The guard shouted back.
	"BANSHEE TO SMITH!"  The voice of Captain Velorn bellowed 
out over the comm with such loud force that even the Sentries 
stopped to take notice.
	"I'm, uh, a little busy right now, Captain."  Dan said 
hesitantly as he rushed another group of six into the pattern 
enhancers.
	"I see that." Velorn said flatly.  "You've been quite 
busy while I was incapacitated, and I can't say as though I 
approve of the situation."
	"You never approve of any situation."  Dan muttered, 
shooting at another Sentry as it waddled towards him.
	"Do you think retaking the starbase is a viable option?  
We cannot let this hijacking stand."
	At least twenty more robots marched into the banquet hall 
from the corridor.  Dan's shoulders sank and he ducked behind 
a table as a hail of phaser fire came his way.
	"I don't think it will be happening anytime too soon."  
The chief of security withdrew a photon grenade from his away 
pack and tossed it at the swarm of Sentries.
	"Then we have no choice but to destroy the station.  
Evacuate the remaining people from the station.  In the 
meantime I will remotely enable the auto-destruct system and 
end all of this now."
	"You can do that to any station or ship in the fleet?"  
Dan asked, somewhat bewildered at the idea of ships out there 
having the power to remotely destroy other ships without 
weapons.
	"Yes, Commander, we can.  We're Section 31, we can do 
anything."
	"So we have the technology to somehow get Commander 
Rachow laid?"
	Velorn sighed.  "There are limits to what we can do.  We 
will engage the auto-destruct system now so you have five 
minutes to finish up and get out of there."
	"Understood."  Commander Smith said before stopping for a 
moment to think.  "Captain?  If you can enable the self 
destruct sequence from the Banshee, can you also just lower 
the shields so we can beam out without the pattern enhancers?"
	The Vulcan at the other end let out a disgruntled huff 
before saying, "I suppose we can do that if you actually want 
to come back in one piece."
	"Yeah, that would be nice."
	"Fine."  Velorn grumbled.  "I'll get right on it."

	The frustration was beginning to get to Jeritt as he 
angrily jabbed the pain stick into the side of Captain 
Vorezze's chest.
	"She's so beautiful, why can't this relationship be 
right?" Jad sobbed, largely ignoring the searing amounts of 
physical pain that was coursing through his body.
	"Oh I give up."  Jeritt finally threw the device down and 
leaned up against the nearby wall.  "You're too engrossed in 
your own inner monologue to even begin to crack."
	"Maybe I just can't lead a normal life working for 
Section 31."  Jad sighed.  "It's hard enough as it is."
	"What was that?"  The Viranin's head suddenly perked up.  
"Section 31?"
	"I wish I'd never agreed to enter this god damn program."  
Jad sighed, still ignoring the fact that he was bound and 
bloodied from hours of torture.  The trickle of blood running 
out of his mouth was easy to avoid given his own emotional 
turmoil.
	"I've never heard of Section 31 before."  Jeritt rubbed 
his chin and thought to himself.  "Unless he's referring to 
Section 30, the Starfleet Baton Twirler division."  He quickly 
glanced over at the captain, who was staring blankly out into 
space, whimpering slightly.  "No, he doesn't have the grace 
for that.  Or the hand eye coordination.  Or the focus.  Hell, 
I don't think he has much of anything."
	The doors of the room opened and Jeritt spun around to 
find himself facing a disgruntled looking red haired Bajoran 
with a bulging near-term abdomen and an inexplicably 
frightened looking android hovering behind her.  "There you 
are!"  She stormed over to the captain's table and glared at 
him with a look that could freeze the surface of a star.
	"Imzadi?"  Jad said wearily, his vision blurred from a 
combination of dehydration, malnutrition, hours of torture and 
an eyelash that's been in his eye for a good half hour now.
	"Don't you 'imzadi' me!  How dare you just cancel our 
plans and go off on some away mission, leaving me all alone!"  
She slapped him across the face in a fit of rage.  "What do 
you have to say for yourself!?"  She was screaming now, 
breathing heavily as she waited for a response.  She slapped 
him again and shouted, "Answer me!"
	Jeritt interjected with a look of exasperation on his 
face at the sight of the interlopers.  "Believe me, madam, 
I've been trying that approach for the last four hours."
	Lieutenant Carn slowly backed Jeritt away from Axik, 
whose normally creamy white skin was now flush bright pink 
with rage.  "I'd back away from her if I were you.  You 
wouldn't think a pregnant woman would be able to release that 
much wrath, but then again you should see what she did to that 
bulkhead down the hall because she was too angry to walk 
around a corner to get here."
	"You are going to have SO much explaining to do when we 
get back to the ship."  Axik grumbled as she ripped the 
captain's arm restraints off with her bare hands and threw 
them on the floor.  They landed with a loud metallic clunk on 
the hard paneling.
	The doors opened yet again and Inisil came darting in, 
looking both flustered and slightly tired.  While she was only 
thirty percent organic, that thirty percent was still capable 
of tiring out.
	"Shouldn't you have crushed them like drink containers by 
now?"  Jeritt said in an irritated tone to Inisil.  This was 
the first time in recent memory that she had failed to 
neutralize a security threat to him.
	"My apologies, my liege, but they entered the turbolift 
far too quickly for me.  I was delayed even further due to the 
fact that they booby trapped the corridor behind them."  She 
held up a banana peel as proof.
	"HEY!"  Axik interrupted.  "Can we have some privacy 
please?  This is an important conversation."
	"Privacy?  This is my station!"  Jeritt objected.
	"No it's not, you commandeered it!"
	Jeritt grumbled.  "Technicality.  This station is still 
completely under my control."
	"Warning: the auto destruct system has been enabled.  
Auto destruct in two minutes!"  The computer announced.
	"It would appear someone has gained access to our 
systems."  Inisil said as she examined a control panel.  "Our 
shields have also been lowered and all terminals on the 
station have been programmed to display this image."  She 
stepped aside to reveal that of what appeared to be a hand 
with its middle finger extended.
	A cold look came across Jeritt's face as he turned, 
seething with rage, to face the bickering couple.  "Very well, 
if this is how you want to play things, I will just have to 
kill you now."  He picked up a phaser off of the interrogation 
tools table.
	Before anything else could be said, Jad, Axik and Carn 
were engulfed in the shimmering blue glow of a transporter 
beam and wisped away to safety.
	Jeritt's shoulders sank as they dematerialized.  His 
expression was a mix of irritation and confusion as he glanced 
over at Inisil.  "I'm starting to think that these people 
aren't the group of crack Starfleet Intelligence agents that I 
had taken them for."
	"Indeed."

	"Auto destruct in one minute."  The computer announced as 
Lieutenant Commander DiSanto frantically paced the brig.
	"What are we going to do!?"  He screamed.  "We can't make 
it back to the banquet hall in one minute!"
	"Calm yourself, woman!"  Charlotte replied angrily as she 
tapped intently at the control panel on the wall.  "There has 
to be away to either get out of here or delay the auto 
destruct."
	"Velorn to Burns."  The Vulcan called out over the comm.
	"Yes, Captain?"  She asked hopefully.
	"You're the last of our crew left on the station, we have 
a way of getting you out, though."
	Charlotte turned cockily to Vince.  "See, I told you 
there was a way."
	"How many more hostages do you have over there?"
	"About twenty, plus five crewmembers."
	"Understood, we have to beam the civilian hostages out 
first, however."
	"Auto destruct in thirty seconds."  The computer recited 
its own pending demise.
	"Make it fast we're running out of time!"  Charlotte 
cried out.
	A high-pitched whirring noise became audible as the 
station began ramping up to destroy itself.  Above the whir 
was the tinkling sound of the transporters sweeping away the 
first members of Governor Powell's ruling council.
	"There's not enough time, we're going to die!"  Vince 
sobbed.  "I never even got to fall in love again before I 
did!"
	Liz glanced around nervously, cradling Zeke in her hands 
before saying, "I didn't even get to win a Nobel prize for my 
life's work researching the mating habits of space slugs."
	Charlotte quickly backed away as panels began to spark 
while the fifteen-second warning came up.  Another batch of 
the ruling council vanished.  "I never got a chance to live my 
dream and be promoted to Captain and be assigned to that all-
male ship!"
	"The USS XY?"  Commander DiSanto asked.
	"That's the one."
	"I served on that ship for a while."
	"Not surprising."
	"Auto destruct in ten seconds." The computer's voice 
almost sounded more ominous.  "Eight... Seven..."
	"I don't think there's enough time to get to us!"  Ben 
started panicking now too.
	"Four... Three..."
	A bulkhead burst apart in a rain of sparks and sent the 
team toppling over.  Beams and panels began falling everywhere 
and the stations suddenly rocked as the last of the hostages 
vanished in a transporter swirl.
	"Two... One..."
	There was a bright flash of light and everything was 
gone.





CHAPTER SEVEN





	The light seemed blinding as Commander Charlotte Burns 
opened her eyes to find herself in the Banshee's sickbay.
	"Welcome back." Dr. Brian Isaac said from his stepstool 
on the side of her bed.
	She felt strangely stiff and slightly achy.  "What 
happened?"
	"We almost didn't beam you out in time."  Brian 
explained.  "The station exploded right as the transporter 
cycle began, but you all received a nasty concussive shock 
from the blast before being engulfed and protected by the 
beam."
	"So everyone's okay?"
	Dr. Isaac nodded.  "Physically at least."
	Charlotte paused for a moment, staring up at the good 
doctor.  He was a short man, for sure, but she found his cleft 
chin and dark, dark eyes strangely attractive.  An unusual 
feeling began to overtake her.  "I feel so warm an fuzzy 
inside.  I'm tingly all over."  She sighed and looked at the 
doctor again.  "I think I might be in love with you!"
	Brian furrowed his brow and scanned Charlotte over with 
his tricorder.  "That's not love, it's internal bleeding from 
the shockwave impact."
	"Oh..." Charlotte said disappointedly as Dr. Isaac placed 
a small silver device over her stomach to mend the internal 
damage.
	"I don't think we'll be seeing Captain Vorezze for a 
while, though."  The doctor said as he turned off the device 
and set it on a medical tray.
	"Why's that?"  Charlotte asked curiously.
	"Commander Tagel broke up with him."
	"Uh oh..."

	Velorn sat at the head of the conference table in the 
observation lounge, surrounded by PADD's and a computer 
terminal he'd placed there.  He'd turned the room into his 
makeshift ready room.  Captain Vorezze had retreated into his 
own ready room shortly after his relationship came to an end.  
No one had seen or heard from him since.  As such, the Vulcan 
had, with no small amount of inner giddiness, taken over 
command of the Banshee until Captain Vorezze was once again 
emotionally fit to resume his duties.  Of course in Velorn's 
eyes, that day would probably never come.
	The doorbell chimed.  "Come."  Velorn set down a PADD as 
he sipped a glass of Vulcan herbal tea.
	Dr. Lang and Commander Smith entered with several PADDs 
in hand.  "We've finished our report on the occurrences on the 
station."  Liz said as she sat down adjacent to the captain.
	Velorn nodded approvingly.  While he might find Liz and 
Dan's personal lives, dominated by hamsters and witchcraft, 
respectively, a bit unusual, he also found them to be the two 
hardest working, most competent members of the crew.  "What do 
you have for me?"
	"From what we can tell it doesn't look like there was any 
transporter activity besides the Banshee evacuating the 
station in the time between when Lieutenant Carn last saw 
Jeritt and Inisil and when the station exploded."  Liz handed 
Velorn a PADD with the sensor information listed on it.  "My 
guess is they were unable to evacuate the station on such 
short notice and were killed when the station exploded."
	"Excellent."  Velorn nodded in agreement.  "One less 
headache to worry about as we conclude this investigation."  
He set the PADD down and looked at Commander Smith.  "What 
about the robots you encountered on the station?"
	Dan handed Velorn another PADD with several diagrams on 
it.  "They're called Sentries.  They're security robots 
manufactured by Muric.  Our tricorders were only able to get a 
little bit of information on them, however, their body plating 
seemed like they were designed to keep their inner workings 
largely secretive."
	"Ingenious idea, however."  Velorn noted.  "When you lack 
an army of flesh and blood, build one of metal and circuits."
	"Has there been any news of reaction by either Muric's 
public relations department or the people of Viranis in 
general about what happened?"  Liz asked.
	"Muric has temporarily shut down all operations for the 
time being while Federation investigators prepare to examine 
the corporation for additional clues about what Jeritt might 
have had up his sleeve.  I want you and Commander Smith to go 
down to their headquarters later today to examine things, 
however, so that records cannot be tampered with in the 
meantime."  Velorn replied, leaning back in his chair and 
glancing to the planet below out the massive bay windows.  "As 
for the people of Viranis, they're used to false starts and 
promises of economic revival that never come.  This is just 
another chapter in the book of failed attempts to stimulate 
their economy."
	A silent moment passed as Velorn stared out the window at 
the planet below.
	"Sir?"  Dr. Lang finally spoke, interrupting the Vulcan's 
almost meditative silence.
	"Yes, Doctor?"
	"Do you think we should be trying to console the captain?  
I'd think that we'd want him back in command as soon as 
possible."
	Velorn nodded and sipped some more tea.  It's bitter 
taste mixed with the sweetness of the honey he'd put in it 
served to adequately reflect his overall bittersweet 
perception of the situation.  "You'd think we'd want him back 
in command, but you'd be wrong.  He needs to deal with this 
himself."
	Liz let out an unconvinced sigh and turned around.  "Yes, 
sir."

	Commander Tagel sat in solitude at a table in the 
Twilight Zone lounge.  Before her lay a salad that remained 
largely uneaten and a glass of a vile smelling Bajoran tea.  
She clutched a fork tightly in her hand, and the many patrons 
of the bar, who sat a safe distance from her, seemed unsure if 
she would be using the fork on her salad or the first person 
to cross her path.
	Most people who knew Axik knew her personality well 
enough to know to stay away.  She generally had two moods.  
The predominant mood was that of the sweet, innocent spoiled 
and naive rich girl, the product of an affluent Bajoran family 
that had escaped and shielded her from the hardships of the 
occupation.  Yet beneath that sugary sweetness, that giddy, 
girly enthusiasm she always embodied was her own Mr. Hyde.  
She was known to become extraordinarily emotional, jealous and 
angry, never hesitating to use verbal or physical force to 
reach her set end goal.  Judging by the look on her face, most 
of the patrons could tell she was on the brink of physical 
violence.
	Bartender Peter Stefanski must have been feeling 
unusually brave then.  Perhaps it was his undying need to 
provide excellent customer service that caused him to approach 
Axik.  Maybe he just didn't see that look of anger in her 
eyes.  The black belt he held in tai kwon do might have made 
him feel a bit safer too.
	"Did you need anything else, Commander?"  Peter asked 
hesitantly in the direction of the silent Bajoran.  "More 
dressing for your salad?  A fresh drink?  Prozac?"
	Axik said nothing, but simply turned her head and glared 
at the bartender, her eyes burning at him like blue flames.  
It seemed as though she was ready to rip him to shreds simply 
for his possession of the Y chromosome deep within each of his 
cells that served as the blueprint for his male identity.
	"Okay I'm going to guess that's a no."  Peter said 
nervously, backing away slowly as he saw Axik's hand tighten 
around the fork.  "Seeing as though I do happen to value my 
testicles quite a bit and wish them to remain attached to me 
for the foreseeable future, I'll just go back to the bar.  Let 
me know if you need anything."
	Lieutenant Carn sat in an unusually relaxed position at 
the bar, watching Peter as he trudged back from Axik's table 
while sipping a frosty glass of internal lubricant.  
"Curious."  He noted as Peter returned to behind the bar.  "I 
have never seen Commander Tagel looking so upset before."
	"She just broke up with the man she thought she was going 
to marry, the man who fathered her soon to be born child."  
Peter shrugged, placing several glasses in the dish cleaner.  
"I'd be upset if I were in her position too."  He turned his 
gaze from Axik to the silver skinned android.  "Do you have 
that android curiosity about emotions and trying to understand 
why organic people feel the way they do like all the others 
I've met?"
	Carn shook his head.  "Not particularly.  I have 
emotional circuitry, so I can feel emotions if I turn them on.  
I choose not to, however, mostly because of the way I see you 
crazy bastards acting all the time."
	"So you don't find humanity fascinating and inspiring?"
	"No, I think you all collectively need a drink to loosen 
up."  Carn plunked his glass down at the bar.  "Among other 
things."

      Commander Burns couldn't take it anymore.  Velorn's grip 
on the Banshee had become uncomfortably tight.  Enforcing the 
dress code, insisting on the highest quality of work out of 
all the crewmembers were just a few of the things Charlotte 
could deal with.  The complaints about strange smells coming 
from parts of her body best left unspoken of were enough to 
spring her to action.
	She stood at the ready room door and pressed the open 
button.  "The door has been locked."  The computer recited.
	No one else but Commander Burns, not even Captain Velorn, 
had the authorization to do what she was about to do.  
"Computer, override lock, authorization Burns three eight 
alpha seven."
	The doors parted and she stormed into Captain Vorezze's 
ready room, a look of determination in her eyes.  She saw the 
captain at his desk, chin resting on the cold metallic surface 
staring at a hologram of Commander Tagel.
	"We need to talk."  Charlotte said sternly.
	The captain's voice was meek and sullen.  "I don't feel 
like it."
	"Look," Charlotte sat down at the chair across from the 
captain's desk and stared him straight in the eye, "I know 
you're bummed that Axik broke up with you, but you have a ship 
out there that you need to be commanding, not pawning your 
duties off to a stuffed shirt Vulcan nitwit."
	"Velorn is doing a fine job in my place."  Jad sighed.  
"I bet he could make Axik happy."
	"You are such a sap."  Charlotte grumbled.  "Do you 
really think that moping around your ready room is going to do 
one damn bit of good?"
	Jad didn't say anything, just continued to stare at the 
hologram.
	Increasingly exasperated, the commander picked up a book 
off the captain's desk and dropped it on the hologram, causing 
it to fizzle out of existence.  "Sitting here, pouting and 
sniffling isn't going to bring her back to you.  It's not 
going to do anything but to make you feel worse and to make us 
miserable as long as Velorn commands the ship."
	"It's not that easy."  Jad sighed.
	"Easy!?"  Charlotte almost laughed.  "You're a Starfleet 
Captain and a Section 31 agent, your life isn't supposed to be 
easy.  Do you think any of the other great captains let there 
personal lives interfere with their duties this much?  Did 
Picard ever get this upset over a woman?  No!  He chugged some 
Earl Grey kept right on going.  Or Kirk!  Do you think that, 
even once, Kirk let one of the countless women and remotely 
female aliens he copulated with get to him?  Or that he let 
what I'm sure were frequent and unpleasant bouts of venereal 
disease from said encounters get him down?  No!"
	"What am I supposed to do!?"  Jad sat up and spoke with 
sudden force in his voice, almost verging on anger.  "She 
meant everything to me and now she's gone."
	Charlotte was prepared to shout back, but she didn't want 
this conversation to descend into arguing.  Instead she spoke 
gently, softly, trying to relate more than to intimidate.  
"Captain, is this really about losing Axik and the love you 
two had?  Or is it more about the fact that, since the day you 
set foot on this ship, you've built walls between yourself and 
the crew, you've isolated yourself from everyone and now that 
you've lost the only person you opened up to, you find 
yourself back to square one?"
	Jad wasn't sure what to say to that.  He was almost 
dumbfounded by Charlotte's insight into his own personality 
that he never thought anyone had realized.
	"I know you better than you'd like to think I do, 
Captain.  All the barriers you've built with sarcasm and 
insults can't hide what I can only assume is an immeasurable 
amount of loneliness inside."
	The captain looked at his first officer with a bit of 
wonderment.  He sensed a great amount of sympathy from her, 
and an even greater amount of understanding.  He didn't expect 
that from someone who knew him so little.  He'd spent his 
whole life around humans, always knowing everything about them 
through his mental abilities, but never having that knowledge 
reciprocated.  It was his own fear of opening up, something 
he'd carried with him ever since his youth, which caused him 
to want to back away.  "Why are you here?"
	"I'm here because we want our captain back."  Charlotte 
turned, feeling as though her work was done, and headed for 
the door.  "When you're ready to face up to your duty, the 
duty that requires you to be strong and rise above your own 
problems to lead the crew, we'll all be on the bridge waiting 
for you."  With that, she turned and walked out the door.
	Captain Vorezze sat in his chair for a moment, thinking 
silently to himself.  'Maybe she's right.  I need to put my 
duty first.'  He let out a sigh as his own inner monologue 
continued.  'How do I go on without Axik, though?  Can I just 
go on focusing on just my work?'  He took a deep breath in.  
'And what the hell is that smell that came off of her!?'  
Tapping a button to activate the room's built in air 
freshening system, he sat back, sipped a glass of iced tea, 
and sank further into his depressed, pensive state.


	There were rumbles of thunder off in the distance as Dr. 
Lang and Commander Smith strolled leisurely down the cracked 
sidewalks of a major thoroughfare in Kon Arlaan.  Various 
aliens scuttled about on a variety of limbs and appendages, a 
far more diverse population than most other Federation worlds 
had.  Viranis was something of the crossroads of the galaxy, 
even before it had joined the Federation.  It sat on the 
government's outer reaches, hanging off the edge into 
uncharted space.  By all accounts it should be bustling, but 
most of the trade to pass through the planet was illegal by 
Federation laws so the planet saw no legitimate jobs, revenue 
or taxes from the sales.
	A lizard-like alien approached Dr. Lang, hissing out a 
plea to her.  "Exxxxxxcussse me misssssssssss.  I don't take 
drugssssssss or anything like that, but could you sssssspare 
me a few stripsssss of latinum for sssssssome food?  The 
priccccccce of fresh ssssssnails has gone up."
	Liz raised her eyebrow, half feeling sympathetic, half 
afraid the alien might latch onto the hamster in her pocket 
with its tongue and have him for lunch.  "I'm sorry, sir, I 
don't have any money on me."
	"Oh but a woman dresssssssed like you mussssssst be of a 
wealthier ssssssssssort."
	"We're Starfleet officers on a mission."  Dan 
interjected, half telling the truth, half concealing their 
identities.  "Now please depart, you're interrupting official 
Federation business."
	An angered look crossed the alien's face and it 
immediately spat in the path of the two officers before 
silently walking away.
	"Pleasant neighborhood atmosphere."  Dan nodded.  "How 
many times did we have hobo's spitting at us?"
	"This was the thirty-fifth."  Liz said, stepping around 
the foul smelling saliva.
	"Why are we fighting for this planet again?"
	"Strategic importance, mostly."  Liz shrugged as they 
rounded the corner.  The entrance to the Muric Tower lay up 
ahead, its windows dark from the Federation-imposed shutdown 
of operations.
	"The people here look like they hate us."  Dan said as he 
observed the looks on the faces of people passing by.
	"They probably do."  Liz said as the two approached the 
large set of doors at the base of the skyscraper.
	"Because we're human?"
	"Because we're well dressed and well groomed.  Half these 
people can't afford to eat let alone clothe and groom 
themselves."
	Dan removed a small device from his coat pocket and 
placed it on the door.  It beeped for a few seconds before the 
flashing lights on it beeped concurrently.  He tried to open 
the door but it remained sealed.  "That's odd, our door 
unlocking device isn't working."
	Liz removed her tricorder and scanned the door.  "It's a 
standard door."  She said.  "Let me try something."  She 
tapped a few buttons on the tricorder and the audible metallic 
clunk of the doors unlocking sounded.
	"I ****ing hate those things."  Dan grumbled as the two 
walked into the darkened building.
	The lights were off and their footsteps on the hard 
polished stone tile floors echoed in the vacant lobby.  Liz 
scanned around with her tricorder.  "The building seems to be 
empty."
	"This is one of the oldest skyscrapers on Viranis."  Dan 
said as he looked around at the intricate, angular Viranin 
architecture.  "Jeritt bought it when he first started Muric, 
the previous occupants had all gone out of business.  The 
structure itself is over two hundred years old."
	Dr. Lang plunked down at the receptionist's computer 
terminal and activated it.  "Fascinating history lesson, now 
let's get to work."
	Commander Smith was enjoying the architectural insights 
into Viranin culture too much to pay much attention, running 
his hand along the polished stone walls, which were a warm 
shade of gray with large black tiles every few dozen feet.  
"If these walls could talk."
	"Please enter your request now."  A computerized voice 
said as one of the black panels on the wall came to life with 
a display screen as Dan touched it.
	"Well that was ironic."  He mumbled.
	Liz tapped at the controls of the computer terminal 
frustratedly.  "This is going to take a while, the computer 
database has been locked with a password."
	Dan approached Liz, hunching over her shoulder to read 
the display.  "Hmmm...  try typing in '1, 2, 3, 4.'"
	Liz typed the numbers in and the words "Access Granted" 
flashed across the screen.  "Okay let's start uploading a copy 
of the database to the Banshee."
	"I'll be glad when this mission is over and we can get 
the hell away from this planet."  Dan said as he stared around 
the darkened lobby.
	"I know, this world depresses me.  I think I might take a 
shore leave soon.  There's a hamster and people resort on 
Workel II I might take Zekey and I too."  Liz said as files 
were loaded with lightning fast speed to the ship high 
overhead.
	"I don't know what's more disturbing, the fact that 
you're going to a hamster and people resort or the fact that 
there is one."  Dan grumbled.
	A phaser bolt suddenly cut across the room and destroyed 
the computer terminal in a massive flash.  Liz and Dan looked 
up to see Inisil standing at the rear entrance, phaser in 
hand.  "Data theft is a crime, you know."  Inisil said as she 
walked slowly over to the two.
	"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"  Liz asked.
	"Just over 70 percent of my body is nonliving material, 
if that makes you feel better."  Inisil replied coolly.
	"Does that make you a zombie?"  Dan was almost excited.
	"No.  I am a cyborg."
	"Well that's not nearly as interesting."
	"I wouldn't bother contacting your ship either."  Inisil 
walked up to the two, removing the combadges on their civilian 
jackets.  "It's about to be destroyed.  Then again so are 
you."  She began to raise the settings on the phaser to set it 
to vaporize.
	Dan thought fast.  "Not if our man behind you has 
anything to say about it."
	Inisil spun around fast to face an empty room, but it was 
enough time for Dan to grab the desk chair and throw it at the 
cyborg.
	"Come on!"  Dan said as he bolted from the desk and 
towards the exit, withdrawing his phaser and shooting in the 
direction of Inisil.
	Infuriated, Inisil threw the chair off of her and sent a 
full power phaser blast in Commander Smith's direction.  Her 
precision was inhumanly accurate but Dan, fully trained in 
combat, was fast.  All he could do was throw his away bag in 
the path of the bolt, absorbing the beam as it exploded in a 
fiery burst from all the equipment inside.
	Liz made it out the door first and Dan quickly followed 
as Inisil stood dazed in the smoke.  She would have run after 
them, but she knew they would not last long on the streets of 
Kon Arlaan alone.
	Liz paused as she and Dan made it several blocks down the 
street, still well lost in the crowd.  "What did she mean when 
she said the Banshee was about to be destroyed?"
	Dan reached for his communicator that wasn't there.  He 
froze, somewhat paralyzed by his own sense that something bad 
was about to happen.  "We need to get to a communicator."


	"After you are done with the new flight training program 
I've created for you, I want you to practice for five hours 
after your shifts in the holodeck every day."  Velorn said as 
he stood by Commander Rachow's station on the bridge.
	"Oh come on!"  Ben whined.  "I already pilot the ship 
just fine as it is."
	The Vulcan spun around and sat back down in the command 
chair.  "If that were the case we would not have accidentally 
collided with that large billboard while navigating the 
atmosphere of Negalas VIII."
	Ben was prepared to speak when the ready room doors 
parted and Captain Vorezze, looking shockingly confident and 
composed, strode onto the bridge.  "Report."
	Velorn flinched at the sight of the Betazoid, slinking 
back into his chair flanking the Captain's side.  "We remain 
in orbit of Viranis."  He grumbled.  "It has been quiet 
otherwise.  No unusual disturbances on the planet, nothing on 
the ship save for the return of the particle leak in our 
cloaking device."
	The captain took his seat in the command chair.  "I 
thought I told Commander Riley to fix that."
	"He did."  Velorn said as he scornfully looked at the 
captain.  "But the problem returned shortly after we re-
entered orbit."
	"Well have him fix it again, then."
	Commander Burns smiled as the Vulcan became increasingly 
irritated.  "Good to see your back, Captain."
	Jad sighed, firmly clasping the arms of the chair.  
"You're right, I need to do my job.  It might help me forget 
about Axik."
	"Captain?"  Lieutenant Commander DiSanto said from 
tactical.  "There appears to be some kind of probe heading in 
our direction."
	Jad furrowed his brow.  "I thought airspace around 
Viranis was closed for the time being."
	"It was."
	"Put the probe on screen."
	It looked vaguely like a sleek, black pyramid with an 
elongated spike coming from each side and angling forward.  A 
vivid red glow came from the back where the engines were.
	"It's unmanned, and looks to consist of little more than 
a medium-grade phaser cannon and a short range warp engine."  
Vince said.  "But my sensors can't scan much deeper into the 
probe, it's shielded somehow."
	"It must be by Muric."  Jad grumbled.  "Jeritt must still 
be alive after all, then, if he sent this out here."
	Without provocation a phaser blast erupted from the probe 
and the Banshee lurched forward, red alert sirens going off.
	"Direct hit to the secondary hull, deck twenty-two.  Only 
minor damage."  Vince shouted nervously.  "It might have used 
the particle leak in our cloak to find us."
	Two more shots came off the probe and the Banshee shook 
again.
	"Commander DiSanto, lock phasers and return fire."  Jad 
stood up and ordered.  In the back of his mind somewhere, the 
thought of Axik still lingered, but he suddenly came alive as 
he focused on his duties.  This was why he joined Starfleet to 
begin with.  This was what he loved doing more than anything 
else.
	"Aye sir!"  Vince said.  The viewer displayed two quick 
shots of the Banshee's phasers falling on the probe before it 
burst apart in a small explosion.
	"Like swatting a mosquito."  Jad grumbled.  "Jeritt is 
going to have to do a lot better than a probe if he thinks 
he's going to take this ship down."
	The Banshee suddenly rocked again, this time more 
intensely.
	"Now what!?"  Jad growled.
	"Four more probes just entered sensor range.  They're 
firing on us."  Vince said as the ship shook again.
	This was not the relaxing activities the captain was 
hoping for to help him forget about his troubles, though it 
was quite consuming of his mental energy.  "No one's around to 
see us, Commander DiSanto, drop the cloak and raise shields.  
Fire at will at any probe that gets within striking distance 
of us."
	The Banshee came about and unleashed a strobe light fast 
flash of phaser fire on the probes.  As the four exploded, ten 
more came in from the opposite side and opened fire.
	"Sir, ten more just came in to our starboard."  Vince's 
console beeped again and he looked at it nervously.  "Fifteen 
more are coming in from port, as well!"
	The probes came about and descended on the exposed 
starship, lashing out at it with fiery orange beams of energy.  
The Banshee's phaser banks came alive, spraying its deadly 
beams in all directions, picking off probes left and right.
	"This is like being stung to death by bees."  Charlotte 
grumbled as the ship rocked under the fire.
	"If that's the case we've got a whole hive heading our 
way."  Vince cried out.  "I'm detecting at least two hundred 
coming in from all sides!"
	"Where are these damned things coming from!?"  Jad 
grumbled as he held onto his chair.
	"I can't tell, their hulls are hard for our sensors to 
pick up, by the time we know they're nearby they're already 
within firing distance."
	Jad's heart was racing as he saw a growing number of 
probes appear on the viewer.  For the first time he wasn't 
sure what to do.
	"Sir they just keep coming in!"  Vince's voice began to 
crack.  "There are at least five hundred out there and 
counting!"
	"I can't maneuver around them!"  Commander Rachow called 
out from the helm.  "They're swarming in on us faster than a 
bunch of babes to me at a starbase bar!"
	"I only wish that were the case."  Velorn grumbled.  
"Then we'd have them running away from us at maximum warp."
	"Shields at seventy percent!"  Vince cried out.  "I've 
got at least one thousand of those suckers out there now with 
more coming in!"
	"We have to retreat, captain!"  Velorn shouted out.
	"What about Doctor Lang and Commander Smith?"  Jad spun 
around.  "We can't just leave them here!"
	The Banshee rocked violently as several of the probes, 
having expended their phaser charge, rammed into the sides of 
the ship, their miniature warp cores exploding on the shields 
like quantum torpedoes.  The lights flickered and a console 
sparked.
	"Shields at forty percent now!"
	"Sir, we have to go!"  Velorn said.  "They'll be fine 
down there, but we can't take much more of this!  We need to 
regroup and find a way to counteract these things while 
they're not pummeling us with phaser fire!"
	Jad stared at the viewer, wide eyed and frightened as the 
probes swarmed in with such intensity that the planet behind 
them could barely be seen.  It was just a cloud of glossy 
black reflecting the orange firestorm of phaser fire 
concentrated on the Banshee.  "There's no one to protect the 
government down there."  Jad stuttered.  "If we flee, Jeritt 
will have driven away the only security force the planet had."
	"And if we stay, he will have destroyed the only security 
force the planet had!"
	"Forward shields are on the verge of collapse!"  Vince 
warned.  "I don't know about you but I'd rather not have a 
phaser blast come through the wall and toast me to a nice 
crisp brown.   I go tanning to do that."
	All he could think about now was the planet.  He had to 
protect it.  Nothing else mattered at that point.  Somewhere 
deep inside of him he realized that he didn't feel like he had 
anything else left in his life to matter except his duty.  
"Prepare a runabout."  Jad said.  "I'm going down there to 
find Dr. Lang and Commander Smith.  Once I've cloaked and 
cleared the ship, get us out of the system as fast as 
possible."
	"Captain that's insane!"  Charlotte shouted as the 
Banshee shook again.
	"Let him go."  Velorn protested.  "Maybe then we'll have 
a sensible commander who won't leave us in a dangerous 
situation for this long."
	As he charged towards the exit, the captain spun around 
to face the command area.  "Commander Burns, you're in command 
until I get back!"
	A sly grin crept across Charlotte's face the same time a 
look of horror and anger became plastered on Velorn's.
	"Captain?"  Vince spun around on his stool as the captain 
stood at the turbolift doors.  "What about Commander Tagel."
	Jad froze for a moment.  He hadn't even really thought 
about her since the fighting started.  A bewildered expression 
came across his face, until he thought of the pain he felt.  
The pain of losing her, of appeasing her constantly, the pain 
she had mercilessly inflicted on him by casting him out of her 
life.  He raised his head and stared Vince straight in the 
eye.  "F**k her."  With that, he turned and charged into the 
lift.
	The bridge crew sat in a stunned silence for a moment, 
almost ignoring the raging battle outside the ship.  "Well 
then."  Vince spun around and resumed firing on the swarm of 
probes.  "At least he's not bitter."

	The ship rocked again as the captain marched into the 
shuttlebay and towards the runabout Chippawa.  He was 
interrupted as Lieutenant Carn came running up to him.  
	"Sir, I must advise that this is an unwise decision."  
The android said, effortlessly walking backwards to keep pace 
with the captain.  "A good commander should not leave his ship 
in the midst of battle!"
	"I do things differently."  Jad grumbled as he opened the 
hatch to the runabout.
	"Yes, and your over-emotiveness is only going to get you 
and the crew in trouble.  You need to think level-headedly!"
	Jad looked up and stared into the android's eyes.  "I am.  
Now if you want to keep yelling at me you have to either come 
with me or shout really loud because I'm taking off right 
now."
	"I shall come with you if only to keep you out of 
trouble."  Carn said as he entered the runabout.  "Damn 
emotional organics, ya'll are crazy."
	Jad slipped into the pilot's seat and activated the 
runabout's internal systems.  "This is the runabout Chippawa, 
ready to depart."
	"Good luck, Captain."  Charlotte said nervously over the 
comm as the runabout slowly rose off the floor and activated 
its cloak.
	The Chippawa turned about as the shuttlebay doors opened.  
Invisibly it swept through the force field and out into open 
space.  Like a swarm of locusts, the probes were everywhere, 
phaser beams flying every which way.  Carn took the helm and 
with his android accuracy piloted swiftly around the probes 
towards the planet.
	"We're clear of the probes, Commander."  Jad called out 
to Charlotte over the comm.  "Get my crew home safe."
	"Get yourself home safe too, Captain.  Burns out."
	Wisps of red plasma began to lick up on the windows of 
the runabout as it entered Viranis's atmosphere.
	"What are we going to do now, Captain?"  Carn asked as 
the Chippawa plunged downwards towards the stormy planet 
below.
	"I wish I knew."  Jad said silently, not quite realizing 
what he'd done in the heat of the adrenaline rush.  He stared 
up at the rear sensor display.  The Banshee turned again, 
phasers firing every which way before firing a volley of 
torpedoes to clear a hole in the swarm.  A mighty flash of 
light came from the warp engines and wounded ship sped off.  
	"Well, it's good to see that you're prepared for these 
things."  Carn quipped.
	The captain watched until the flash of the ship breaking 
the warp threshold faded out.  There was no going back now.





CHAPTER EIGHT





	"Good morning, Kon Arlaan!  This is your favorite morning 
anchor Karista, bringing you the morning's news.  For those of 
you who didn't hear it last night, Muric Robotics Company 
founder and head, Jeritt, staged a major, albeit bloodless, 
coup at the Federation municipal building in downtown Kon 
Arlaan.  At approximately 0400 this morning, an army of more 
than five hundred of his company's advanced Sentry security 
robots stormed the building, making short work of the security 
forces on duty and capturing Governor Powell and most of the 
Viranis Ruling Council while they slept in their on-premises 
apartments.  The occupants of the building represented the 
only real Federation presence on the planet.  Local agencies, 
including police and fire, have already agreed to continue 
their work regardless of who rules the planet in an attempt to 
maintain order.
	"While details about the coup are still scant, Jeritt has 
since proclaimed Viranis a free and independent planet and 
cautioned any starship, Federation or otherwise, from entering 
the system without his express permission.  He says that a 
powerful swarm of unmanned, armed probes that he calls 
'Stingers' are currently guarding the planet.  This fits into 
reports by stargazers last night that a currently unidentified 
Federation starship was seen doing battle with a massive 
number of smaller objects.  The ship was last seen fleeing the 
system after only remaining in combat with the Stingers for 
just over twenty minutes.
	"Changes are already visible on the streets of Kon Arlaan 
this morning, but for you morning commuters, there's no reason 
to worry unless you're up to no good.  Jeritt has already 
deployed another army of Sentries to most all street corners 
in the city in an attempt to reign in on the street crime that 
has been plaguing the city for decades.  No innocent people 
have been injured by the robot guards but the consistently 
short-staffed Kon Arlaan police department has already noticed 
a marked drop in communications for emergency assistance due 
to crimes ranging from simple muggings and robberies to larger 
crimes such as rapes and murders.
	"Jeritt himself is expected to give a press conference 
later today on his plans for the future of Viranis, which of 
course we will be covering right here on the Kon Arlaan News 
Service.  And now, even though we know it's going to rain, 
here's Harrist with the morning weather.  Harrist?"


	Admiral Larry Walker was not happy.  Then again Admiral 
Walker was rarely happy, or civil, or neutral, or really 
remotely pleasant at all, especially in his dealings with the 
crew of the Banshee.  He preferred holograms as his standard 
means of communication, perhaps if only because his imposing 
stature and booming voice would somehow be all the more real 
compared to communication via the viewscreen, and all the more 
able to subdue those who served beneath him.
	"This is absolutely intolerable."  Walker's holographic 
image paced the observation lounge as Captain Velorn and 
Commander Burns sat rigidly at the conference table.  "A one-
man operation has just wrestled control of an entire planet 
from the Federation.  I can hear the Cardassians laughing at 
us now."
	"That's actually audience laughter from the subspace 
transmissions of reruns of 'Saved By The Bell' that the bridge 
crew is watching outside."  Commander Burns interjected.
	"Oh whatever."  Walker snapped.  "We need to find a way 
to combat these things, these Stingers, as Jeritt calls them."
	"They clearly exploit a weakness in the design of every 
major type of starship by every major galactic power."  Velorn 
noted.  "The Banshee has approximately a dozen phaser banks 
and a stock of five hundred photon torpedoes, one hundred 
quantum and ten cataclysm.  There are simply not enough 
methods of attacking that many objects at once with such a 
limited number of torpedoes and weapons banks.  We were 
designed to fight larger ships in smaller numbers."
	"Then you'd best find a way to remedy that weakness.  
Coordinate your efforts with people at headquarters, if need 
be, but find a way to neutralize these probes so we can get 
back to Viranis."
	"We'll do our best."  Commander Burns pledged diligently.
	"Your best is what I'm afraid of."  The admiral grimaced.  
"Keep us posted.  Walker out."  His hologram abruptly blurred 
into nothingness.
	With a sigh of relief, Charlotte leaned back in her 
chair.  "Is the admiral always this pleasant?"
	Velorn shook his head.  "Not always.  He was in a good 
mood today."

	Doctor Lang and Commander Smith sat sullenly at a booth 
in a bar on Kon Arlaan's rougher east side.  It wasn't even 
noon yet and many patrons were already heavily intoxicated, 
shouting heavily at sporting events on the subspace display 
and making catcalls to the shapely four-breasted waitress as 
she made her rounds with frosty mugs of an alcoholic Viranin 
beverage called visada.  The vile tasting substance was to 
Viranis was beer was to Earth at one point, the inebriating 
bond that held society together.
	Dan stared into his cup of aransa.  He'd never had the 
drink before but had taken a liking to it.  Of course he 
didn't have much of a choice, coffee was not a common drink on 
this planet.
	"Do you think Jeritt's forces are looking for us?"  Liz 
asked softly as she diverted her eyes away from an alien bar 
patron who was attempting to make eye contact with her.  
Normally that wouldn't be hard for Liz to avoid, but the alien 
in question had approximately fifty eyes.
	"Probably, or at the very least that cyborg bitch."  Dan 
grumbled as he sipped the piping hot drink.  "We need to find 
a way off this planet."
	"The news reported that a Federation ship retreated 
because of a powerful orbital defense system.  We have to 
assume it was the Banshee.  We haven't heard anything from 
them all night."
	"We just need to blend in then, it's the only way we can 
survive down here."  Dan glanced around.  "Maybe even try to 
associate with the locals.  Jeritt's rebellion has to have 
some opposition somewhere, even if the population has already 
been beaten into submission by the Sentries."
	"That woman over there is looking at you."  Liz said 
quietly.
	Dan glanced over to see a seemingly normal looking 
humanoid woman at the bar with a glass of visada in her hand.  
She stared at the undercover commander with come-hither 
bedroom eyes.
	"At least that one's normal looking."  Dan said in a 
somewhat relieved tone.
	The woman turned her head to a food basket set at her 
side, then proceeded to open her mouth and flick out a four-
foot long forked tongue with several glittering tongue-studs 
that grabbed what appeared to be a fried insect from the 
basket and draw it into her mouth.  A loud crunch was audible 
across the bar.
	"Or not..." Dan sighed.
	"Have you heard anything about some kind of resistance?  
I bet if we just listen enough we'll hear of something."
	Dan shrugged.  "The only thing I heard over there were 
those two drunken Viranins talking about the waitress.  From 
what I overheard they were calling out to her and appeared to 
be asking if she would show them her cat."
	Dr. Lang shook her head and finished her drink.  "This is 
a strange world, indeed."

	Seventeen hours into his coup and Jeritt had already 
commenced the redecoration of the Governor's Office in the 
Federation Municipal Building with his own tastes and decors, 
his desk and artwork having been imported from his former 
office.  It was all he could do to offset the boring, round 
smoothness of Federation design.  The massive bay windows of 
the office overlooked the central plaza below, surrounded by a 
traffic circle from which all the major thoroughfares of the 
city branched off in a spoke-like formation.  He gazed out 
over the city as Viranis slowly descended into the first 
nighttime of his reign.  He didn't turn as he spoke to the 
gentleman seated in front of his desk.
	"I know of your involvements with the Orion Crime 
Syndicate on this planet, Mister Riezkin."  Jeritt stared at 
the reflection of his visitor in the window.  "I know that you 
are crucial to their operations here.  You've had a hand in a 
number of nefarious deeds both here and across the seedier 
parts of the Federation.  Drug smuggling, assassinations and 
murders, prostitution, illegal gambling and funding for more 
than a dozen Barney the Dinosaur Reunion Specials are just a 
few of the crimes against all living things you've 
instigated."
	Riezkin stared, wide-eyed, at Jeritt as the new overlord 
of Viranis paced back and forth in front of the window.  "I 
don't know what you're talking about."
	"Oh you know what I speak of."  Jeritt turned.  "But that 
is not why I sent for you."
	"I don't call being dragged kicking and screaming from my 
dinner table by a pack of merciless robots 'sent for.'"
	"Regardless, I'm here to offer you a chance at 
redemption."  Jeritt sat at his desk, staring his fellow 
Viranin square in the eyes.  "Give me the identity of your 
connections to the Syndicate so I can continue my hunt to rid 
them from this world and I will allow you and your family to 
remain free, either on this world or off of it."
	A moment of silence ensued as Jeritt stared directly into 
the eyes of his fellow Viranin native.  He was slowly but 
steadily reigning in on those whose criminal power could rival 
his own political power, consolidating his strength and 
building a network of support by destroying his opposition.
	"My primary contact is a man named Lewrit, an arms 
merchant working out of Kon Arlaan's northeast corner."  
Riezkin finally caved in.  "I do all my dealings through him."
	Jeritt rubbed his chin and paced the office.  "An arms 
merchant, you say?  So he deals illegal weapons?"
	Reizkin shook his head.  "No, he peddles bionic arm 
implants, I should have been more specific."
	"I see."
	"But his money laundering connections go deep."
	The doors of the office parted and Inisil rushed in 
hurriedly with a PADD clutched in her hand.  "I apologize for 
the disturbance, my lord."  She called out as she strode 
across the room.  "But I have a matter that is most urgent."
	Jeritt nodded and turned to Reizkin.  "I am done with you 
for now, you have done well.  Do not leave the city yet, but 
once I am done with my final questionings you will be free to 
do as you please.  Dismissed."
	The frightened merchant quickly got up and scurried out 
of the room.
	"What do you have for me?"  Jeritt picked up Inisil's 
PADD.
	"These are reconnaissance photographs taken by a patrol 
sentry on a street in central Kon Arlaan."  The cyborg pointed 
to the image of what appeared to be Captain Vorezze and 
Lieutenant Carn walking through the crowd.  "It appears to be 
Captain Vorezze and an android under his command whom we both 
encountered on the starbase."
	"It's difficult to tell if it's them."  Jeritt examined 
the image more closely.  "Clothing and hairstyles are 
different."  He furrowed his brow.  "And they appear to be 
holding hands."
	"Is that of importance when the faces match so closely?"
	"Well I'm quite aware that Captain Vorezze is involved in 
a relationship with a Bajoran female."  Jeritt set the PADD 
down and shuddered slightly.  "Providence knows he wouldn't 
shut up about it for several hours.  I find it unlikely that 
he would also be a part of a coupling with a male android."
	"I do believe it is worth investigating, however.  We 
know two operatives escaped out onto the planet before the 
mysterious Federation vessel was driven away.  It is possible 
that other officers from the ship managed to transport 
themselves to Viranis before the ship fled in order to assist 
them."  Inisil paused.  "Plus anyone as apparently messed up 
emotionally as Captain Vorezze might do rash things in the 
wake of his relationship issues.  And he does seem to have 
strange fetishes, as well."
	Jeritt nodded.  "Look into it, but do so with minimal 
harassment of legitimate Viranin citizens."  He turned to look 
out the window that overlooked the skyline.  "If I am to 
remain in power I must win their trust, and I cannot let 
investigations against my enemies generate mistrust for me."
	Inisil nodded coolly.  "If it is any consolation, sir, I 
trust you completely."
	Jeritt smiled.  "You're programmed to trust me, that's 
why."  He paused.  "You're also programmed to do the Electric 
Slide on command for my amusement."  He then proceeded to snap 
his fingers three times.
	Inisil suddenly stiffened up before a small speaker 
extended out from behind her head and started blasting the 
twentieth century Earth dance classic.  Inisil pushed several 
chairs out of the way and began to perform the dance.
	Jeritt sat down in his chair and smiled.  Things were 
going his way, and that meant bad news for anyone lost on his 
planet who sought to oppose him.

	"Captain I am still not understanding your logic behind 
this disguise."  Lieutenant Carn said in a slightly 
bewildered-for-an-android voice as the captain tugged him by 
the hand along through the crowd of aliens on the sidewalk.
	"Keep your voice down, Lieutenant.  I mean muffin."  Jad 
called out.  "We have to pretend to be a couple or else people 
might think we're the agents that the news told the population 
to be on the lookout for."
	The two faux-lovers maneuvered there along the cracked 
and broken sidewalks.  Throngs of people were about at this 
hour, many of them stocking up on provisions for fear of civil 
unrest in light of Jeritt's coup.  Others were hoping for an 
opportunity for some good old fashioned pillaging and looting, 
but were most disappointed by the large numbers of Sentries 
populating the streets.
	Jad tensed as he and Carn walked past one of the robots, 
standing motionless save for the pulsing of the orange light 
at the top of the machine's torso, scanning the crowd for 
weapons and listening to audio frequencies for cries for help 
or signs of disturbances.  These ones were different from 
those encountered on the starbase.  They were larger, far more 
imposing and seemed to be more heavily armored and carry a 
different array of tools and weapons.  Jad could tell they 
were designed with riot control in mind.
	"Give me that!"  An unwashed and poorly groomed Viranin 
called out as he swiped the handbag of an elderly Bolian woman 
who was walking down the street.  He pushed his way through 
the crowd before the Sentry behind him sprang to life.  In a 
quick flash a phaser blast came out of the Sentry's weapons 
arm and sent the mugger falling to the sidewalk.  The robot 
raised its other arm and shot a tag at the crumpled body.  The 
tag flashed and the body was beamed directly to the Kon Arlaan 
penitentiary.  The robot then picked up the handbag with its 
tractor beam and returned it to the old woman, who watched the 
scene with a bit of bewilderment.
	Jad and Carn stood, watching the display with a bit of 
both awe and fear.  "So much for the concept of due process."  
Jad muttered."
	"At least they maintain the peace."  Carn noted.  "It is 
simply a question of whether it is right to sacrifice liberty 
for stability and security."
	Jad nodded and they turned after he confirmed that the 
Sentry had re-entered standby mode.  "In the perfect world, 
peace and freedom go hand in hand."  They continued walking as 
the crowd returned to normal after the display, wanting to put 
as much distance between themselves and the sentry as they 
could.
	Carn shrugged.  "It is an unfortunate truth that this 
world is far from perfect."
	"Some replicators could go a long way towards solving 
these people's desperation."  Jad offered.
	"According to my reference database, Viranin law outlaws 
public replicators.  People must pay for the right to own one 
and pay a monthly service fee for its operation."
	"Why?  They could do so much good."  Jad was confused 
slightly.  Viranin culture seemed so foreign to him.
	"When Viranis joined the Federation, replicator 
technology spread across the planet.  Sadly, however, so did 
unemployment.  People were suddenly able to just replicate 
food to put on the table, goods to trade at market or use for 
themselves, they could even replicate housing and vehicles 
with the right equipment.  So many quit their jobs and decided 
they no longer had to contribute to society.  Irreparable 
damage was done to the economy of those who did work because 
suddenly no one was buying clothes or food or other such 
goods.  Replicators caused Virnanin society to grind to a 
standstill and are, in the eyes of many people, responsible 
for the world's economic woes of today.  Hence why only people 
with jobs are allowed to own a replicator."
	"I suppose that makes sense."  Jad stopped and stared up 
at a tall but run down looking building.  It looked dark and 
cold, but nighttime was rapidly approaching and the streets 
outside would be equally dark and cold.  "Is this the hotel 
you researched?"
	"Yes, it's not much to look at but the price is low 
and..."  Carn paused as his internal positronic matrix began 
searching for an additional reason for his selection of this 
hotel.  "Okay, it's prettymuch just the price.  But I doubt 
Jeritt would think to look for us here.  He probably assumes 
most Federation-born offworlders would be too prissy to stay 
in a place like this."
	The captain furrowed his brow as a woman who appeared to 
be a prostitute exited the hotel.  Several voles scurried out 
the door before it squeaked shut on its rusty hinge.  "Jeritt 
would be right."  He turned to Carn.  "Does this planet have a 
Hilton?"
	"No."  The android replied tersely.
	"I miss my bed on the Banshee."  Jad pouted.  "It was so 
soft and warm, especially on nights when Axik and I would 
cuddle."  The Betazoid's eyes abruptly glazed over as his 
thoughts drifted towards that of his Bajoran love.
	Carn wasn't terribly knowledgeable about organic emotions 
but his scanners were able to analyze the expression on the 
captain's face and see that look of pained distraction 
appearing in his eyes.  Jad's features began to droop and his 
eyes became distant and unfocused, his whole body seemed 
shrouded in sadness.  Carn ran a number of possible ways of 
dealing with an emotionally damaged person through his 
machine-human relations database before deciding on his proper 
response.  "Stop that!"  Carn promptly smacked the captain 
upside the head.
	"Sorry, I can't help it."  Jad frowned.
	"Sir, with all due respect, you would seem to be 
emotionally unfit for duty at this moment."  Carn paused.  
"Additionally, I find it unlikely that anyone is going to be 
particularly believing in our cover story that we're involved 
in a committed same-sex relationship if you continue ranting 
on and on about the female Bajoran with whom you're in love."
	"I'm sorry, I can't help it."  Jad sighed.  "I get too 
emotional sometimes."
	"You really are the bitch in this relationship, I hope 
you're aware."  Carn huffed as he took the captain's hand in a 
pretend gesture of affection for the people passing by as he 
led his way up the hotel steps.
	"I just worry too much.  I'm worried about Axik, I'm 
worried about Dan and Liz, out on this planet somewhere by 
themselves."
	"They'll be fine and Axik is safe on the Banshee.  Us, on 
the other hand, will likely get robbed if we sleep on the 
street, so let's go inside."
	"I guess you're right, we can start searching for our 
missing crew in the morning."  Jad sighed as he approached the 
hotel door.  "I just hope the ship is okay and that Commander 
Burns isn't letting my putting her in command for this long a 
time go to her head."


	Commander Burns carefully repositioned the jewel 
encrusted tiara that sat sparkling in the lights of the bridge 
atop her head as she adjusted herself in the large, satin-
cushioned, heart shaped throne which she'd installed in place 
of Captain Vorezze's standard black leather command chair.  
"What is our status report?"
	Temporary operations chief Lieutenant Keller glanced down 
at his display.  "Installation of the experimental tachyon 
cannon is almost complete, as are the cannons on the other 
ships in our fleet.  They should be ready well before we reach 
the Vira system."
	"Very good."  She said as she reclined back against the 
soft red backing of the throne.
	"Very good, indeed."  Assistant Captain Velorn huffed 
indignantly as he stood in the middle of the bridge, staring 
at the prismatic streaks of stars as the ship zoomed through 
the cosmos at warp speed.  "It's a miracle you even remembered 
to supervise the construction of this experimental weapon 
against the Stingers at all."
	Charlotte chuckled as she sipped a glass of champagne 
filled with replicated diamonds.  "Oh captain you're just 
upset because I replaced you at my side with the boys."  She 
smiled and gestured to the two young, very strapping, low 
ranking male officers who stood flanking each of her sides, 
both of them shirtless and holding massive palm leaves which 
they gently fanned the Commander with.
	"No, I am upset because we are about to enter a major 
combat operation while our captain and operations officer are 
out on their own personal emotional issues."  Velorn growled.
	"Something I might consider you try yourself."  Charlotte 
nodded her glass to the angry looking Vulcan and smiled.
	"Vulcans do not have 'emotional issues.'" Velorn sneered.
	"Of course not."
	With a soft hiss, the maroon and silver turbolift doors 
slid apart and Commander Tagel slowly trudged into the bridge, 
her uniform loosely assembled over her pregnant frame and a 
glare of death gracing her normally sweet face.  She entered 
the room, staring around a bit in the dim lighting, looking as 
though she was halfway between focused and confused.  It might 
have been the lack of Captain Vorezze on the bridge that was 
what confused her.  Charlotte's throne in the center of the 
bridge might have also thrown her off too.  Her voice was soft 
yet terse as she glared at the first officer.  "Where's Jad?"
	Charlotte froze halfway into biting into a caviar-covered 
cracker and stared, wide-eyed, at the Bajoran before her gaze 
drifted over to Velorn.  Swallowing hard, she quietly said to 
the Vulcan, "No one told her about the captain?"
	"It would appear not."  Velorn said stiffly.  "I find it 
odd that someone on this ship managed to not notice the change 
of commander, however.  Especially after you demanded that 
Commander Riley adjust the frequency of the ship's warp 
nacelle grilles so that they turned from their normal blue to 
a hot pink."
	Charlotte smiled.  "The custom paint job I have planned 
will be even more impressive."  She turned to face Axik, then 
hesitated for a moment as the hormonally driven Bajoran before 
her began to tense up visibly, clenching her fists.
	"I asked you where my boyfriend is."  Axik said between 
gritted teeth.
	Charlotte tapped at some controls on the arms of her 
throne.  A force field promptly crackled into existence 
between herself and Commander Tagel.  "Okay, I feel safer 
now."  She chuckled.  "The Captain left with Lieutenant Carn 
to go find Commander Smith and Doctor Lang, who are stranded 
on Viranis.  We were chased out of the system by a swarm of 
drone probes."
	Axik's face became vacant with her own inner thought, her 
lips trembling slightly.  "So he just left me here by myself?"
	Commander Burns nodded coolly as she sipped some more 
champagne.
	Axik emitted a loud huff before continuing to speak.  
"You know what?  I'm through with this, this little life I've 
set up for myself.  I'm through being with a man who cares 
more about his missions and his work than he does about me.  
I'm through with a ship filled with a crew that doesn't care 
about me at all."  Axik hung her head down.  "I'm tired of 
this entire organization that doesn't care about the lives of 
any of their subordinates."
	"You would appear to be stuck with us, Commander, whether 
you like it or not."  Velorn said coldly.
	Axik shook her head before removing her combadge.  "No, 
I'm not stuck."  She threw it at Commander Burns, where it 
crackled on the forcefield and fell to the floor.  "I quit!"  
With that, she turned, tears welling in her eyes, and stormed 
into the turbolift.
	Charlotte sat, somewhat dumbfounded for a moment before 
looking over at Captain Velorn.  "Can she do that?"
	"Technically speaking, no."  The Vulcan said before 
turning his head to the turbolift and raising his eyebrow.  
"But I doubt anyone on this ship has the courage to try to 
stop her at this particular point in time."
	Charlotte grumbled and slouched back in her throne.  
"First the Captain flees on some random mission, then the 
replicator botched the beef stew I had for dinner and now my 
operations chief quits on me."  She turned to face the two 
young palm-tree-fan wielding men flanking her sides.  "Crank 
up the breeze, boys, momma's having a rough day."





CHAPTER NINE





	The morning commute was at hand on Viranis and thousands 
of people, many Viranins, but also aliens of all shapes and 
sizes, took to the sidewalks to walk, crawl, waddle, slither 
or otherwise get themselves to their jobs.  The sky overhead 
was still a dark sleight gray with a drizzle of water 
descending from the heavens to dampen the world below.
	Captain Vorezze and Lieutenant Carn made their way down 
the street, with Jad stopping at a food stand and inspecting 
the selection.  "What about this stand, Carn?"  Jad asked the 
android.
	Carn sniffed the aroma coming off the food, a tan 
concoction vaguely resembling scrambled eggs.  "It is ligis, a 
traditional Viranin breakfast dish blending various Viranin 
cheeses with a pudding-like base.  According to my culinary 
database it would be a dish you would find palatable, were it 
not for the fact that my olfactory sensors are also picking up 
a significant amount of the stand owner's urine mixed in with 
the ligis."
	Jad huffed.  "This is the third stand we've been to that 
had some form of bodily fluid in the food and I'm god damn 
starving."  He paused, thinking to himself.  "I mean it can't 
be THAT bad for me, can it?"
	Carn shrugged.  "Nothing bad happened after you consumed 
the ejaculatory emissions mixed in with the soup that you had 
for dinner last night which I failed to mention to you."
	Jad froze and stared at the android.  "You're joking, 
right?"
	Carn was about to respond when the Captain suddenly stood 
up rigidly and wide eyed, glancing nervously around the crowd.  
"What is it, sir?"  Carn asked, pulling Jad into a quiet 
corner of the walkway.
	"I feel a strange sensation coming over me."  Jad glanced 
around nervously.
	"Is it gas, sir?"
	Jad shook his head.  "No, I think my telepathy is honing 
in on the nearby mind of someone familiar."
	Carn nodded.  "Very good, sir.  Perhaps Jeritt and Inisil 
are out looking for us?"
	"No."  The captain glanced around again, half hiding his 
face with a tumbler filled with aransa.  "I don't feel that 
sense of danger."
	"So you're certain then that it's not gas?"  The android 
asked yet again.
	"Yes, I'm sure!"  Jad snapped as he turned to put his 
aransa down on the counter of the food stand.  As he set it 
down, a gold colored fluffy ball scurried past his hand.
	"Ack!  Vermin!"  A woman waiting in line shrieked.  "It's 
crawling all over the stand!"
	"And itsssss not even the kind thatsssss tassssssty."  
The alien behind her hissed.
	"Carn, it's Zeke, Dr. Lang's hamster!"
	As Jad quickly scooped the renegade rodent up in his hand 
he heard a loud wail come out over the crowd.  "ZEEEEEKE!"
	"Doctor!"  Carn called out as he saw a frantic mass of 
wavy blond hair moving around in the crowd on the sidewalk.
	Dr. Lang looked tired and tattered as she finally gained 
sight of the captain and Carn.  The look of exhaustion on her 
face was suddenly replaced by one of massive joy.  "Oh my god!  
We're saved!"  She ran towards the captain.
	"And you thought it was gas."  Jad sneered at Carn. "That 
feeling was that we were close to our crew!"
	Liz ran up and hugged the captain as though she'd never 
seen a more welcome face in all the galaxy.  As she squeezed 
on the captain's form, a noticeable razzing noise emanated 
from Jad's posterior.  Carn snapped his head up and stared at 
the captain.
	Jad blushed and hung his head down.  "Okay... so it was 
both."
	Commander Smith had been trailing Dr. Lang in her mad 
dash to recover her lost hamster.  He finally caught up to the 
rest of the group, panting heavily and clutching the wall for 
support.  "Don't take off like that again."  He gasped.  "I 
don't care where that damned furball runs off to."
	"You two look like hell."  Jad furrowed his brown and 
handed his aransa to Liz, who was noticeably shivering in the 
cold.
	"We slept in a back alley last night for lack of anywhere 
else to go."  Liz said as she took a drink of the warming 
beverage.
	"Oh but we met such colorful characters back there."  Dan 
said half sarcastically.  "Especially that nice trisexual 
prostitute who was discussing her work stories with me."
	"Well you're safe now, the captain and I have access to a 
runabout and a hotel suite."  Carn chimed in.  "Though I doubt 
that particular hotel will be much of a step up from a back 
alley."
	"Good, I desperately feel the need to bathe."  Dan 
grimaced.
	Liz nodded along as she fed sunflower seeds out of her 
pocket to Zeke on her shoulder.  "Me too.  I wound up spending 
the night sleeping on this slimy green pillow I found in a 
dumpster."
	As she spoke, a large, green, slug like alien wiggled its 
way down the sidewalk, then turned one of its antenna-like 
eyes in the direction of Liz and called out in a low, raspy 
voice, "Hey toots, thanks for last night!"
	Liz shuddered.  "Oh I am definitely bathing first."


	"Acting-Captain Burns?"  Lt. Cmdr. DiSanto called out 
from tactical.
	Commander Burns heaved a heavy sigh and she threw her 
head back in an expression of exasperation.  "What did I say I 
wished to be called now, phaser bitch?"  She asked as she 
filed her nails with a gemstone encrusted nail file.
	Vince grumbled, half at her attitude and half at his new 
nickname of 'phaser bitch.'  "I require your attention, Lady 
Charlotta, unquestioned mistress of starship Banshee and..." 
he swallowed hard and cringed to get through the next part, 
"owner of the hottest piece of lovin' this side of the slave 
girl brothels of Orion."
	Charlotte smiled.  "That's better, my pet.  What can I do 
for you."
	"We're on the outskirts of the Vira system now.  We 
should be at Viranis within the next half hour."
	Charlotte stood and smiled, sauntering forward towards 
the main viewscreen in her stiletto heels that she wore in 
place of standard Starfleet uniform boots.  A bright light, 
slightly blue in its cast, shone at the center of the 
viewscreen.  It was Vira, the Viranin sun.  The commander felt 
her body tense up as she prepared to enter her first combat 
situation.  "Commander DiSanto?  What is the status of the 
cloak?"
	"Cloaking as it should be."  Vince replied.
	"And what is the status of the tachyon cannon?"
	"It's 'tacked on' and ready to go."  The tactical officer 
immediately burst into a fit of hysterical giggling at his own 
pun.  "Hehe, tachyon... tacked on... it's a... pun... get it?"
	Charlotte rolled her eyes and continued without mention. 
"Status of the other ships?"
	"When we last checked in, our two Defiant-class 
companions were both ready to go."  Vince said as he sifted 
through his reports to double check.  "In fact I think the 
captain of the Hadeley is getting antsy, she keeps sending 
over messages asking when she gets to start shooting things."
	"Last but not least," Charlotte spun around and looked 
down at her uniform jacket, which was unzipped down to her 
mid-chest with nothing underneath, "What's the status of my 
cleavage?"
	Vince cringed.  "Perky yet withered, ma'am."
	"Perfect."  Charlotte plunked back down on her throne.  
"I think that's all I needed to check on."  She scratched her 
head, then dusted the flakes on her fingertips onto the side 
of the throne.
	"You could find out what the status is of our lunch that 
we ordered from the kitchen of the Twilight Zone like an hour 
ago."  Lt. Cmrd. Rachow called from the helm.
	"They're always late delivering to me."  Charlotte 
pouted.  "For some odd reason the delivery boys always fight 
to see who has to be the one to take food to me."
	Captain Velorn, who'd been sitting silently off to the 
side with a small pout on his face, abruptly chimed in.  "Well 
given your poor attempts at seduction with just about anything 
with remotely male genitalia that comes to your doors, I would 
not blame them."  
	"Especially with the boy who delivered our breakfast."  
Vince added.
	A pout came over Charlotte's face.  "You think the nipple 
tassels were a bit much?"
	Velorn and Vince nodded in unison as Vince said, "Just a 
bit, ma'am, just a bit."


	The captain led the way as the reunited band of Banshee 
crewmembers walked quietly down the hallways of the decrepit 
hotel Carn had selected.  The faded purple carpet squished 
slightly under their feet, as it was saturated with a 
peculiar-smelling substance of whose origin no one 
particularly wanted to guess.  Thin doors made of a cheap, 
thin aluminum-type metal were painted in a shade of purple 
that the carpet undoubtedly was decades ago.  Behind the doors 
as the crew walked, a number of different situations could be 
heard room after room.  Room 508: businessman making 
arrangements involving several prostitutes and a ping-pong 
set.  Room 509: a domestic dispute involving a middle-aged 
Viranin woman and a housecat.  Room 510: an endless cycle of a 
conversation consisting of, "You’ve got the stuff?"  "I've got 
the stuff if you've got the money."  "I've got the money if 
you've got the stuff."  "Well I've got the stuff if you've got 
the money."  "You don't see the money until I see the stuff."
	Jad finally stopped in front of room 511.  "Well here it 
is."  He pressed a tattered isolinear chip to an equally 
tattered locking mechanism, which proceeded to release itself.  
The battered door creaked open on a hinge badly in need of 
either lubrication of replacement.
	Dr. Lang glanced around the dilapidated looking room.  
"Charming."  She walked in with the others and the door 
creaked shut behind them.  "There's only one bed."
	"Yes, and wouldn't you know I had to share it with 
Captain Bedhog over here."  Carn grumbled.
	"I like to stretch.  It's not my fault I have these long 
dancer's legs."  The captain growled back.  "Anyway, now that 
we're reunited, this seems to bring us the obvious question of 
what we're going to be doing next."
	"What do you mean?"  Liz asked as she hunched over a 
small mirror positioned at Ferengi-height on the wall, trying 
to turn the rats' nest of hair that sat on top of her head 
into something at least remotely presentable.
	"We could leave via our runabout, but then we might lose 
this planet forever."  Jad said.  "Wheras if we stayed to 
fight, find a way to take out the Stingers from down here, we 
might just turn this struggle in our favor."
	"With all due respect, Captain," Dr. Lang said, "I think 
regrouping with the ship and formulating a better plan of 
attack with Section 31 command is the best option."
	"I don't know," Commander Smith chimed in as he stared 
out the window at the street below, "This world is somewhat 
fascinating in it's dysfunction.  Take the religious temple 
across the street which is next door to a adult gift shop 
whose sign is in the shape of a gigantic male..."
	"I think we should stay."  The captain interrupted.  "If 
we regroup now, there's no telling how much tighter a grip 
Jeritt could get on this world.  We may never get this chance 
again."
	A look of hopelessness came over Dr. Lang's face.  
"That's all fine and good, but it doesn't result in me 
sleeping in my nice, cushy bed back on the Banshee."
	Lieutenant Carn gave a huff of exasperation and walked 
over two the two quarreling officers.  "There's got to be a 
way to settle this issue like adults."

	Three minutes and nine games of Rock, Paper, Scissors 
later, Captain Vorezze began packing equipment into a 
Starfleet issue duffle bag with a pout across his face.
	"I think we're all set."  Commander Smith said as he 
collected what few items he'd had on him when he and Liz fled 
the Muric Tower the day prior.
	"Where's the runabout?"  Dr. Lang asked as she slung a 
bag over her shoulder.
	"Down the street."  Jad said as he sealed the box.  "We 
left it in a parking tower because the cloaking device isn't 
working properly, it's leaking particles like the Banshee's 
cloak was doing."
	"Well I don't know about you guys, but I sure as hell am 
ready to get off this planet."  Liz said excitedly as she 
bounced out the door with her hamster in tow.  "We're going 
home, Zekey, home!"
	The captain took one last look around the room to ensure 
he'd taken everything.  Lieutenant Carn cautiously approached 
the displeasured looking Betazoid.  "You know, Captain, it 
still baffles me."  The android said.
	"What's that?"  Jad said as he began closing the door.
	"Just how a Betazoid, with the mental ability to read 
exactly what other people are thinking could possibly lose 
nine times in a row in a game like that against a human 
without such powers."
	Jad glared at Carn as he closed the door.  "Shut up.  
That's an order."


	"Commander, we have a problem."  Lt. Cmdr. DiSanto said 
as he hunched over his station, his eyes darting back and 
forth between his readouts and the image on the main viewer of 
Viranis looming closer and close, and the increasingly visible 
swarm of Stingers that surrounded it.
	Commander Burns spun herself around and stared back 
towards the tactical officer as an increasingly worried look 
began to cross his face.  "That's not my title, you know that 
as well as I do, phaser bitch."
	"There's no time for that now, ma'am, our cloak just 
started leaking particles again."
	Charlotte growled as she spun around.  "That's 
impossible, we just fixed the damn thing.  I'm going to have 
to have it out with Commander Riley in Engineering."
	"No."  Vince shook his head.  "Both the Hadeley and the 
Capen flanking our sides developed a leak in their cloaks at 
the exact same time."
	"Curious."  Captain Velorn stood up.  "It might seem 
likely then that something about Viranis, possibly even a 
device constructed by Jeritt, is pulling particles out of our 
cloak once the cloaking device reaches a certain distance from 
the planet in order to make us visible to his defense 
systems."
	"So you think the cloak might not be broken at all?"  
Charlotte turned to the Vulcan.
	"Logically speaking, I would have to say no.  Then again 
it would not surprise me if the incompetence of this crew 
somehow resulted in bad maintenance being performed on both 
our own device and the cloaks inside our two companion ships."  
Velorn walked over to the Operations console and glanced at 
the controls.  "I would say that it is most likely that we do 
not have a defective cloak, however."
	Commander Burns grumbled.  "And here I just got out the 
cloak's warranty booklet and everything."
	"Commander, we've got company.  The several dozen of the 
Stingers orbiting Viranis have broken off and are headed this 
way."
	"Drop the cloak and raise shields.  Advise the Capen and 
Hadeley to do the same."  Charlotte ordered as the lights 
dimmed and the red alert sirens sounded.  "Commander Rachow, 
prepare evasive maneuvers once the first wave of Stingers 
reaches us."
	Commander Rachow flashed Charlotte a bewildered look 
before turning back to his station.  "Okay but I don't think a 
seven hundred meter long starship is going to be very good at 
outmaneuvering a swarm of probe-sized attack drones."
	Charlotte huffed.  "I know you're not experienced with 
maneuvering large objects in any situation, but you'll have to 
try."
	Velorn gave a surprising nod of approval as he silently 
observed.  "Impressive, Commander Burns."
	Charlotte turned to the Vulcan.  "What, my commanding 
skills in a combat situation?"
	"No."  The Vulcan replied.  "The fact that we're in a 
combat situation and yet you still managed to insult Commander 
Rachow's endowment."
	"I hate you both."  Ben grumbled from the helm as he 
swerved the ship hard to port as the first wave of Stingers 
swung by.
	The Banshee shook under the multitude of phaser fire from 
the passing swarm, shooting back from all available phaser 
banks to knock out six of what was at least fifty probes.  
Viranis loomed closer on the main viewer as another attack 
swarm broke off from the cluster ahead and came, phasers 
firing at the Banshee.
	"Is the tachyon cannon charged?"  Charlotte asked, 
holding onto her throne for dear life as the ship rocked 
again.
	"Charged and waiting!"  Commander DiSanto replied as he 
hurled a volley of photon torpedoes at the approaching swarm.
	"Fire the first charge!"
	The Banshee came about, phasers firing all around to keep 
the Stingers at bay.  A great blue flash erupted from a small 
cannon mounted on the underside of the forward tip of the 
saucer section.  The ball of light it produce raced forward 
into a swarm of Stingers before exploding outward in a massive 
electrical spark.  Nearby communications satellites sparked 
and went dark, but the Stingers kept advancing.
	"The tachyon cannon had no effect!"  A worried look 
crossed Vince's face as he struggled to keep the Stingers off 
the ship.
	"That's impossible!"  Charlotte roared as she stood up, 
only to be shaken at her knees from another wave of phaser 
fire crashing into the ship's shields.  "That cannon should 
produce an electromagnetic spark that fries every electrical 
circuit it comes across.  We didn't steal the core technology 
from the Breen for nothing, you know!"
	"The cannon is working fine, Commander."  Vince said as 
he read over sensor readouts.  "It disabled several satellites 
and a roaming ice cream shuttle in its first shot, but the 
Stingers must be ray shielded somehow."
	Velorn raised his head as a thought came to mind.  "I do 
recall now that Jeritt's competitive advantage over other 
Federation companies in the construction of spaceborne robots 
as that he had perfected a shielding technology that provides 
complete protection from most all known forms of radiation.  
It would seem he has included such protection on the 
Stingers."
	Charlotte plunked down on her throne as the ship 
continued to shake.  "Well that's not good."
	Velorn snorted.  "Indeed."

	The quarters shared by Commander Tagel and Captain 
Vorezze were dark save for the sunlight reflecting off of the 
distant Viranis into the windows and the occasional orange 
flash of an explosion or phaser fire as the battle between the 
small, ragtag fleet of ships and the swarm of Stinger's raged 
outside.
	Axik sat at the desk in the living room, coldly yet 
blankly staring out in to space despite the chaos around the 
ship.  A deep, brooding anger was brewing within her, 
festering at the very depths of her soul.  Everything she saw 
disgusted her.  The arrangement of the furniture, the color 
scheme, even the placement of the sex hammock in the bedroom 
seemed to get at her somehow.  The battle outside seemed 
trivial to the emotional despair she was experiencing.
	'Everyone's too busy with the mission to even give a 
f**king damn what I'm doing down here.'  She thought coldly to 
herself, disregarding the notion that the crew was fighting 
for their lives, and hers as well.  'I could be dead down here 
and no one would care.  Not even Jad...'
	The invocation of her lover's name, even by herself 
inside her own inner monologue was enough to cause her to 
pause to stop herself from erupting into tears.
	Axik got up and paced the room.  It was unusual for her 
to not be able to get what she so desperately wanted.  Perhaps 
it was a side effect of being the stereotypical spoiled rich 
girl.  The product of wealthy Bajoran parents, she never 
experienced wanting of anything, let alone suffering.  She'd 
been spared the harsh conditions of the occupation by being 
taken far, far away from Bajor during the Cardassians' reign.
	She wasn't paying attention or she would have seen the 
Stinger, engine in flames and phaser batteries spent, on a 
kamikaze towards the Banshee.  It struck the shields directly 
above her window, filling the room with a bright yellow light 
from the explosion and causing the ship to lurch to the side, 
toppling the already disgruntled Bajoran over.
	Pain swelled in the side of Axik that had hit the floor, 
running from her arm, down her side and into her bulging 
abdomen.  She knew nothing had happened to the child, for 
Bajorans, when pregnant, form a hard, cartilage-like barrier 
around the womb that does not begin to soften and disintegrate 
until labor begins.  She could be socked with a baseball bat 
and the fetus would not feel a thing.  Still, she lay on the 
floor for a moment, clutching her bulging belly protectively.
	The pain subsided and a look of determination suddenly 
formed on Axik's delicate looking face.  She stood up, dusting 
herself off despite the Banshee's lack of dust due to its 
advanced environmental systems.  The emotionally turbulent 
Bajoran took one last look around her home before she turned 
and walked out the door in disgust.


	It was about a half an hour of walking in the cool, 
drizzling rain to get from the hotel to the parking tower 
where the runabout was hidden.  Such edifices were common 
across Kon Arlaan and many other cities across the quadrant 
where personal vehicles were still used but there were seldom 
places to park them.
	"We had to be creative and resourceful to ensure that no 
one would find the runabout in here and realize it was being 
used for secretive purposes."  The captain explained softly as 
the away team trudged along a sidewalk running alongside a 
launch strip on the parking tower's twelfth floor.
	"I'm surprised you left it here at all."  Dr. Lang noted 
as she walked alongside the captain, glancing about to ensure 
no one was in the vicinity and might overhear bits of the 
conversation.
	"We didn't have a choice.  If we didn't power the ship 
completely down it might have been detected."  Jad said as the 
team rounded another corner.
	Lieutenant Carn chimed in, "We took extra measures to 
ensure no one would suspect the runabout was here either."
	Jad stopped and motioned to his left.  "Here we are."
	The team looked to see a large object about the size of a 
runabout that was covered completely with a large dirty gray 
toned tarp with the wording "Not A Starfleet Runabout" 
scrawled across it.
	Commander Smith raised his eyebrow.  "That's your added 
security measure?"
	Carn nodded.  "It was the captain's idea."
	Captain Vorezze removed the tarp from the vessel and 
approached the side door, entering his access code, which 
prompted the door to spring open.  "All aboard!"  He said in a 
surprisingly merry tone.  "Our second stop for this trip- 
home!"
	Dr. Lang gave a confused look as she boarded the 
runabout.  "What?  Where are we going first?"  A concerned 
look crossed her face as she prepared to hear what the captain 
had planned.
	"There's a Burger Praetor fly-thru about 3 kilometers 
away I wanted to stop at before we left."
	Liz shook her head and grumbled as she and the others 
climbed the rest of the way into the runabout and the doors 
sealed behind them.
	The captain walked forward into the cockpit as he 
activated the systems.  "Computer, recognize Captain Jad 
Vorezze, authorization code Vorezze gamma gamma bo bamma 
banana fana fo famma me my mo mamma gamma.  Power up all ship 
systems and prepare for departure."
	The computer beeped in response.  "Understood."
	Lieutenant Carn took a seat in the co-pilot's chair as 
the captain took the helm.  "Curious, sir."  The android said 
as he surveyed the control panels as they blinked on.  "Long 
range sensors are coming online, they seem to indicate that 
the Banshee is once again in orbit with two Defiant-class 
starships doing battle with the Stingers."
	"Should we hail them to let them know we're on our way 
up?"  Commander Smith asked as he took a seat at the 
runabout's tactical station.
	"Unwise, Commander."  Carn noted.  "The communications 
signals would no doubt be monitored and triangulated back to 
our coordinates.  I'd prefer not to have a swarm of angry 
attack drones descend upon our small, frail ship, thank you."
	"Agreed."  Jad said as the sound of the runabout's 
miniature warp engine powering up became audible.  "Our best 
bet is to get out of the Vira system as fast as we can to 
avoid the stingers and rendezvous with the Banshee when 
they're clear."
	Carn raised his eyebrow and looked at the captain.  "That 
idea..."  He said in a puzzled manner.
	The captain glanced over at the android as the control 
panels began to light up.  "What about it?"
	"It was... good."  The android sounded almost frightened.  
"Really good.  It keeps the runabout out of danger by getting 
us away from the Stingers as quickly as possible and keeps the 
Banshee at minimal danger by not forcing the ship to allow the 
runabout to land in the shuttlebay in the midst of a combat 
situation."  Carn shook his head in amazement.  "If it weren't 
for my massive dictionary and thesaurus subroutines that give 
me a superior command of my vocabulary, I'd say that I was 
speechless."
	The captain huffed as he activated the engines of the 
runabout and slowly lifted it off the ground.  With a signal 
to the parking tower's automated systems, the gates in front 
of the runabout opened to the airborne traffic flow outside.  
"You know, Lieutenant, while it might surprise most people to 
know this, I am not the incompetent buffoon most people take 
me for."
	Carn shrugged in agreement.  "You do have your moments, I 
suppose."
	Jad growled.  "I'm quite intelligent and in control of 
the situation when I'm in command."  He said angrily as he 
backed the runabout into the traffic stream, promptly backing 
it into the side of a passing midsize cruiser.
	The ship lurched forward and Carn braced himself on the 
forward console.  "This is clearly not one of those moments."  
He grumbled.
	Commander Smith leaned in to see what the Chippawa had 
backed itself into on the sensor display as the two crippled 
ships hung suspended by a safeguard forcefield system that was 
in place for accidents like this.  "Sir it looks like we just 
backed into a large unmanned police cruiser.  I'm detecting at 
least one hundred Sentries on board, and they've just 
activated and are on the move towards the ship's hatches."
	Jad stared at the rear sensor display as the flashers 
atop the cruiser lit up their warning lights.  "Do you think 
we're in trouble?"
	Before anyone could answer, a Sentry rocketed itself 
across the roof of the runabout with its anti-gravity boosters 
and landed on the windshield.  A red scanning beam shone out 
from the orange lit dome atop the unit and ran across each of 
the crewmembers.
	"I'd say so."  Liz said flatly.
	"Can we move?"  Jad asked as he pressed the helm 
controls.
	Carn shook his head.  "Warp and impulse engines were both 
severely damaged by the collision."
	The red alert sirens abruptly began to sound as the 
computer announced, "Warning, hull integrity being 
compromised.  Decompression imminent."
	"There are several Sentries on top of the runabout, 
they're drilling into the hull with cutting beams."  Dan 
announced.
	A worried look came over Dr. Lang's face, half because 
she suddenly realized she wasn't likely to be going home any 
time soon, but partly because of what she was about to say.  
"Captain, if Jeritt captures this runabout, there's enough 
equipment and computer data to give him a much larger 
understanding of Section 31.  He'd be the last person I'd 
trust to get his hands on that kind of information."
	"Agreed."  Jad nodded.  "Grab whatever supplies you can 
from the locker.  Weapons, personal forcefields, Section 31-
issue Beanie Babies, whatever you can carry."  The captain 
turned and placed his hand on the computer console.  
"Computer, recognize Captain Jad Vorezze.  Initiate auto-
destruct sequence, authorization Vorezze alpha one seven 
nine."
	"Unable to comply."  The computer beeped in error.  
"Sensors detect auto-destruct would be useful in this 
situation.  Auto-destruct system is offline."
	"We've got just about everything we can find."  Dan said 
as the team scrambled about.
	The ship shuddered abruptly and the lights flickered 
before the computer announced, "Warning, hull compromised, 
decompression in one minute."
	Jad grabbed a photon grenade out of the equipment locker.  
"Get on the transporter pad!"  He said as he adjusted the 
controls.  "We're beaming back to the hotel."
	A collective groan came up from the other three 
crewmembers as the climbed onto the pad.
	Jad activated the grenade, set its timer for 30 seconds 
and tossed it into the rear lounge before jumping on the 
transporter pad.  "Computer, four to beam to the Horlat Avenue 
Hotel, energize!"
	The four crewmembers were engulfed in the shimmering 
swirl of the transporter just as a laser beam cut through the 
roof and a bulkhead crashed to the floor.

	As the light faded, Jad, Carn, Liz and Dan found 
themselves on the familiar rooftop of the hotel they were now 
resigned to stay in.
	"Maybe, with any luck, Jeritt won't even make note of 
this little incident."  Jad said hopefully.
	The explosion came so fast that none of the four had time 
to prepare as the shockwave knocked them off their feet.  A 
loud, massive crack echoed through the corridor-like streets 
of Kon Arlaan as the concentrated yet intense blast knocked 
out the transparent aluminum windows of every facing building 
in a three-block radius.
	"Or perhaps not."  Dan said wearily as the sound of 
sirens sounded off in the distance and the clattering of the 
flaming wreckage hitting the street below echoed in the gray 
afternoon.


	"Commander, it's no use."  Vince cried out as the ship 
shook again under heavy phaser fire from the Stingers.  "We're 
taking more and more damage!"
	"What about the Capen and the Hadeley?"  Charlotte asked, 
clinging onto her throne while being tossed from side to side 
by the incessant shaking of the ship.
	"The Capen's shields are on the verge of collapse, the 
Hadeley has already retreated after their tactical officer 
started getting motion-sickness."
	"Commander Burns," Captain Velorn said irritably, "I 
would like to remind you that there is no shame in retreating 
when you are clearly outnumbered and outgunned."
	Charlotte laughed, "Oh you'll get no objections from me, 
Captain.  Phaser bitch!  Tell the Capen that we're retreating 
and invite them to join!  Commander Rachow, set a course for 
the fastest path out of the system, maximum warp!"
	"Maximum warp is unavailable, ma'am."  Ben said as he 
held onto his station.  He'd long since given up trying to 
outmaneuver the probes.  "Most I can give you is warp six!"
	Charlotte snorted in anger, causing her nose ring to flap 
upwards and a piece of dried mucous to come barreling out.  
"Okay, fine then, same course, warp six!"
	As she spoke, a formation of ten Stingers came about a 
pounded the Banshee's starboard warp nacelle with their phaser 
beams, one of them running a kamikaze into the bussard 
collector.
	"Shields at ten percent, Commander!"  Vince cried out.
	"Commander, warp six is unavailable!  Best I can do now 
is warp four!"
	"Okay, fine," Charlotte barked, "Out of here now, warp 
four!"
	A Stinger lost phaser power and set its course of the 
Banshee's bridge, exploding on the shields right above the 
command center and causing everyone to stumble and fall as the 
ship lurched forward.
	"Warp four is unavailable, Commander, best I can do now 
is..."
	"JUST GO!"  Charlotte interrupted.
	After a few moments the shaking stopped and an eerie 
silence overtook the bridge.  "We're clear of the Stingers, 
Commander."  Vince said with relief.  "They're not in pursuit.  
The Capen is on her way as well."
	Charlotte fell back into her throne and wiped the beads 
of cheap perfume-scented sweat from her forehead.  "Well I'd 
call that an interesting experiment."  She said, trying to 
sound as perky and leaderly as she could.
	There was an awkward silence in response to that until an 
alarm sounded.  Vince glanced down to see what it was.  
"Commander, we have an unauthorized access to a shuttlecraft."  
He examined the report a bit more.  "It's Commander Tagel, it 
looks like she's trying to hijack the shuttlecraft Koppel.  
She's used her access codes to open the shuttlebay doors and 
is preparing to depart."
	Charlotte slapped her combadge.  "Burns to Tagel, what's 
going on." 
	There was a brief bit of silence, with only the faint, 
barely audible sound of what seemed like crying in the 
background.  "I'm leaving."  She finally snapped back.
	"Well that's all fine and good, but where exactly are you 
going?  Especially with one of our shuttlecraft!?"
	There was more sniffling.  "I- I'm taking it to my 
parents' summer home on Vandor III, where I can have the baby 
and reevaluate my life in peace!"
	"Commander, the Vandor System is eight hundred light 
years away, you'll never make it that far in a shuttle!  For 
the love of the great bird you could have at least stolen a 
runabout, dumbass."
	"I'll be fine!"  Axik barked back.  "I don't need your 
help.  I don't need Jad's help.  I don't need anyone's help!  
Goodbye, Commander."
	"Shuttle has cleared the shuttlebay."  Vince announced.
	Charlotte grumbled as he watched the small type-eight 
shuttle speed off.  "Get a tractor beam on her, bring that 
whiney little bitch back in."
	Commander DiSanto tapped at the controls for a second 
before he looked up in confusion.  "I can't, she disabled the 
tractor beams... using Captain Vorezze's authorization codes.  
I can't override them."
	"Figures he'd have given his codes to her."  Charlotte 
grumbled as she fell back into her chair.  "Does anyone have 
any GOOD news for me today?"
	The bridge crew looked at one another blankly and 
shrugged in silence.
	"Sickbay to Commander Burns!"  Dr. Isaac's voice broke 
the silence.  "I've finished my analysis of that rash you have 
on your backside, and I have good news for you, just head on 
down to sickbay for your diagnosis and some ointment."
	Charlotte smiled.  "Much better."


	A certain quiet had overtaken Kon Arlaan as nighttime 
consumed the city in darkness that was penetrated only by 
window lights and the bluish light of the streetlamps below.  
Captain Vorezze sat perched on the ledge of the hotel's roof, 
overlooking the street that was twenty floors below and out 
over the city beyond, whose twinkling lights sprawled out to a 
horizon dotted with random skyscrapers.  The sky above was 
cloudy with a few, small, clear patches where the stars barely 
shone through.  Various skyborne traffic streams formed a 
loose net of glowing vehicular running lights across the sky.  
The clouds themselves reflected the lights of the city below 
with a cold, blue glow.
	"You probably shouldn't be up here."  A soothing, 
familiar voice said from behind.
	The Captain turned around to face Dr. Lang.  Even in the 
dim illumination of the twilight, she wore a look of concern 
across her delicate face, visible through the deep shadows 
that the twilight cast across it.  "I'd say we're safe up 
here, no one could see us."
	"Still..." she said, "What with Jeritt having our faces 
plastered all over the evening news with 'Bombing Suspects' as 
the headline, people will be looking."
	"I'm beginning to wonder if people on this world even 
care about what's going on around them."  Jad said as he 
watched the thinning crowd of people on the sidewalks far 
below.  "Seems like as long as their daily lives aren't 
interrupted they don't care what happens."
	Liz examined the captain's expression, the way he kept 
darting his face away from her gaze.  She opted to get right 
to the point.  "You seem upset."
	"Of course."  Jad said sullenly.
	"Anything you want to talk about?"  Liz asked.  "Being 
the telepath and all you must know I'm legitimately concerned 
about you."
	"The same old."  The captain replied tersely.
	"Love, duty, the pursuit of happiness."  The doctor 
smiled softly as she took a seat next to the captain on his 
rooftop perch.  "You're certainly not the first one."
	"I feel kind of empty right now."  Jad abruptly 
confessed.  "I guess I'm not used to losing.  Not since the 
Rameses was destroyed by the Dominion while I was second in 
command."
	"We all bare the scars of that awful war, we can't let it 
get to us, though."
	"True," Jad noted, "But I do feel powerless now.  There's 
a ship up there that I'm sworn to protect and I'm not there to 
protect it.  I came down here instead."
	"Well you'll get no complaints from me, I'd still be 
sleeping on top of that slug in a back alley somewhere if you 
and Lieutenant Carn hadn't saved us."  The doctor smiled 
wryly, attempting to lighten the captain's dark mood a bit.  
She abruptly stopped when she saw it had no effect.  "Why did 
you leave?"
	Jad heaved a heavy sigh.  "At first I thought it was 
because I wanted to be the hero and save you guys, but..."  He 
paused.  "Then I realized I just wanted to get away from 
everything.  Especially to get away from Axik."  Jad stood up 
and stared out over the starfield across the ground that was 
the city spread out before him.  "I don't understand anything 
here.  I think that's what scares me the most."
	"What do you mean?"  Liz asked inquisitively.
	"Look at it out there, Doctor."  Jad said, motioning his 
hand towards the horizon.  "An entire city filled with wasted 
potential.  We gave these people the world, a chance to build 
a utopia and they squandered it."  He sighed, his voice 
becoming dim with exasperation.  "And now, they've lost it 
completely, and no one cares.  They've lost their freedom and 
no one cares, there's no dissent, there's no revolt, no one's 
standing up to Jeritt to end this madness and restore their 
Federation way of life.  They just keep on going."
	"Kind of hard to voice dissent or stage a revolt when 
there are heavily armed robots on every street corner mind 
you."  Liz noted.
	Jad shook his head.  "These people don't appreciate the 
value of the Federation way of life."
	"I've often wondered if anyone outside of Earth truly 
understands it."  Liz shrugged.  "What do people on Betazed 
think?  How did they adapt to it?"
	The captain shrugged as he sat back down.  "I wouldn't 
know, I've never been to Betazed."
	"You've never been to your own homeworld?"
	Jad shook his head.  "My parents were both starbase 
officers, we hopped across several different bases, even lived 
on Earth for a while, but we never went to our homeworld."
	"Wow."  Liz noted.  "I don't know how I'd be if I hadn't 
grown up on my own home planet.  Earth seemed like such a 
perfect place to be I guess, in the small German village I was 
raised in."
	"It's difficult," Jad began, "for a Betazoid to grow up 
away from their homeworld in a different society."
	"Why's that?"
	The captain stared forward blankly as he spoke softly.  
"Most societies, especially Human society, are not used to 
being around telepaths.  As I grew up, I knew what all of my 
peers thought, who they were, where they came from, everything 
about them.  You know the saying 'kids can be so cruel'?  Try 
growing up and hearing what they're thinking, not just what 
they're saying."  Jad sighed.  "Over time, I just learned to 
turn off those powers, or at least control them.  That way I 
couldn't hear what people truly thought every waking moment of 
my life."
	Doctor Lang sat silently for a moment as she digested 
what the captain just said and its ramifications.  "I can't 
even begin to fathom what that must have been like."
	The captain sighed again as he searched his inner being 
to open up yet again, despite what he saw as the risks of 
doing so.  "What bothers me the most, though, is something 
Commander Burns said to me before we left.  She told me I was 
hiding from everyone.  That I build condescending walls of 
sarcasm so I don't have to get close to people again.  That 
the biggest reason I feel such an immense loss, why I obsess 
so much over Axik and I, is because I've got nothing in my 
life I see as being worthwhile besides that."  He dropped his 
head down and sighed.  The lights coming up from the city 
below cast dark shadows on his face in the pale light, and 
they hid whatever emotional signs his eyes might be telling.  
"And I'm wondering if she's right."
	Liz paused for a moment as she attempted to find the 
right phrasing for what she was about to say.  She stopped 
when she realized it was little use doing that in front of a 
telepath.  "You're very distant, Captain.  I'm not saying 
there's anything wrong with that.  You're just... far away, it 
seems."
	"When Viranis fell to Jeritt and I had to order the 
Banshee to retreat, I felt this great pain within me, like I'd 
been hit in the chest because I failed to perform my duty and 
save the planet.  And I feel it now again after we failed to 
escape.  It's like the only thing I have left is my sense of 
duty, the vow I took when I became a Starfleet officer to 
protect the Federation at all costs.  When I failed to protect 
this planet from a one-man overthrow, God I've been so stupid 
this whole time."  The captain stood up, his voice suddenly 
becoming flush with frustration and passion.
	"It's not your fault, captain, we were blindsided by 
Jeritt's technical abilities, we never anticipated we'd be 
going up against a robot army."  The doctor turned to watch 
the captain as he paced the roof, his body a dark silhouette 
against glow of the clouds and the surrounding high-rises.  
"Okay maybe you getting wasted at the gala and handing me your 
phaser was your fault, but really now that's trivial, Jeritt 
obviously had this planned out far better than we could have 
ever guessed."
	Jad bowed his head and stared blankly forward.  His voice 
was soft, resigned and carried on its tone the burden of a man 
who saw nothing but darkness before him.  "I'm a failure as a 
lover, and as a captain."
	"Don't do this to yourself."  Liz said sternly as she 
came up behind the captain.  "Lord knows I've done it to 
myself too many times in the past, it's not the way you should 
be thinking."
	"I don't know if you could really understand what I'm 
feeling right now."  Jad uttered softly as he retreated inward 
of his own consciousness.
	A hurt expression came over Dr. Lang's face.  For all the 
effort she'd made into trying to reach out to the captain, to 
break his shell and to provide him the solace he obviously was 
in desperate need of, for all of that he'd just retreated back 
into himself like a frightened turtle.  A thought wisped past 
in her mind, that of a painful memory long ago that the 
captain's comments had rekindled.  She brushed it aside.  It 
was time to focus on the captain, she told herself, not the 
ghosts of her own past.
	Captain Vorezze slowly raised his head as he felt the 
doctor shaken by her own recollection.  He prepared to look 
into her mind to see what it is that she felt before he froze.  
In a sudden realization he saw himself avoiding contact 
through the means of his mental powers, avoiding real 
interaction in favor of the fast answer - finding the facts 
before retreating.  He thought of the conversations that he 
and Liz had in the last few days, trying to find a bit of 
something to talk about in an attempt to get her to open up.  
"Doctor?"  He asked quietly.  "I was wondering about 
something."  He turned to look at the doctor, who stared down 
at him with a sympathetic gaze.
	"What is it?"
	"In the cell, on the starbase, you were talking about 
your last great love."  Jad paused, trying to phrase the right 
wording as to get his curiosity satiated but not appear rude 
or nosy.  "What happened to him?  Why aren't you still 
together?"
	Liz froze as the memories came back to her.  Jad hadn't 
realized it but the source of her sudden rush of nostalgic 
pain was brought about by the very topic that he had brought 
up.  Still, Dr. Lang knew that the captain hadn't pried into 
her mind.  Something about the innocence of the way he asked 
the question struck her.  She turned from him, as to not have 
to look him square in the eye and said, "He... he died.  Our 
ship was part of the attack group that waged the campaign to 
recapture Deep Space Nine from the Dominion."  Her voice was 
reduced almost to a whisper now as she spoke.  "The ship was 
torn in half by Cardassian phaser fire.  His section was 
destroyed... mine survived."
	The captain felt a tinge of embarrassment run through him 
for having brought those memories in Dr. Lang, memories he 
could now feel causing her quite a bit of emotional distress.  
He glanced away from the doctor before quietly saying, "I'm 
sorry."
	Liz turned back to the captain, her pained eyes casting 
out a forgiving gaze to the man before her.  She glanced away 
and, half to herself and half to the captain, whispered aloud, 
"So am I."  After a brief pause, Liz shook her head to regain 
her composure, glanced back at the captain and smiled.  "It's 
late.  I should get some rest.  I suggest you do the same."
	"Agreed."  Jad said quietly.  He gazed up at the doctor 
in a sense of wonder and amazement.  A feeling of 
understanding was suddenly generated in his mind as he stared 
at the beautiful yet emotionally damaged woman that somehow, 
through her own pain, could empathize with his.  "I'll be in 
shortly.  I – I just have some more things to sort out."
	Liz nodded and said, "Very good sir." before turning to 
leave.
	The captain paused for a moment before turning around and 
calling out after her, "Doctor Lang?"
	Liz turned to look back at the captain, her blue eyes 
sparkling in the light marking the rooftop door.
	The captain let out a weak smile.  "Thank you."
	Dr. Lang smiled back.  "Goodnight, Captain."
	As Jad heard the sound of the door latch shut, he turned 
again to face the city of Kon Arlaan that sprawled out before 
him.  He sat there, deep in thought for quite some time, like 
the quiet guardian of the city he'd soon be fighting to 
liberate.





CHAPTER TEN





	"The days of the Federation smothering Viranis with its 
misbegotten concepts of government have come to an end."  
Jeritt spoke with tone of power and confidence he found 
unusual even for him.  He stood in a holosuite nestled within 
the Federation Municipal Building.  The room was a replica of 
the chambers of the Federation Council, and he stood in the 
middle as the representatives of the Federation's other worlds 
sat and watched.  His image was captured, transmitted and 
projected into the real chambers of the Federation Council, 
thousands of light years away.
	"The only thing that will come to an end," exclaimed the 
representative from Bolia, "is the freedom and liberty of the 
Viranin people at the hands of your tyrannical regime."  The 
remark was met by the applause of other councilmembers.
	Jeritt turned to the Bolian representative with a glint 
of hatred in his eye.  "You, sir, have never been to Viranis.  
You are not one to speak of freedoms that do not exist on a 
world whose hope was lost decades ago."  He turned to face the 
representative from Viranis, a human who had been appointed by 
Governor Powell.  "One can not be free while Human overlords 
appointed by the Federation government to remedy our economic 
troubles control every aspect of our world."
	"And you think you can do better by crushing people's 
freedoms?"  The representative from Andoria asked.  "Your 
judicial system right now makes the Cardassian Union look like 
a nongovernmental anarchy!"
	"Free is a relative term."  Jeritt said coldly.  "I'm 
enforcing the laws, albeit in an exceedingly strict manner in 
a desperate attempt to crush the rampant crime that has 
overtaken my world in recent years.  My people are still free 
to choose their own destinies."
	At the head of the chamber atop several steps sat three 
dignified looking men.  In the center was the Federation 
President, Jarish-Inyo.  A worried look consumed his face as 
his government faced one of its biggest crisis's since the 
Domninion War.  This was not the blaze of peace and glory he 
wanted to end his term with.  Flanking his left side was the 
Commander in Chief of Starfleet, an ordinary looking admiral 
who seemed to have little to say in the face of the 
embarrassing defeat Starfleet suffered by their inability to 
defend Viranis.
	To the right sat a dark, smoldering figure who gazed upon 
the lecturing Viranin with a look of disgust.  Admiral Walker 
was dressed in his standard gray-shouldered uniform, filling 
his alternate duties as the head of Starfleet Intelligence, a 
position that granted him special access to the President, the 
Federation Coucil and the core gears that powered the 
government.
	Jeritt turned to face the trio of power and spoke loud 
and clear.  "Viranis's affiliation with the Federation is 
over.  We are an independent and sovereign planet now free to 
do as we wish without approval or consent from the Federation 
government.  Any attempts to recapture the planet will be met 
with stiff resistance, and any further activity by Starfleet 
Intelligence will result in my going to the Federation press 
with all I know about..." Jeritt breathed in deep as he was 
about to make the biggest bluff of his life.  "Section 31!"
	Walker froze as the members of the council looked around 
in confusion at the mention of a department they'd never heard 
of.  "We've heard enough."  He bellowed.  "This transmission 
is over."  He pressed a button and Jeritt's hologram fizzled 
out of existence.
	"Admiral, what did he mean when he said 'Section 31?'" 
President Inyo asked as Walker stood fuming at the podium.
	The words "Section 31" were on every councilmember's lips 
now.
	Walker grimaced and removed a small silver rod from his 
pocket with a clear rounded end.  He held it high and pressed 
a button on the rod, which let out a blinding flash of light 
that filled the entire chamber.
	The council chambers fell silent after the flash 
subsided.  The representative from Trill was the first to 
speak.  "Well that was a lovely lunch we just ate, wasn't it?"
	"Oh I know!"  The representative from Orion chimed in.  
"Those crabcakes were delicious!"
	The council began to ramble on and on about the 
deliciousness of the lunch they never actually consumed as 
Admiral Walker silently, sullenly left the chambers.


	A wry smile crossed Jeritt's face as he reentered his 
office in the Federation Municipal Building following his 
holographic conference.  Inisil stood rigidly at the side of 
his desk, half metaphorically standing guard over the command 
post in Jeritt's absence, half trying to refocus her eyes on 
the optical illusion artwork that hung on the wall.  She could 
almost make out the image of a cat before her eyes turned to 
her master as he walked in.  She grumbled as she lost the 
image.  "You seem pleased, sir."
	"The simple utterance of a phrase that Captain Vorezze 
nonsensically stuttered during his interrogation seemed to 
upset one of the higher ranking Starfleet officials in the 
Federation Council chambers."  Jeritt said, his smile showing 
off his silvery teeth and his eyes glowing with almost boyish 
excitement.  "The bluff I called could not have gone better."
	"Surely, however, you do not believe that one simple 
statement is enough to deter the Federation from mounting any 
kind of counterattack in an effort to recapture this planet."  
The cyborg asked as she brought Jeritt his morning aransa from 
the replicator.
	"I don't think they're even close to realizing that we're 
one step ahead of them and will continue on that path of 
development."  Jeritt leaned back in his chair as he sipped 
the warm, energizing beverage.  After swirling it around in 
his mouth for a moment to savor the intense bittersweet 
flavor, he swallowed and spoke again.  "By the time they've 
devised a countermeasure capable of counteracting the Stingers 
we will have our second generation assault probes in service."
	"What of the agents we have lost on the planet?"  Inisil 
said.  "Understand, sir, it's been quite some time since my 
last neck snapping.  I believe I'm long overdue."
	Jeritt nodded.  "They're out there somewhere, but for now 
we must simply keep them on the run.  They destroyed their 
escape craft as they attempted to flee.  My first guess would 
be that it might have been some kind of brilliant ruse to make 
me think they've lost the few remaining pieces of support 
equipment they have left on this planet so I lower my guard 
and, in doing so, allow them to strike with lethal force."
	Inisil paused.  "And the second guess, sir?"
	Jeritt set the cup of aransa down.  "That they really are 
a pack of imbeciles."
	"I vote for the latter."  The cyborg replied flatly.
	"We shall see, Inisil, we shall see."  Jeritt spun around 
hin his chair and faced out the window.  "Chase them around a 
bit.  If, and only if, they get out of hand... kill them."
	"Very good, sir.  Is there anything else?"
	Jeritt nodded.  "Yes, in fact, there is."  He pulled out 
a small transparent aluminum jar of Viranin pickles out of his 
desk drawer and handed it to Inisil.  "Could you open this for 
me?  The lid's stuck."


	The shuttlecraft Koppel hummed along smoothly through the 
darkness of space at low warp on the outskirts of the Vira 
system.  Commander Tagel sat inside, focusing her attention on 
a holographic portrait of herself and Captain Vorezze that was 
taken during an away mission on Gilassis II a few months 
prior.  She smiled as she gazed upon herself, a thinner 
version of her current figure glowing with radiant beauty and 
basking in the light of the twin suns of the planet.  She 
marveled at how happy she looked, so content, posed so 
perfectly for this moment.  She gazed over to the other side 
of the portrait where Jad stood a few feet away, hunched over 
and arms in the air as he attempted to fight off a swarm of 
baseball-sized leechflies that had decided to attack the 
moment the hologram was imaged.
	"Typical Jaddy."  She said to herself as she examined the 
expression of panic and frustration on his face as one of the 
leechflies hovered directly in front of him.  "I miss him."  
Abruptly, the Commander deactivated the hologram, stood up and 
said loudly, "No, stop it, Axik, he's evil you can't be like 
that.  You have to be strong."
	To Axik, somehow her anger seemed therapeutic, a way to 
push the man she loved away so he couldn't wreak any more pain 
upon her jostled heart.  Speaking aloud still she recited a 
laundry list of grievances with the captain to fuel her anger 
on further.  "First he runs off to some gala because he has to 
be all macho and save the day, then he gets his sorry butt 
captured."  She huffed with exasperation.  "I mean who does he 
think he is?  He can't break promises like that, it's un-
boyfriendly."
	She began pacing now, walking back and forth as her mind 
fluttered about to find more anger within her to fuel the 
fire.  "Then there was that time on Jargis V when we were 
supposed to have dinner at the local restaurant but he had to 
go and get tangled in that massive spiderbeast's web and 
almost get eaten.  Prophets be damned if I'm going to fight 
off a five meter long arachnid, free him from the webbing and 
give him an emergency antidote for the poison just to enjoy a 
quiet meal with him.  Who does he think I am!?"
	Axik spun around briefly and abruptly halted her pacing.  
She breathed deeply then sighed it out.  "Maybe I'm just being 
irrational.  Maybe I should just understand that Jad has a 
mission to fulfill and that he can barely take care of himself 
let alone make sure he has enough time to devote to me."  She 
growled loudly and stamped her foot in frustration.  "I hate 
this feeling!  I'm going crazy, I swear I am.  I'm about one 
step away from wandering around like a madwoman ranting aloud 
endlessly to herself."
	She was interrupted from her own self-monologue when the 
proximity alarm began to sound.  Axik darted over to the main 
console of the shuttlecraft and glanced down at what the 
sensors had to say.  Her blood suddenly ran cold and her chest 
felt as though someone had just punched her as hard as they 
could.  All she could say is, "Oh no."

	"Jeritt's knowledge of Section 31 is intolerable!"  
Admiral Walker's image growled over the viewscreen of the 
Banshee's main bridge.  "We don't know what a terrorist like 
that is capable of doing with that kind of information."
	"Intolerable indeed.  This would never have happened had 
we followed Section 31 protocol."  Captain Velorn said matter-
of-factly as he sat adjacent to Commander Burns in the center 
of the bridge.
	"Captain Velorn be quiet."  Walker growled at the Vulcan, 
who immediately shrank back into a slouch in his chair.  
Walker looked back up at Commander Burns.  "Report to Starbase 
85 Epsilon, we have a new approach against the Stingers to try 
out.  We have to stop Jeritt before he can divulge any 
information."
	"Yes, Admiral, we'll be there soon."  Commander Burns 
said in as professional a voice as she could muster all the 
while trying not to giggle at the massive nose-hanging that 
Walker had dangling out of his left nostril.
	"Be prompt this time, no stopping at that Frederick's of 
Andoria outlet on the way again."  The admiral barked.
	"Yes, sir.  Banshee out."
	After the image of Admiral Walker was replaced on the 
viewer with the prismatic streaks of stars, Commander DiSanto 
leaped out of his chair.  "Oh thank the great bird I've had to 
use the bathroom for an hour now but I knew he'd yell at me if 
I left during his tearing us a new one."
	Commander Burns rolled her eyes as the tactical officer 
ran off into the ship's head.  She turned her attention to 
Captain Velorn.  "What do you think Section 31 wants us to try 
now?"
	"There are several options of experimental weapons 
Section 31 is working on."  The Vulcan pondered.  "I wouldn't 
even put it past them to try to build a gigantic fly swatter 
to take out vast swaths of Stingers at a time."
	Before Charlotte could speak, an alarm sounded from the 
tactical station.  Captain Velorn hopped out of his chair to 
examine its cause.
	"Curious," Velorn said, "We are getting a distress call 
from the shuttlecraft Koppel."
	With a groan, Charlotte asked, "Oh what does that nutcase 
want now?"
	"According to these readings," Velorn said, "Her shuttle 
is being fast overtaken by a larger vessel similar to one of 
several that were observed in orbit of Viranis during our last 
confrontation.  The vessel is about four times the size of a 
standard runabout and appears to be nothing more than an 
unmanned mobile launching point for a small swarm of 
Stingers."
	A nervous feeling began to overtake Charlotte as she 
stood up.  "Commander Rachow, lay in a course to intercept the 
Koppel, maximum warp."  She turned to Velorn, "Put her on 
speaker."  She waited a moment for the transmission to 
connect.  "Commander Tagel this is Commander Burns."
	Axik's voice was stuttering with fright as she said, 
"Commander you have to help me, this ship is hot on my tail 
and it's started dropping Stingers out of it."
	"Captain Velorn how long until we're within weapons range 
of the Stingers and the support craft?"  Charlotte spun around 
to ask.
	"Five minutes and twenty seven seconds."  Velorn said.  
"I'm arming a spread of photon torpedoes now."
	"Commander Tagel, please listen to me.  Divert all your 
power to your shields, don't even try to fight them, just hold 
out until we can get there to fight them off of you."
	"Hurry, Commander, they're-" the transmission suddenly 
became flush with static as the first shots from the Stingers 
struck the shuttle.  "I've lost warp power!"
	"Sensors have detected approximately twenty-five Stingers 
surrounding the shuttle."  Velorn announced.  "Her shields are 
at 80%."
	"Just hold on, Commander, we're almost there!"  Charlotte 
became more and more flush with panic.  "Commander Rachow we 
need to move faster!"
	"We can't go any faster the ship will fly apart if we 
do!"  The helmsman shot back defensively.
	Charlotte paused and, with a wry smile, shouted out,"Fly 
her apart then!"
	With a snort, Commander Rachow mumbled, "Sulu wannabe."
	The static began increasing as Axik squealed in fear on 
the other end of the transmission.  "They're all around me!"
	"Her shields are at 50%!"  Velorn said.  "We're still 
three minutes from weapons range."
	"We have to do something!"  Charlotte became suddenly 
panicked.  "I don't care if we all hate her, there's an 
innocent baby inside of her!  It didn't even get the chance to 
annoy the crap out of us yet!"
	"I heard that, Commander!"  The garbled voice of Axik 
snapped angrily over the communications channel.
	"Her shields are at 20%!"  Velorn announced.  "E.T.A. in 
one minute!"
	"Hold on, Commander, we're almost there!"  Charlotte said 
nervously.  "Captain, arm all available weapons and prepare a 
transporter lock if we have to get her out of there."
	"My shields have collapsed!"  Axik screeched over the 
channel.
	"Ten seconds to weapons range."  Velorn called.
	"Prepare to fi-" Charlotte was cut out but a large flash 
of light that illuminated the space in front of the Banshee.
	For an emotionless Vulcan, a tone of sudden anguish 
washed over Captain Velorn's voice as he slowly looked up with 
an unusually somber expression on his face.  "The shuttle has 
been destroyed."
	"Burns to Tagel!"  Charlotte called out frantically over 
the comm channel, desperately trying to hail the Bajoran.  
"Come in, please."
	"There are no life signs.  The Stingers have reentered 
the support ship and are fleeing back to Viranis."  Velorn 
said softly.
	A cold chill ran over Commander Burns.  "Commander 
Tagel..." She uttered softly.  The name that she had 
previously associated with annoyance and mood swings suddenly 
rang out in her mind as she thought of the chirpy, cheerful 
side of the Operations Chief that was suddenly lost to the 
cold depths of space.  "I- I... I never wanted her to die."
	"We know, Commander."  Velorn said gently.  "You just 
wanted her to suffer a little."
	Commander Rachow turned, his own face surprisingly flush 
with sudden grief.  "My god..."
	Tears began welling up in Commander Burns's eyes as the 
words "The baby..." escaped from her lips as nothing more than 
a whisper.
	The bridge fell into a silence only pierced by the 
distant rumbling of the warp engines.  The weeping of one of 
the lower ranking science officers became audible as mascara-
tinted tears began to roll down Charlotte's face.
	With a soft hiss, the doors from the ship's head split 
apart and Lt. Cmrd. DiSanto strode out.  A large smile graced 
his face from the relief he suddenly felt from the bathroom as 
he clapped his hands together and looked around before 
chirpily asking, "So, what'd I miss?"


	Nighttime had fallen over a quiet section of northern Kon 
Arlaan as Captain Vorezze and Lieutenant Carn walked quietly 
along an uneven sidewalk on this tree-lined street.  Northern 
Kon Arlaan was, by most accounts, one of the few remaining 
'nice' neighborhoods that the Viranin capital city had to 
offer.  Crime was far lower here in this sanctuary for 
Viranis's middle class than anywhere else in the city.  A 
fresh rain had left the air thick with humidity on this 
relatively warm evening.  As the captain walked, the scent of 
flowers from the garden of a house along the street began to 
waft into his nostrils.  It was a soft, sweet, almost relaxing 
scent that reminded Jad just a bit of lilacs.  
	The houses lining the street were all quite old.  
Traditional Viranin architecture by nature, the buildings 
consisted of a flat front face that housed the door and many 
large windows.  The sides of the structure were angled in 
similar to an A-frame style house on Earth, but with the 
backside coming more to a point.  The walls inside most did 
not reflect the angles of the exterior, however, because most 
all of the houses' operating equipment were housed in the free 
space between the outer and inner walls created by the angles.  
Many of the structures were ornately decorated with patterns 
and gildings that were in various states of repair or 
disrepair, depending upon how much effort the houses' owners 
put into the upkeep.
	"You remembered to bring our banking chip, correct 
Captain?"  Lieutenant Carn asked as the two quietly walked 
towards a commercial cross street a block ahead.
	The captain nodded in response.  "Yes, I purchased a 
wallet earlier today to house my identification and money 
materials."
	Carn nodded as he examined the small bulge in the 
captain's rear pocket.  "So that's what the bump on your 
buttocks was.  For a moment I had wondered if you'd taken to 
spanking yourself in the absence of having someone else to do 
it for you."
	"Very funny, Lieutenant."  Jad snorted sarcastically.  
"You and I both know it's impossibly to find a good sturdy 
paddle on this planet anyway."  The two continued to walk in 
silence again before the Captain resumed speaking.  "Remind me 
again where we're headed, please."
	"Up ahead is Thrissas Street, the commercial anchor of 
the upper-middle class Kon Arlaan neighborhood that we're in.  
There is a bar one block down Thrissas called Z that caters to 
the neighborhood's upper crust crowd.  If we are going to find 
anyone who will be unhappy with Jeritt's rise to power, it 
would likely be in a bar filled with those who still have a 
good life on this planet."
	"Z?  That's it?"  Jad furrowed his brow.  "Doesn't seem 
like a particularly original name for a bar."
	"Captain, need I remind you that you neglected to select 
a name for the Banshee's own primary bar and lounge area when 
the ship was launched; it was eventually our bartender who 
elected to call it The Twilight Zone."
	Jad glared menacingly at the android before quietly 
muttering, "Did I mention I hate you?"
	The pair rounded the corner onto Thrissas Street.  
Streetlamp illumination became a bit brighter and the 
sidewalks widened.  The surface was only lightly cracked in 
some parts, though the curbs had worn away due to the harsh 
erosive effects of the planet's near-constant rainfall.  
Personal shuttles lined the streets and lights shone brightly 
out of many windows, mostly bars frequented by well-dressed 
Viranins.  Laughter could be heard from some of the bar 
patrons, already inebriated by liquors imported from around 
the quadrant.
	"There is one other reason, likely the most significant 
one as to why I chose this particular establishment."  Carn 
said as they crossed the street.
	"And that is?"
	Carn smiled.  "It's karaoke night!"
	Jad grumbled.  "I was hoping it's two-for-one drink 
night, I need a shot of something right about now."  Jad 
whined.
	"Not on my watch, Lushy McDrinksalot."  Carn said flatly.
	The bar Z occupied the lower level of a renovated Viranin 
house.  The windows showed a dimly lit interior with a large 
crowd of people milling around inside.  Etched into the window 
was the letter "Z" and its equivalent in seventeen different 
languages, all lit from behind with a soft, blue glow.
	The captain felt himself tense up as they approached the 
new-looking transparent aluminum door.  An unusually 
disgruntled looking Tellerite sat on a stool just past the 
door as the bar's bouncer.  "I need to see some identification 
gentlemen."  The bouncer said in a husky voice.
	Jad opened his wallet and removed the ID chip of his 
alias.  Section 31 had the resources to ensure that all agents 
had genuine Federation ID chips that worked in all forms of 
scanning device.
	"Thank you, Mr..." the bouncer looked at the name on the 
tricorder he was reading the chip with, "Mr. Honeycut.  Enjoy 
your evening."
	The inside of Z was dark and loud, with a feeling of 
cheap refinement abound.  Walls were painted a warm, dark 
brown and accented by spotlights overhead that showed the 
inferior paint job attempting to hide cracks and ripples in 
the building materials below.  Jad's senses were overwhelmed 
as his telepathy picked up a surge of emotions from the bar 
patrons around him, most of whom were standing in circles 
talking and clutching bottles of ice cold visada from a 
variety of manufacturers.  "One drink, Lieutenant."  Jad said 
softly to Carn as he walked up behind him.  "I need to loosen 
up if we're to try to get people talking and locate a 
resistence movement."
	"We're supposed to be using code names, remember, 
Dontar?"  The android snapped as his eyes flitted to and fro 
to survey the crowd.  "My name is Data Stud, respected android 
actor in the adult erotic holoprogram industry."
	The captain raised his eyebrow.  "How come you got to 
pick your secret agent name?"
	"The person who runs the Section 31 naming department is 
another Moong-type android.  We hook each other up."  The 
android sighed and looked at the crowd.  "We'll stand out more 
if we're not drinking, so I suppose I can let you have just 
one bottle of visada.  Just don't repeat your actions from the 
ship's New Year's party last year."
	Jad huffed.  "I've apologized to Lieutenant Gupta and his 
parrot repeatedly for that unpleasantness.  I've learned my 
lesson."  He turned to the bar to place his order.
	Carn spun around and turned on his audio filtering 
subroutine.  The crowd was predominantly middle-class Viranins 
in their mid to late twenties, most of them dressed in clothes 
that the android's fashion critic subroutine was quietly 
flashing last-season warning signals for.  He heard "Jeritt" 
on a few of the patrons' lips, with others voicing quiet fear 
and concern over the coup.  Another party was discussing the 
economic implications of Jeritt's takeover and what good and 
bad things it might bring about.  Yet another group of people 
were quietly discussing what they called a strange looking 
android who kept staring at them most peculiarly as if he was 
trying to listen in on them from afar.
	"Hey, check it out!"  Jad grinned as he examined his 
bottle of visada.  "They have labels on the back with funny 
catchphrases."
	"Alcoholic beverage brewers have been doing that for 
centuries."  Carn noted.
	"Oooh, this one's clever."  Jad spun his bottle around to 
face Carn.  The label on the bottle read in large letters, "I 
May Be Your Best Option."
	The android shook his head.  "If that were the case, my 
first order of business would be to delete my romance and 
sexuality subroutines.  Thankfully, however, I don't swing 
that way.  I only do other artificial life forms.  And let's 
be honest, if I ever did decide to be with an organic, I could 
find a much better carbon-based bag of water than you."
	The captain, still giddily immersed in the wittiness of 
the line, peeled the label off of the bottle and stuck it to 
his sweater.  "Okay, now let's go mingle.  What have you found 
out so far, Lieuteeeerrruh- Mr. Stud?"
	"Well Dontar, it sounds like Jeritt is the word on most 
people's lips from what my audio sensors can hear.  Except 
that group off in the corner, I think now they're discussing 
some tall dork with a sticker on his shirt standing next to a 
creepy android.  Either way everything sounds quite benign.  
No talks of secret meetings, underground movements or even 
bake sales to raise money for arms."
	"They're paralyzed with fear."  Jad mumbled as he made 
his way across the room to a small table.  "I can sense it in 
the crowd, an overarching sense of worry and nervousness."
	"These are the ones who would stand to lose the most if 
Viranis's condition were to deteriorate.  Most of them still 
have lives and livelihoods that all depend on if we can 
overthrow one single ruthless dictator."  Carn noted.  "And a 
number of them also stand to lose their under-the-table 
pleasureweed dealing businesses."
	Jad nodded as he watched people mingle.  Abruptly he felt 
a sudden stirring in his back pocket.  He spun around to see a 
scraggly looking middle aged Viranin woman of thin build with 
short hair standing in a woefully revealing faded blue 
sundress behind him.  Confused, the captain reached for his 
back pocket before noticing the absence of his wallet.
	"Carn."  He whispered at the android.  "That woman behind 
me just stole my wallet!"
	The android glanced over at the woman, who slowly drifted 
away from the captain, clutching a folded white envelope.  
"Are you certain it was her?  Or for that matter that your 
wallet isn't in your other pocket?"
	"Yes.  It's gone and she was the only one behind me.  I'm 
having trouble reading her thoughts, though, but I'm getting a 
lot of guilt coming from her."
	"Go talk to the bouncer then.  We don't want to cause a 
scene if we try to retrieve it ourselves."
	The captain growled under his breath as anger crept over 
him while he worked his way across the bar.  It seemed 
somewhat counterproductive for him to be working to liberate a 
planet whose residences would steal his credit chips, 
identification and the buy-eight-get-one-free stamp card he'd 
almost completed for the sub shop near the hotel.  "Excuse 
me."  Jad said, tapping the bouncer on the arm.  "I have a 
problem." 
	"So do most of the people in this bar."  The Tellerite 
bouncer snorted.  "That's what booze is for."
	"No, that woman over there in the blue dress just picked 
my pocket and stole my wallet."
	The thought of doing actual work made the bouncer grumble 
as he hopped off his stool, revealing his height to be a good 
foot shorter than the captain's, and trotting across the bar.  
"Excuse me, ma'am."  He said as he began frisking the woman 
without other explanation.
	"What's going on?"  The woman sounded confused but not 
particularly surprised by the bouncer's actions.  "Why are you 
touching me?"
	"You're just so damn gorgeous."  The bouncer mused.  "No 
we just have to check something, ma'am."
	"Check that envelope."  Jad said quietly to the bouncer.
	The bouncer reached for the envelope but the woman held 
it away.  "It's just letters."  She said defensively, then 
proceeded to open the top and flash a few pieces of paper.  
"See?  They're just letters from my stalker."
	"Alright, alright."  The bouncer said as he patted her 
down some more.
	"I don't know what you're lookin' for."  The woman said 
in a slow, slightly dazed manner.  "Look I don't even have 
anywhere to put anything.  I'm not even wearing underwear."  
She promptly raised her dress up to reveal her naked 
undercarriage to the captain and the bouncer.
	"Oh god!"  Jad shrieked as he looked away.  "I think I 
just looked right into it."
	The bouncer turned and shrugged at the captain.  "I 
couldn't find anything."
	Becoming more infuriated with the inebriating effects of 
the visada slowly seeping in, the captain tersely said, "You 
can't possibly believe that explanation for the envelope.  Who 
the hell carries letters from a stalker to a bar, for crying 
out loud!?"
	"Look I don't got the power to strip search or force her.  
You want that, you're gonna have to call the police."
	Anger began overtaking the captain.  Going to the police 
was not an option, not when he was currently wanted by the 
police and every other part of Jeritt's government on the 
planet.  Out of options for the time being, he walked back to 
Carn, who stood by the wall observing the situation.
	"What's going on now?"  The android asked as he sorted 
various communicator numbers he'd received from passing 
patrons during his wait.
	"She has the wallet in that envelope, I'm sure of it, but 
the bouncer doesn't have the authority to force her to search 
it and I can't risk calling the police."
	"It's a Section 31 funded expense account."  Carn 
shrugged.  "It's not like you lost any real money."
	Jad was about to speak when the woman approached him, her 
face glossed over with a nervous sweat.  "Sir, I hope you 
don't think I stole your wallet."
	The captain's eyes narrowed with rage.  "I never said 
anything about me thinking that you stole my wallet."
	The woman looked blindsided by the captain's observation 
for a moment, then quickly opened the now much flatter looking 
envelope and said, "See, they're just letters... letters from 
a stalker... who keeps harassing me..."
	Carn raised his eyebrow.  "That's certainly one of the 
more original excuses I've heard."
	"Well I'm sorry for your loss, but I have to be going."  
The woman said before vanishing off into the crowd.
	Jad was stewing in anger and Carn could tell.  The 
captain's ears tended to turn red whenever he became upset and 
his temples were pulsing from his quickened heart rate.
	"We should go too, forget about this whole night."  Carn 
said nervously.  "We'll try again at a different bar tomorrow 
night."
	"When we recapture this world,"  Jad said as he turned 
and followed Carn out the exit, "I am personally going to 
track that woman down, frame her for a high crime against the 
Klingon Empire and make sure she spends the rest of her life 
shivering in the cold of Rura Penthe."
	"Oh you."  Carn chuckled as he escorted the captain out.  
"You're always so sweet and lovable when you're drunk."


	The Viranin sun was a distant but bright orb on the main 
viewscreen of the Banshee as the mighty starship sat, cloaked, 
a safe distance away from the Stingers.
	"We're getting some bit of a signal, Commander."  
Lieutenant Commander DiSanto said from tactical as he scanned 
for any trace of the away team's communicators.  "They may 
very well be trying to contact us."
	"Or it could be another one of those subspace pop-up ads 
that will advertise credit consolidation on the main viewer."  
Lieutenant Commander Rachow grumbled from the helm.
	"That is a risk we will have to take."  Velorn 
interjected.  "Our people are in danger and we should not put 
our desire to avoid a minor annoyance ahead of the safety of 
valued members of the crew... and the captain."
	"Agreed."  Commander Burns said as she waited for her 
leopard print nail polish to dry.  "See if we can establish a 
connection."
	"Yes, ma'am."  Vince said.
	The viewer became a mess of static before clearing into 
the face of Dr. Lang and Commander Smith standing side by 
side.  "My god we got through!"  Liz cheered.  Zeke sat 
perched on her shoulder and threw his little hamster arms up 
in the air in celebration as well.
	"Good to see you're in one piece, Doctor."  Charlotte 
smiled.  "How are you guys doing down there?"
	"We lost the runabout in an attempt to flee the planet."  
Dan said.  "We salvaged some equipment but we're holed up in a 
sleazy hotel until we can think of a better plan."
	Now that Commander Smith mentioned it, the marks on the 
ceiling of that room did look familiar to Commander Burns.  
She shook it off and kept focused on the task at hand.  "How 
in the quadrant did you manage to lose the runabout?"
	"The captain backed it into a police cruiser and we had 
to blow it up."
	Velorn raised his eyebrows.  "How odd that my first guess 
was the correct one."
	Charlotte's stomach turned.  She'd been putting off 
having to deliver the news about Axik's shuttle, mostly 
because of strange sensor data that was detected.  "How is the 
captain, anyway?"
	Dan jumped as the hotel room door opened and Carn and Jad 
trudged back in from their night at the bar.
	"Well I guess you can ask him yourself."  Liz smiled.
	Jad looked at Charlotte's face on the display screen and 
his shoulders sank.  "Well this night isn't getting much 
better."
	Charlotte grinned.  "Hello to you too, sunshine."
	"What's the report from your end?"  The captain asked as 
he sat on the end of the stiff and strange smelling hotel room 
bed.
	"Not good I'm afraid."  The first officer began.  
"Jeritt's fleet seems to be getting more sophisticated, with 
large support craft now in service that can deploy Stingers at 
longer distances."
	"Hardly a good thing."
	"No, but we have hope.  I can't discuss our specifics 
because the transmission might be monitored, but we're making 
preparations now to launch a new offensive, one that should be 
much more effective and keep the ship largely out of harm's 
way at the same time.  We should be ready to engage in forty-
eight hours."
	The signal suddenly became flush with static before 
stabilizing again.  "There's a bit of interference coming in 
all of the sudden."  Vince said as he attempted to adjust the 
controls.  "It's like someone's trying to block the signal."
	A smile had been brought to the captain's face as he saw 
his bridge, his ship, his home that he longed to go back to.  
That slowly melted away as a bad feeling began to overtake 
him.  "How's Axik been?"  He asked.
	Charlotte froze, then swallowed hard.  "She, uh, fled the 
ship after our second battle with the Stingers.  She left on 
the Shuttlecraft Koppel late last night."
	Jad's shoulders sank.  "So it really is over."
	"Captain there's more."  Charlotte said as the signal 
crackled again.  "I don't know how to say this so I'll just be 
blunt.  Her shuttle was intercepted by a squadron of Stingers 
and destroyed."
	The expression of melancholy that the captain had 
previously been wearing immediately evaporated in favor of a 
look of sheer horror that crept across his face.  "What?"
	"We tried to get to her as fast as we could, but we were 
too late."
	Hyperventilating set in and the captain began stammering 
"Oh my god.  Oh god, no!" The signal degraded further and the 
picture became garbled.
	"Captain, wait, we don't think that-" Charlotte began 
before the signal suddenly dropped at the image of the distant 
Vira system replaced the captain's face on the viewer.
	"We lost the signal."  Vince said quietly.  "I'm almost 
positive someone was jamming it."
	A mournful look crossed Charlotte's face.  She became 
worried for her distant colleague.  He was in danger as it was 
and now he faced the worst news possible of his life.  The 
bridge remained silent but she swore that, across the vastness 
of space that separated the Banshee from Viranis, she could 
almost hear the sound of the captain's tortured cries.
	"We need to work faster to rescue them."  Was all the 
Commander could say.





CHAPTER ELEVEN





	The blinds were shut but the morning light still crept in 
through the windows, the dull, lifeless gray that always 
consumed the planet.  Jad sat silently on the hotel bed, his 
arms crossed over his chest and his eyes feeling spent and 
slightly stiff from a night of tears.  The room was empty save 
for Dr. Lang; Carn and Dan had gone out to pick up food.  The 
inside of the captain's mind was like a slideshow of memories 
of himself and his imzadi, lighting fast flashbacks of all 
times good and bad.  They were mixed with fantasies about what 
might have been.  He'd so looked forward to the life he wanted 
to lead, the child he was going to be raising and all the 
small pleasures that come from a family.
	Liz was surprised that the Captain was taking Axik's 
death so well.  She, herself, was quite shaken by the news of 
her passing.  Axik was a colleague who, save for that one slap 
fight they'd gotten into earlier that year, was always a 
pleasure to work with.  The crying was there, for sure.  Liz 
had an immense respect for a man who wasn't afraid to cry, a 
man who wasn't afraid to show his emotions.  Having 
encountered the lingering remnants of chauvinism often in her 
career, to see a man such as the captain so openly express how 
he feels, in all of its confused and unhealthy glory, seemed 
refreshing somehow.  The silence of the room was awkward, 
though.  She glanced to the glass of ice water, long since 
melted, that sat on the captain's nightstand.  "You haven't 
touched your water."  She said softly.  "I know Betazoids tend 
to lose a lot of water when they become upset.  You need to 
maintain your hydration."
	"There was a bug in the ice."  Jad said quietly.
	Liz leaned in and took a closer look.  Sure enough a 
large, twelve legged insect that looked like a cross between a 
cockroach and former Earth actor Marlon Brando floated 
motionless in the slightly off-color Kon Arlaan municipal tap 
water.  "You could have said something."
	"I didn't want to be a nuisance."  He sighed.
	"I don't think you're capable of being a nuisance right 
now, Captain."
	"Don't lie to a Betazoid.  Right now you're here for pity 
but you want nothing more than to go back to your quarters on 
the Banshee and soak in your jakuzzi."
	"Well yes."  She said quietly.  "This is an awkward 
moment for anyone, really.  But I'm determined to help you 
through this."
	"Don't."  Jad said quietly.  "I don't want help right 
now.  I just need to digest this first.  I'm too numb from all 
of this to even begin the healing process."
	Liz sighed.  "I know.  I just wish I could make it better 
for you.  If it helps any, right now Commander Smith and 
Lieutenant Carn are out getting you one of your favorite foods 
to cheer you up."

	"So what are we looking for again?"  Commander Smith 
asked as he perused the wares at an outdoor market stand in 
inner Kon Arlaan.
	"It's a rare, long forgotten delicacy from Earth."  Carn 
said as he used his optical scanners to better scan the 
selection.  "I believe they're called 'pop tarts.'"
	"Pop?  Do they explode or something?"  Dan asked.
	"Perhaps.  Human foods tend to be strange in the way 
they're prepared."  Carn said.
	Dan shrugged.  "I tend to prefer Bolian myself.  In fact 
I could go for some steamed slimecrab claws right about now."
	Carn glanced nervously at the towering Sentry that stood 
guard over the market.  He wasn't sure what it was but 
something seemed peculiar about this particular one.  His 
android senses were finely honed and even the tiniest of 
variances he could detect.  This one just seemed more active 
than previous ones have been.  "Commander, you're a spiritual 
person, no?"
	Dan nodded.  "If by spiritual you mean I've studied and 
practiced all major known religions and engage in rituals and 
cast spells and incantations and have successfully harnessed 
supernatural energy and conjured spirits, then yes, I am quite 
spiritual."
	"Do you ever get an overwhelming feeling of dread that 
you don't know why?  You know, something seems off."  Carn 
asked as he placed several exotic looking melons into a 
vacuum-sealing bag.
	"Every time I enter the bridge's bathroom after Commander 
Burns."  Dan replied.
	Carn sighed.  His emotion and instinct programming were 
both attempting to tell him something but he wasn't sure what 
it was.  He sealed the bag and the clear sheets automatically 
clung to the sides of the melons, locking them in air-tight 
freshness.  Placing it in the basket he held, he turned to 
proceed down the sidewalk only to find himself standing face 
to face with Inisil.  "Well that explains that odd display of 
emotion."
	Inisil smacked her lips and stared coldly at two of her 
four targets.  "For undercover operatives, you certainly seem 
comfortable parading around in front of Sentries in 
surveillance mode."
	Dan spun around at the sound of Inisil's voice and 
dropped his bag.  "Oh s**t."
	"Cyborgs do not s**t, Mr. Leopold."  Inisil shot back.  
"Rather I process my energy intake more efficiently and 
require excreting no more than an occasional bubble of gas."
	Dan and Carn looked at each other and started giggling.
	"Regardless, I am placing you under arrest."  Inisil 
grabbed Commander Smith by the shirt and removed a pair of 
restraint cuffs from a pouch on her hip.
	Carn quickly countered by drop kicking Inisil before she 
could cuff the Commander.  "Run!"  He shouted.
	As Inisil bounced up from the ground the Sentry behind 
her came alive and sent a phaser beam squarely at the fleeing 
officers.  Carn was fast and activated the personal force 
field he was wearing and the beam crackled off of the 
invisible wall.
	"That thing just shorted out my force field in one shot!"  
Carn exclaimed as the two tried to blend in with the crowd of 
other shoppers who were running from the market in a panic, 
screaming.
	Inisil came up fast behind them and jumped on Carn's back 
as the Sentry fired another shot, missing Commander Smith by 
mere centimeters and hitting a basket of fruit instead, which 
promptly exploded in a hot, sweet smelling mushy blast.
	"Take care of her, I'll try to take out our robotic 
friend!"  Dan shouted as he removed a small type-1 phaser from 
his pocket and shot at the Sentry.
	Carn spun around as Inisil began clawing at the android's 
metallic skin.  "Oh come on I just went in for a polish job 
two months ago."  He cried out as he grabbed at the writhing 
cyborg on his back.
	Dan fired another shot at the Sentry, hitting it mid 
chest and causing a plate of armor to spark and fall off.
	"You won't lose me so easily this time."  Inisil said 
through grated teeth as she began tearing at a seam in Carn's 
outer skin, trying to expose the circuitry below.
	The android finally got hold of the cyborg on his back 
and, with as much strength as his mechanical arms could 
muster, ripped Inisil from him like a massive leech and 
slammed her onto the ground, her hip pouch contents spilling 
over the ground.
	The Sentry fired again, blasting through another produce 
stand that burst into flames.
	Inisil slid from underneath Carn's grasp and in between 
her legs where she aimed a hard punch directly above her and 
in between his legs.  Carn squealed out and fell over on 
impact, saying between gritted teeth, "Oh why the hell did Dr. 
Moong have to make me realistic by giving me computerized 
nerve endings down there!?"
	Inisil stood over Carn, pinning him down with enough 
force that the android was paralyzed.  She did not sweat but 
nevertheless looked jostled and aggravated, long raven hair a 
mess and her full lips parted to allow a greater intake of air 
to feed the chemical processes of her biological components.  
"You have nowhere to go now."
	Carn looked up at Inisil as she gazed down at him with a 
piercing glare, her face just inches away from his.  "You were 
a worthy opponent."  She said menacingly.  "But the day is 
mine."
	A strange feeling overcame Carn as he stared up at 
Inisil's cold, vicious beauty.  He couldn't fight it anymore 
and he leaned up and planted a firm, full kiss square on her 
lips.
	Inisil's internal programming wasn't quite sure what to 
make of what was taking place.  On the one hand she respected 
Carn to some degree for being such a worthy adversary, though 
that alone did not qualify him for this kind of sudden 
romantic move.  On the other hand, he was least likely to 
break of any of her more recent suitors.
	Dan put the awkward exchange between Carn and Inisil to 
good use and glanced down and saw a larger - and much more 
powerful type-2 phaser that the cyborg had dropped on the 
ground.  He grabbed it and set it for full power and aimed for 
the Sentry.  The superheated shot split the air like a crack 
of lightning and ripped through the massive robot, causing it 
to burst apart in a massive spark of fire and debris.
	Somewhat dazed and shocked still, Inisil picked Carn up 
and shoved him away before turning angrily to Commander Smith 
and shouting, "Those Mark II riot control Sentries are 
expensive to build, you know."
	Dan turned and aimed a phaser blast square at Inisil, 
something he'd been wanting to do for a while now.  The cyborg 
was fast though and jumped out of the way.
	"You're too slow, Human."  She sneered before throwing a 
rock with deadly precision and knocking the phaser from 
Commander Smith's hand.
	Carn lay on the ground at Inisil's feet and noticed 
quickly that she was standing on a sewer grating.  With all 
his strength, he slammed his fist into the grating and it gave 
way.  With a sudden yelp, Inisil plunged into the sewer below 
where she landed with a splash.
	Dan panted and looked around as Carn got up and brushed 
himself off.  "So much for our grocery shopping."  The 
security chief said.
	"I'd advise fleeing."  Carn said as he looked down.  "It 
won't take her long to get herself back up here, and I doubt 
us dowsing her in sewage is going to do much to add to her 
already pleasant demeanor."
	Before running, Dan glanced down as something on the 
ground caught her eye.  It was a silver box, thicker than a 
regular PADD with a screen and a data entry pad on it.  "Carn 
look."  He picked it up.  "I think it's her portable 
computer."
	"Take it!"  The android shouted as he hailed a taxicab.
	Dan turned it on as loud and angered splashing became 
audible in the sewers below.  Either Inisil was climbing her 
way up the wall or there was an awfully upset alligator 
swimming around.  Dan paused his train of thought.  Or there 
was an upset alligator getting the living tar beaten out of it 
by an even more upset Inisil.
	A small, ratty looking shuttle pulled up and Carn and Dan 
quickly ducked in side before it quickly whisked them away to 
safety
	Dan looked at the computer and attempted to activate it.  
"I can't get this working.  I hope it isn't broken."
	"Let me see it."  Carn said as he reached over for the 
device.  He promptly took out a tricorder and ran it over the 
computer a few times, punching at random controls until the 
small screen on the computer lit up.
	Dan simply growled at the tricorder before changing the 
topic.  "So, uhh, about that little display of affection you 
had back there."  He said as Carn tapped away at the 
computer's controls.
	Carn looked up and glared at the Commander.  "Shut up, 
she might be a cold hearted killing machine, but she's still a 
damn fine looking piece of work."
	"And I thought the captain had bad taste in women."  Dan 
grumbled.
	Carn suddenly tensed up as he looked down at Inisil's 
computer.  "Commander, look at this."  He held it up for Dan 
to read.
	The Commander's eyes widened as he read the screen.  "We 
have to get back to the hotel, now."

	Jeritt sat in his office, glancing out at the mid-morning 
sky before swiveling around in his chair and facing the woman 
sitting across the desk from him.  "You say you found these 
materials where?"  He asked quietly.
	The woman sitting across from him with a scraggly looking 
Viranin hitting middle aged, wearing the same grungy blue 
dress she'd been wearing for the past few days.  "At a bar 
called Z in northern Kon Arlaan.  They were on one of the 
patrons there, a tall Betazoid."
	Jeritt looked down at the identification chip that sat 
lodged in his desk display.  The image of Captain Vorezze's 
fae and his alias, Dontar Honeycut, were displayed on the 
screen.  "What do you know of this man?"
	"Just that he seems like a lightweight, he only had half 
a drink and already looked wasted."  The woman said in between 
shudders caused by chills and drug withdrawl.  "That and his 
banking chip is maxed out, cheap bastard.  But, I saw those 
posters and the flyers and I knew it was him.  And more 
importantly, I saw there was a reward, so that's why I came to 
you, Mr. Jeritt."
	"Rightly so."  Jeritt said as he stared at the 
streetwalker with contempt.  She smelled of body odor and the 
stale scent of various alcoholic drinks and other illicit 
drugs clung to her clothes and skin to create a pungent mix of 
chemical and organic smells.  "This man is the leader of a 
major dissenting cell attempting to undermine my revolution 
attempts.  He is a dangerous enemy and needs to be stopped.  
We've managed to detect his party communicating with their 
support ship and blocked their signal, but we weren't able to 
precisely locate them."
	"Well I'm glad I could be of service."  The woman smiled 
to reveal that her teeth had gone from the normal silvery 
finish of properly cared for Viranin teeth to a dull, dark 
gray with several ones missing.  "Now about that reward that 
was mentioned.  How much money are we talking about."
	Jeritt chuckled and stood up.  "Oh my dear, for you there 
shall be no money.  No, you'd immediately go and spend it to 
find your next fix of whatever drug it is that you're addicted 
to.  And once that money's spent, you'll resort to picking 
pockets again as a source of funds for your next fix or your 
next meal."  Jeritt's voice suddenly became cold and angry.  
"It was just a happy coincidence that the man you covertly 
robbed is wanted.  As such your reward shall be a new lease on 
life if you will: forced detox in the Virasis Moon 
penitentiary."
	"What!?" the woman stood up and gasped in horror.  
	Jeritt said nothing but removed a small device from his 
desk drawer and fired it at her.  A small chip flew from the 
device and pegged the woman in the shoulder and she was 
abruptly engulfed in a transporter flash and beamed to the 
prison Jeritt had specified.
	Though the woman was gone, her scent still hung in the 
air and refused to fade.  "Computer, engage the air freshening 
system, spring morning scent please."  Jeritt ordered as he 
sat down at his desk.  He removed the identification chip and 
inserted Captain Vorezze's captured banking chip into his 
computer.  "Oh Mister Honeycut."  Jeritt sighed.  "Let's take 
a look and see what you've been spending money on, shall we?"
	A list appeared on the screen of every transaction the 
captain had made.  "Oh my."  Jeritt said.  "I believe Inisil 
might have her hands full with you shortly, Mr. Honeycut."  He 
paused.  "Where is she, anyways?"
	As if by command, the office doors parted and Inisil 
appeared at the entryway.  Sopping wet and reeking of sewage, 
she stormed in, quickly polluting Jeritt's just-freshened air.
	"My god."  The Viranin said in horror as he looked over 
Inisil.  "What on Viranis happened to you!?"

	Silence continued to engross the hotel room as Dr. Lang 
sat quietly at the edge of her bed.  She glanced over at the 
captain, then to the fresh glass of water she'd placed on his 
nightstand.  "You haven't touched your new glass of water 
still, Captain."
	"There's still a bug in it."  Jad said softly, his face 
buried in a pillow.
	Liz furrowed her brow and stood up, marching over to the 
glass.  Sure enough there was another insect, this one 
slightly smaller and looking like an eighteen-legged cross 
between an Earth beetle and early twenty-first century Human 
politician Karl Rove.  She sighed and took the glass to the 
bathroom sink where she dumped it out.  "I need to not be 
using that ice machine at the end of the hallway anymore."
	The doctor jumped as the doors abruptly opened and 
Commander Smith and Lieutenant Carn charged in.  The doctor 
looked them over, with Dan looking sweaty and disheveled and 
Carn looking as though he'd been attacked by a wolverine.  
"Tough day at the market, boys?"  She asked.  "I told you 
those little old Viranin women get competitive over the ripest 
melons."
	"No, we were attacked by Inisil and a Sentry."  Dan said.  
"But we blew the Sentry up and threw Inisil in a sewer before 
running away."
	Liz paused.  She wasn't sure if she wanted to know what 
came next or if she wanted to know just how those glossed-over 
events transpired in the first place.  She opted for the 
former.  "Well you still could have picked up some groceries."
	"Captain, we have both good and bad news."  Carn 
announced.
	A muffled sound came from the pillow where Jad's head was 
currently lodged that sounded something like "I don't care."
	"Captain, Axik's alive."  Dan said.
	Jad's head shot up.  "What!?"
	Dan held up Inisil's portable computer.  "This is 
Inisil's computer.  When Axik's shuttle was attacked by the 
Stingers, the support ship automatically beamed her aboard 
when the shields collapsed and transported her back to 
Viranis.  She's being held captive by Jeritt in the Federation 
Municipal building."
	In what was probably one of the most impressive 
turnarounds any of the three officers had seen, Jad leaped out 
of bed and sprang to his feet, marching towards the door.
	"Where are you going captain?"  Carn asked, blocking the 
Betazoid from reaching the exit.  
	"I'm going to rescue the love of my life."  Jad said 
defiantly.
	Carn sighed.  "You're in no shape to rescue her right 
now.  First off, you're weakened and unarmed, secondly you're 
filled with emotional distress, and third your hair looks like 
crap."
	"Well what am I supposed to do, Lieutenant?  Hope he 
doesn't hurt her while we just sit here waiting for trouble to 
come knocking on our door?"
	There was a sudden loud knocking on the hotel room door.  
Dan froze and stared at the entrance.  "I pray that's not 
trouble."
	"Oh relax."  Liz said.  "That's just the room service I 
ordered earlier."  The doctor confidently walked across the 
room and opened the door.
	On the other side stood Inisil, her hair still wet but 
now from a lighting fast shower instead of from sewage.  Two 
smaller Sentries like the ones encountered on the starbase 
flanked her side.  Without hesitation she raised he 
transporter chip gun and shot Dr. Lang, who vanished in a 
sudden swirl.  "As for the rest of you, would you prefer to be 
captured before or after your meals?"  Inisil held up the room 
service tray she'd swiped from the lobby.
	"Get down!"  Dan shouted as he raised his phaser and shot 
at the door.
	Inisil immediately ducked but the beam impacted a Sentry 
and caused it to burst into pieces.  The cyborg stood up and 
fired the transporter gun again at Dan, tagging him in the 
neck and causing him to vanish in a flash.
	"In here, fast!"  Carn shouted as he shoved the captain 
into the bathroom and sealed the doors.
	"Oh god."  Jad panted, his head swirling with a 
combination of joy at Axik's continued existence in this 
world, rage at her captivity and sudden fear at the abrupt 
capture of Liz, Dan and possibly himself and Carn next.
	Pounding on the door became audible as they heard cutting 
beams begin slicing into the rickety metal.
	Jad looked at the window, then turned to Carn.  
"Lieutenant, how much of a fall can you withstand?"
	Carn shrugged.  "I can hit the ground at terminal 
velocity and still come out unscathed.  Not that I want to try 
it any time too soon."
	Jad paused.  "Do me a favor, Lieutenant, look out the 
window."
	"This is hardly the time to be crowd watching from the 
fifth floor."  The android protested as the pounds and 
screeches got louder.
	"Just do it!"  The captain barked.
	Carn turned and stared out the bathroom window.  A light 
drizzle was coming down and a storm front loomed on the 
evening horizon.  "I don't see what you wanted me to do this 
for, I-"
	Carn was cut off as the captain jumped on the android's 
back piggyback style and the two of them crashed through the 
window.
	"Aaaaah!"  The captain screamed as he experienced a 
combination of the rush of free fall and the fear that using 
Carn as a cushion might not be enough.
	"IIIIII haaaaaaateeeee yooooouuuu!"  Carn screamed as he 
realized what the captain was about to use him for.  With a 
loud thud, he landed on the broken sidewalk below, the captain 
safely on top of him.
	"Are you okay, Lieutenant?"  Jad asked quietly.
	"Ugh..." Carn groaned.  "I'm so going to need a tune-up 
after this mission is over."
	"Come on we have to go before they catch up to us."  Jad 
said, brushing himself off.
	"Go where?"  Carn asked, adjusting the angle of his head 
on top of his neck, which had become slightly off-center 
because of the fall.
	"Somewhere, we have to go, now though!"  Jad screamed.
	A phaser bolt erupted from the gaping hole in the wall as 
Inisil and the remaining Sentry gazed down at Jad and Carn on 
the sidewalk below.
	"Oh for Bill Gates' sake am I the only one who knows how 
to call a f**king taxi!?"  The android grumbled as he flagged 
down a passing shuttlecab.
	Another shot lanced down from the hotel as Jad and Carn 
ducked into a cab.  "Anywhere but here!"  Jad shouted.
	The shuttle promptly took off and the captain leaned back 
on the off-scented cloth seating and let out a deep sigh.  "I 
don't know what's worse, the fact that half of our team was 
just captured or the fact that the hotel is probably going to 
charge us for that broken window."
	Carn picked a shard of glass out of his metallic ear and 
glared at the captain.  "Wow.  That's all I have to say."
	The shuttle became airborne as it entered an aerial 
expressway while the rain intensified.  Jad glanced out the 
shuttle window at the tops of the buildings that became 
visible.  Across the rows of apartment towers, warehouses and 
office complexes, the Federation Municipal Building rose up, 
glowing against the darkening evening sky.  His imzadi was in 
there somewhere, alone and frightened.  "Hold on tight, Axik."  
Jad said softly.  "I'm coming."





CHAPTER TWELVE





	She still wasn't sure where she was.  The last thing she 
really remembered was the shuttle shaking uncontrollably.  The 
fear that consumed her as all she saw in the space around her 
fragile craft were the Stingers, dark and angular and raining 
fire down upon her.  Then a flash of light and she was here, 
in this cell.  A small replicator gave her food and an 
uncomfortably public toilet served her adequately when nature 
subspaced her.  Otherwise Commander Tagel Axik was alone, just 
her and her unborn child who was oblivious to all the trials 
its mother was enduring.
	To pass the time she'd been reading.  There were no forms 
of actual literature so she read whatever she could, really.  
Having read the warning label on the force field generator at 
the edge of her cell two hundred and forty-seven times 
already, she could now say she was quite well versed in force 
field safety.
	"You're lover is quite bold I must say."  A deep voice 
said from behind Axik as she read a panel label on the inward 
wall for the sixtieth time.
	Axik spun around to the strange alien man standing 
menacingly on the other side of the force field.  "Who are 
you?"
	"My name is Jeritt."  He said softly.  "Leader of the 
planet Viranis, now a world free and independent of the 
Federation.  I'm also the head of the Muric Robotics 
Corporation.  I'm a Gemini, and enjoy long walks on the beach, 
candlelit dinners and sometimes just snuggling the day away."  
Jeritt paused.  "Scratch that last part."
	"You're an evil, evil man."  Axik said, curling up as if 
to shield her womb from whatever harm might come her way.
	"Evil is a matter of perspective."  Jeritt said coldly.  
"Of course the Federation thinks I'm evil, I stand for 
everything they refuse to do for this planet.  They refuse to 
enforce the laws, they refuse to be harsh when needed.  They 
refuse to respect our way of life, instead forcing their own 
on us.  Like a slave planet."  He paused and looked Axik over.  
"You're Bajoran, you know what it's like to have your planet 
controlled by a foreign power that cares little for you and 
only for itself."
	Axik shook her head.  "I never lived on Bajor.  I never 
saw the Occupation first hand."
	"A shame.  It was quite brutal.  Perhaps you'd be less 
naive then if you had seen it."
	Axik looked up at the man before her and suddenly 
something clicked in her head.  The virulent hatred of the 
Federation that Jeritt exhibited made her suddenly realize why 
Jad was so passionate about stopping him.  It was for her 
protection.  Not just her but the protection of every other 
Federation person from someone as evil as Jeritt.  Had her 
beloved succeeded, she would still be safe on the Banshee, 
making plans for their baby instead of sitting in a jail cell 
waiting for her still unknown fate to unfold.  "You're a 
monster."  She softly whispered.
	Jeritt narrowed his eyes.  "I came here to tell you that 
your beloved captain's insurrection against me is almost at an 
end.  I've captured two of the other upstarts and now it is 
down to him and the android."
	"You leave Jaddy alone!"  Axik screamed, pounding her 
hand against the force field, causing it to crackle and spark.
	Jeritt stood silently as the Bajoran cringed in pain from 
the minor burn the force field caused.  "I'd hoped you, as an 
outsider as well, might understand.  Clearly I was mistaken.  
You're a pregnant woman so I wouldn't even fathom harming you 
unless conditions require it for my own safety.  As for your 
captain, his fate depends upon his actions.  We shall see 
which he chooses."  With that, Jeritt turned and left.
	Axik bit her lip and fought back tears as a rush of guilt 
ran over her.  Perhaps it was the hormones that made her so 
needy but suddenly she regretted everything that had 
transpired in the last week.  She fell backwards and sat down 
on the cell's cot before softly saying, "I'm sorry, Jaddy.  I 
understand now."
	She could only pray to the Prophets that her newfound 
understanding wouldn't come too late.

	Aside from a slight headache and a sting where the 
transporter tag had stung them, Dr. Lang and Commander Smith 
found themselves feeling surprisingly awake as they sat in 
restraint cuffs in the back of a police shuttle as it arced 
across the night sky of Kon Arlaan.  The rain was falling 
heavier now, thunder rumbled in the distance and lightning 
flickered overhead.
	"I wonder where we're going."  Liz said softly to 
Commander Smith.
	"From our trajectory, I'd say we're going to the 
Federation Municipal Building."  Dan replied.  "Although I 
hope we can stop at Taco Nacelle first, I'm starving."
	"The Captain and Lieutenant Carn must have escaped."  Liz 
noted.  "Otherwise they'd be in here too."
	"Keep it quiet back there."  Inisil barked from the front 
seat of the shuttle.
	"You know for an cybernetic organism with little or no 
feelings, you certainly are rather mean."  Liz barked back at 
Inisil.
	"I'm not mean, I just don't like you."  Inisil huffed.  
"I'm actually quite fond of fuzzy little kittens."
	"Not puppies?"
	"Puppies annoy me."
	"What about hamsters?"
	"Too small, I'd hurt them."
	Liz huffed.  "Well you and I wouldn't get along at all, 
lady.  You know, aside from the fact that you've been hunting 
us like animals for the past three days.  Isn't that right 
Zekey?"  Liz glanced down to her hamster, who sat in miniature 
restraint cuffs in between Liz and Dan.
	Commander Smith grumbled.  "Oh I pray I don't have to 
rely on these two for my rescue.  Then again I pray I don't 
have to rely on the Captain and Carn either."
	"Shhh!"  Liz seemed forceful.  "We have no hope of being 
rescued."  Her voice suddenly became unconvincing.
	"Not with our fate in the hands of a hamster, a 
disgruntled android and an overly emotional Betazoid."
	Silently, Zeke wiggled his little hamster paws out of the 
cuffs and scurried up Dr. Lang's side, wedging himself between 
the doctor and the seat so Inisil wouldn't see him.  With his 
large front teeth, he extracted a hair pin from Liz's hair and 
scurried back down where he inserted it into the lock and 
wiggled it so that the cuffs became loose.  Liz left them on 
so that they appeared to still be in place when in reality 
they were ready to fall off at the slightest motion.
	'You've got to be kidding me.'  Dan thought to himself as 
he watched the hamster in action.
	With the same hair pin, Zeke scurried over to Commander 
Smith, wiggling the pin into the locking mechanism of his 
cuffs as well until they came loose.  Dan followed Liz's lead 
and kept the cuffs on.
	Liz looked over at Dan with a knowing glance as Zeke 
scurried back in between them and slid his paws back inside of 
his own loose cuffs.
	'Well...' Dan thought to himself, 'at least he's not a 
tricorder.'
	The three suddenly felt an abrupt change in altitude as 
the shuttle began its descent towards the top of the 
Federation Municipal Building.
	"You will be incarcerated here until further notice."  
Inisil said flatly as the craft positioned itself over the 
rooftop landing platform.  "We might need you as a bartering 
chip to end Federation hostilities towards our planetary 
government."
	"And here I thought you were the hostile one."  Dan 
chuckled.
	Inisil glared at Dan as she opened the hatch while the 
police officer piloting the shuttle powered the systems down.  
"Your humor does not amuse me."
	"Something tells me nothing short of creative homicide 
would."  Dan grumbled.
	Inisil emerged from the shuttle, activating her force 
field umbrella to shield her from the rain.  She rounded the 
shuttle and opened the doors with two more police officers 
joining her. "Out."  She barked.
	Through the pouring rain, the city of Kon Arlan spread 
out before Commander Smith and Dr. Lang as they emerged from 
the shuttle atop the city's tallest structure.  Lights 
extended out to the horizon, creating a glittering sea that 
countered the dark flickering sky above it that shown gray 
with the last remnants of daylight fading fast into the night.
	"This way."  Inisil directed her prisoners into the 
building.
	Liz went first, then Dan.  The anger was becoming too 
much for Commander Smith however, the disdain he'd built up 
for Inisil overpowered him to the point that, as he passed the 
android, he couldn't help but throw off his cuffs and punch 
Inisil as hard as he could in the face.  He turned to Liz.  
"Run!"
	Liz shed her cuffs and tucked Zeke into her pocket as she 
and Commander Smith split apart.
	"Stop them!"  Inisil screamed before glancing over to 
where Commander Smith was running.
	Perhaps it was Dr. Lang's specialty in science instead of 
military combat that was why she wasn't nearly as fast as 
Commander Smith.  Within seconds the police officer gained on 
her, grabbing her by the arm and forcing a hypospray to her 
neck with a heavy dose of sedative.
	"No!"  Liz gasped, but it was too late.  Her eyes grew 
heavy and she collapsed into a limp pile on the rooftop.
	"We lost the male."  One of the guards said, approaching 
Inisil cautiously.
	The cyborg scowled.  "He's in this building somewhere."  
She removed a phaser from the officer's belt before saying, 
"Take her inside and put in with the other captured officer.  
I'll deal with Mr. Leopold myself."
	With that, the two police officers picked up Liz and 
carried her inside as Inisil stalked off into the night in 
search of Commander Smith.

	There was no small bit of irony that the place the 
taxicab had taken Captain Vorezze and Lieutenant Carn was a 
small, run down diner on Kon Arlaan's west side called 
"Anywhere But Here."  It might have been a reference to the 
menu because, as the captain browsed it, he couldn't help but 
notice most common Federation foods that could be found at any 
restaurant in the Federation were conspicuously absent from 
this diner.
	"Do you think we were followed?"  Carn asked as he 
pretended to be interested in the variety of foodstuffs he had 
no desire nor necessity to consume.
	"No."  Jad said quietly.  His head was still a flurry of 
confusion as he attempted to digest what had happened over the 
course of the day.  "I'm not even hungry, are you?"
	Carn huffed.  "Think about who you're asking."
	"Right, right."  Jad sighed.  "I think it's time we tried 
a different approach.  Maybe we should just take to the 
streets and start trying to rally people to support us.  Turn 
us from a covert operation into a full-scale democratic 
movement."
	"I'd advise against that, captain, we would only draw 
attention to ourselves and wind up getting captured."  Carn 
said wearily.  "I've already been clawed, ripped at and 
crushed today, I don't want to add being poked with one of 
those damned transporter tags to the list."
	"We've got to do something."  Jad said raising his voice.  
"I can't just let Jeritt win like this and I sure as hell 
can't leave Axik sitting in that cell!  Doesn't anyone here 
care!?"
	"Captain, stop!"
	Jad stood up, filled with both anger, hope, adrenaline 
and about 5 cups of highly caffeinated aransa.  "Doesn't 
anyone here care that you're rights have been stripped from 
you?  That you have no say in your removal from the 
Federation!?"
	"Pipe it, Human!"  Someone shouted from the distance.
	"Betazoid, damnit!"  Jad screamed.
	"Umm, yeah," Carn said to the waitress, motioning at the 
captain, "I don't know him."
	"I'm offering you a chance, people of Viranis!"  Jad 
cried out.  "Rise up and fight for your freedom or it will be 
crushed forever!"
	"Hey freedom fighter!"  The waitress called out.  "Why 
don't you take your battle outside, we've got people trying to 
eat here."
	A hurt, almost bitter expression came across Jad's face 
and he turned and charged out of the diner and into the rainy 
night.
	Carn huffed.  "Oh for the love of Intel..."  He got up 
and chased after his commanding officer.  "Captain, stop!"
	It was too late now, as Jad's emotions were on auto 
pilot.  Every sense within him told him to scream out for 
help, scream out in the hope that someone would find him and 
end this nightmare once and for all.  "Anybody!"  Jad called 
out.  "Doesn't anybody care anymore!?  Doesn't anyone see 
what's happening to their world!?  Help me!  Help your people 
remain free!  I beg you all to see what I see!"
	People passing by the on the street largely ignored the 
captain.  They were more concerned with getting out of the 
pouring rain than of revolutions and resistance and revolts.
	"Why doesn't anybody care?"  Jad turned back to the diner 
and asked Carn as he stood in the restaurant's doorway.  Rain 
dripped down Jad's face and matted his hair, soaking him to 
the skin.
	"Why don't you care about your own safety?"  Carn asked 
back.  "Forget your passion and your desire to see Axik again, 
you have to think of yourself before you can save the world!"
	"I can't let this happen Carn and I've run out of 
options."
	The android was about to speak when he saw the large 
hulking form of a Sentry creeping up behind the captain, its 
orange sensor eye blazing in the night.  "Captain, look out!"  
That was all the android could shout before taking shelter 
behind a nearby dumpster.
	The captain turned just in time for a transporter tag to 
peg him in the chest.  In a bright flash he was gone.  The 
sentry then turned, floated up on its anti-gravity pads and 
resumed its silent watch post on the street corner at the end 
of the block.
	The android looked up from behind the dumpster to find 
the captain nowhere in sight.  "Dumbass."  He sighed, half 
drowned out by a rumble of thunder overhead.  He paused for a 
moment and looked around, suddenly realizing he was the only 
member of the away team current not incarcerated.  "Oh great, 
now what am I supposed to do."
	Carn let his android circuits decide the best course of 
action as he trudged off into the rain, now completely alone.


	"Still no word from them."  Lieutenant Commander DiSanto 
said as a strange silence overtook the Banshee's bridge.  "My 
guess is the frequency is still jammed."
	Worry was beginning to overtake Commander Burns.  Both 
because she was afraid for the mental well being of Captain 
Vorezze and for the battle that they were about to enter.  "We 
have to proceed then."  She said softly.  "Hopefully once 
we've neutralized the Stingers we'll be able to find them."
	"Waiting further, then, would seem to be a waste of 
time."  Velorn nodded.  "We must engage now, for every minute 
is added danger to them."
	"Agreed."  Charlotte stood up.  "Red alert!  All hands to 
battle stations."
	The lights darkened and the alarms blared, something that 
seemed to be an omnipresent background noise on the ship 
lately.
	"Mr. DiSanto, deploy the Hornets."
	At Charlotte's command, the Banshee's flight bays opened 
up and a steady stream of shuttlecraft sized unmanned probes 
flew from the bays.  Section 31 in design, the Hornets were 
three times the size of Stingers, held shuttlecraft grade 
shielding and were equipped with far more firepower.
	"Lay in a course for Viranis, keep the Hornets ahead of 
us by 20 kilometers and have the shuttlebay's industrial 
replicators standing by to make more if needed."
	Tension swelled in Commander Burns as she took a seat on 
her throne, adjusted her tiara and said quietly, "It's time 
for us to save the day."





CHAPTER THIRTEEN





	Weak, tired and having had to go to the bathroom for the 
last two hours, Captain Vorezze found himself being almost 
dragged through the hallways of the Federation municipal 
building by two Muric security guards turned governmental 
police officers.  The upper levels of the tower held large, 
two story high corridors dotted with crystal chandeliers 
casting out a golden light onto the warm white walls and rich 
blue carpeting.  The guards stopped at a large door on the 
forty-fifth floor and waited.  
	Jad glanced around, his pulse pounding.  He wasn't sure 
what was about to happen.  The last thing he remembered was 
being shot by the Sentry on the street outside of the Anywhere 
But Here diner.  Upon awakening, he was being removed from a 
police shuttle on the Federation Municipal Building's roof and 
dragged through the hallways to a still unknown destination.
	The guards were of a solid build, and judging by the 
smell they were likely Klingon expatriates.  There was little 
chance a weakened Betazoid would stand a chance at escaping.  
Still, all the captain could think of was fighting off the 
guards, rescuing Axik and capturing Jeritt.  Oh how simple it 
all seemed.
	An electronic chime sounded and the large doors slid 
apart to reveal an expansive office inside.  These were the 
facilities that Governor Powell once occupied during her 
reign, but any trace of her presence seemed to have been wiped 
away.  Viranin artwork hung on the walls, artwork the captain 
easily recognized as the ones from Jeritt's office in the 
Muric building.  A lone chair sat opposite of the desk.  In a 
high back chair sat Jeritt, his back to the captain and the 
guards as they entered but rather watching the thunderstorm 
rage outside while at the same time watching his visitors' 
reflections in the massive transparent aluminum window that 
made up the outer wall of the room.
	The captain was seated in the opposing chair and the 
guards turned and left.  A deathly silence filled the room, 
for not even the storm could be heard above the building's 
soundproofing.  Jad sat in the chair for a moment, cold, 
frightened and even a bit awestruck at the ominous image 
Jeritt managed to cast out.  He could still sense no direct 
thought from the Viranin that sat a few feet away, only 
emotions.  Feelings of anger, frustration and, oddly enough, 
pity as well.
	"Your ship is attacking as we speak, Captain Vorezze."  
Jeritt said softly without turning.  "A far more feeble attack 
than I would have expected from the likes of Section 31's 
flagship."
	"You've done some research I see."  Jad said softly.
	Jeritt turned at last and dropped a PADD down on the 
desk.  "Quite a bit in fact."  He looked at the captain with 
an indifferent glare.  "I suppose it makes sense; only the 
Federation would be so hypocritical as to champion the rights 
of all sentient beings while quietly crushing them with an 
illicit organization such as yours."
	Anger began to brew in the captain.  A heartfelt 
resentment he had been harboring for the longest time against 
Jeritt, a man who looked down on the Federation after taking 
for granted all of the good the government had done and 
ignoring all the horrible things other major galactic powers 
have done over the years as well.  "You are hardly one to talk 
about rights violations."
	"I don't mask my strictness and intolerance of disorder 
behind a guise of freedom."  Jeritt said coldly.  "I don't lie 
to my people like you do."
	A silence ensued as the two men looked at each other.  
From the perspective of the captain, there was a man behind 
the desk who cared little for freedom or ideals but for his 
own personal power.  A man who lacked patriotism and respect 
for long established institutions.  From the opposite side, 
the rebel saw a man who was blind to reality and naively 
optimistic.  A man who's love of king and country would cause 
him to shrug off even the most horrific deeds committed in 
said country's name, so long as they were done in the name of 
the ideals he worshipped.  No agreement could ever be made 
across such a polarized divide.
	Jeritt finally broke the silence.  "I brought you here to 
offer you a final settlement.  It's apparent to you now, I 
would hope, that I know the full extent of who you are and 
where you come from so I offer you this ultimatum in an 
attempt to resolve this dispute.  Leave Viranis and never come 
back, allow us to be free.  Your existence, and the existence 
of Section 31, will forever be held secret so long as that 
truce is not broken."
	For a moment the offer sounded tempting.  Aches swelled 
in Jad's joints and his mind kept drifting back to the image 
of a lonely Bajoran woman in a cell somewhere in that same 
building.  Nothing would please the captain more than the 
ability to go home, even if Axik wanted nothing to do with him 
when he got back.  Delivering her and his crew to safety would 
have been enough.  But something swelled within the captain - 
an anger, an indignation at who he was dealing with and who 
was dictating terms to him.  All Jad could say was, "We don't 
negotiate with terrorists."
	"Then I'm sorry."  Jeritt said coldly.  "I understand 
your Bajoran beau is pregnant, and your decision means she 
will have to raise the child alone and while incarcerated."  
Jeritt pressed the button on his desk to call Inisil to his 
office.  A moment passed and there was no sign of her.
	Jad furrowed his brow with concern at the sudden rush of 
confusion that he sensed Jeritt was experiencing.
	"Where in the world is she?"  Jeritt muttered as he 
pressed the page button several more times.  "I told her to be 
outside my door as soon as she finished with the prisoners.  I 
know she's not still out getting me that iced aransa I 
wanted."
	Capitalizing on what might be his only chance to escape, 
the captain jumped out of his seat, picked it up and hurled it 
forward.
	Jeritt looked up and quickly ducked out of the way as the 
chair flew overhead and struck one of the window panels with 
enough force to knock it from its frame and out onto the 
street below.  The sound of thunder and rain from outside 
became audible in an instant and wind from the storm rushed 
through the office, stirring papers and knocking over 
lightweight objects.  The doors burst open and the two guards 
outside burst in to check on the loud noise.
	"Stop him!"  Jeritt screamed, looking up from his desk as 
the captain ran for the door.
	With adrenaline racing through him, Jad slammed as hard 
as he could into the first guard, toppling him over and 
causing him to lose his grip on his phaser rifle.  Jad quickly 
seized it and stunned the other guard unconscious before 
racing out the door.
	Seething with anger, Jeritt stood up and picked up the 
phaser rifle off of the other guard's fallen body.  
"Imbeciles.  I'll just have to take care of him myself."  
Jeritt proceeded to dart off into the hallway in pursuit of 
the captain.


	"Some of the Stingers are attempting to break through the 
wall of Hornets and get to us."  Commander DiSanto said 
wearily as he monitored the situation from the tactical 
station.
	"By all accounts," Velorn noted, "They should have been 
neutralized completely by now."
	Vince glanced up at the distant battle display on the 
viewer.  A dark hazy cloud had formed in front of Viranis as 
thousands of pint sized robotic vessels fought each other.  
Small explosions popped up in the cloud frequently as either a 
Hornet or a Stinger was overcome by the opposite side.  "I 
know, and our numbers are dropping fast."
	"That shouldn't be happening."  Charlotte protested.  
"Section 31 promised these things would be the most kickass 
thing in the skies, and damnit I'm not seeing that much 
asskickery."  She stood up, straightening her uniform jacket 
and pushing up her bust line slightly.  "Commander Rachow, 
take us in closer for a better look, ahead one quarter 
impulse."
	"Yes, your bitchiness."  The helmsman replied.
	The mighty starship, with its hot pink warp nacelles and 
Charlotte-designed hearts painted across the saucer module, 
careened forward like the vicious man-made predator that it 
was.
	The ship suddenly rocked as a few Stingers finally 
reached it, lashing out with their phasers.  Without even 
needing to be asked, Commander DiSanto opened fire while 
keeping an eye on the larger battle.  "The Hornets are down by 
60% and most of the remaining ones are losing power."
	Charlotte grumbled.  "Kickass my ass.  What the hell is 
going on out there?"
	"From my reading these Stingers look modified.  They're 
slightly larger, but I can't tell what the extra equipment on 
them is for."
	Commander Burns spun around to face the viewer.  
"Magnify."
	The screen blurred into focus the image of a Hornet in 
hot pursuit of two Stingers.  With a quick strike, the Hornet 
shot one of the unmanned probes to pieces.  A flash of light 
suddenly shone out from the side of the neighboring Stinger 
and a new probe materialized into existence.  The two quickly 
turned and opened fire on the Hornet, making short work of 
blasting it apart.
	"Oh s**t."  Charlotte stuttered as the Banshee shook 
again while more Stingers poured through the line of Hornets. 
"They're self-replicating now."
	"Our replicators would not be able to even begin to match 
that rate of production."  Velorn said mournfully as the ship 
continued to shake more.
	An alarm sounded on Vince's station.  As the commander 
looked down on it, his face suddenly turned several shades 
more pale and his jaw dropped.  "We have support ships coming 
in at all angles."  Vince cried out.  "Sensors count fifteen 
hundred, all of them deploying at least a hundred Stingers 
each!"
	Charlotte gasped in horror as sensors displayed what 
could only be described as a massive black cloud raining down 
upon the Banshee.  "It's a trap."  She whispered aloud as 
nearly one hundred phaser beams slammed into the Banshee's 
shields at once.


	"Doctor, wake up."  A gentle voice echoed through Doctor 
Lang's sleep and into her consciousness as her eyes slowly 
opened.  
	Dazed and confused from the sedatives, Liz leaned up 
slowly and looked around.  "Where am I?"
	"Somewhere on Viranis."  Commander Tagel said worriedly 
from her side.
	Liz looked over and gasped at the Bajoran next to her. It 
seemed as though, on a mission when everything possible had 
gone wrong, seeing her alive and well was the one thing that 
had gone right.  "Oh Commander.  We thought we'd lost you."  
On second thought, maybe being in a Viranin prison cell wasn't 
something going right.
	"I'm scared, Doctor."  Axik said sheepishly as she looked 
out into the dark corridor.  "I heard a loud clattering sound 
just now."
	"It'll be okay."  Liz put her arm around Axik.  "The 
Banshee's on its way to rescue us... I hope."
	"I want Jad here."  Axik pouted.  "I feel so stupid for 
being so selfish when he was just trying to make sure I would 
be safe from harm."
	Liz rolled her eyes.  "This isn't exactly the best time 
to be having emotional revelations.  We need to get the hell 
off this planet first and dethrone Jeritt, then we can worry 
about salvaging your relationship."
	Another sudden loud clatter sounded, followed by what 
sounded like metal hitting the floors, then footsteps.
	"Oh Prophets."  Axik gasped, clinging to Liz.  "It's 
going to be that awful Jeritt come back to hurt us, I know 
it!"
	The forcefield suddenly crackled off and Axik let out a 
shrill shriek of terror as a dark figure emerged from the 
shadows.  With a mighty groan, it raised its fist before 
stepping fully into the light.  "My god my fist circuits 
didn't like that."  Carn walked forward groaned as he rubbed 
his fists, which had been stripped to the wiring underneath.
	"Oh thank god, Lieutenant."  Liz sighed.  "Where's the 
captain."
	"Oh Steve Jobs, don't get me started."  The android 
muttered as he helped Liz up, then Axik.  "That god damn 
irrational orgie doesn't know how to handle himself, went 
screaming through the streets looking for someone to help him 
start a revolt to rescue you guys before getting captured by a 
Sentry.  I'd imagine he's being interrogated by Jeritt or 
something."  Carn turned to Axik.  "Don't get any ideas."
	"How on earth did you get in here?"  Liz asked as they 
walked towards the locked door Carn smashed in to enter the 
prison section.
	"Oh the usual, I scaled the outside wall of the building, 
punched in the windows, broke down a few doors and took out a 
few random patrol Sentries."  Carn shrugged, stopping at a 
weapons locker and removing three type-2 phasers.  "Since I 
don't think you can scale walls, we'll have to go out the fun 
way and hope we don't encounter too many Sentries on the way 
out."  He glanced over to Liz.  "Doctor, try to keep up with 
us and not get hurt."
	Liz furrowed her brow as she crept out the door with the 
other two.  "You're telling that to me and not the one who's 
nine months pregnant?"
	Carn patted Axik on the shoulder as they walked quickly 
and quietly down the main hallway.  "I've seen this girl in 
action."  He said.  "I know what she can do."
	"Thanks..." Axik chirped, "I think..."

	A phaser and a tricorder were all Commander Smith had to 
work with on the dark, wet roof as he darted in between bits 
of machinery while Inisil intently searched the area with her 
machine-like precision.  He poked his head above an 
environmental systems pod and looked several meters away where 
Inisil stood, palm beacon in hand examining footprints left on 
the roof's tiles.  He trained his phaser at the cyborg's head 
and shot.
	Inisil instantly saw the ignition flash that came five 
nanoseconds before the phaser discharged and arched backwards, 
avoiding the beam by centimeters.  "There you are, pest."  She 
growled as she hurled herself through the air and with her 
foot delivered a blow of near concussive force to Dan's 
shoulder.
	Dan tried to scramble away, his arms and feet sliding on 
the slick tiling as the rain pounded down mercilessly from 
above.  Lightning crackled above with uncomfortable proximity 
as he desperately reached for his dropped phaser.
	Inisil reached for Commander Smith's neck and quickly 
took hold.  "You've caused me nothing but problems since the 
day you came tot his world."  She growled as she picked the 
suddenly frail feeling human up by the neck.  Her eyes glowed 
from their sensor mode with a yellow that made her dark 
silhouette against the stormy sky all the more fearsome.
	Dan choked and struggled, his heart beating faster as he 
tried to find a way to break free.  This couldn't be the end 
for him.  He wouldn't accept defeat, not now and not like 
this.  It was then an idea sprang to him.  With all of his 
might he focused on Inisil's hand, squeezing as hard as he 
could at one crucial point until he heard a snap.
	With a shriek, Inisil dropped the Commander, who briefly 
lay on the ground gasping for air.  With horror, she looked up 
at her hand and saw the damage Dan had inflicted upon her.  
"You son of a bitch!" The cyborg roared.  "You broke a nail!  
I just had these done, too!"  With all her inhuman strength 
she kicked the commander, lashing him across the face and 
sending a stream of blood trickling down his nose.
	Fighting the pain, fighting the fatigue, fighting as hard 
as he could Commander Smith moved away and grabbed at his 
phaser.  Inisil charged at him as he turned and aimed right 
for the chest.  He had a clear shot.  This was the moment he'd 
hoped for, he'd longed for to have happen for so long.  He 
pressed the trigger.  The phaser let out a sputter and went 
dark.  "Oh no..."  Dan gasped.  He looked at the side of the 
weapon to see that a protective panel had been knocked off 
during the fall, exposing the electronics beneath them and 
shorting out the circuitry.
	Inisil came in fast and kicked the fallen commander hard 
in the chest, knocking him backwards as he scrambled to find 
an escape.  Tears began to well up in Dan's eyes from the pain 
and, somewhere in the back of his mind he prayed to any of the 
dozens of deities he had or currently did worship for 
deliverance from this soulless, inhuman killing machine that, 
despite her serious hotness, was about to terminate his 
existence.
	Lightning flashed overhead close to the tower and the 
loud crack shook the night with all of nature's wrath.  Inisil 
walked over to a nearby antenna and broke off the end, 
brandishing it like a massive spear.  "I will not miss you, 
Mr. Leopold."  She said coldly, as she walked briskly towards 
Commander Smith.
	Dan saw the murderous glint in the cyborg's lit up eyes 
and almost froze.  No, he had to fight as he scrambled 
backwards.  His will told him to move but feeling in his legs 
seemed to have been lost.  Thunder rumbled again and lightning 
flickered, reflecting off the chrome finish of the antenna 
point that was quickly advancing towards him.  Dan felt around 
for something, anything that he could use until he grabbed the 
first blunt object that came into his grasp.
	Many people speak of a sudden adrenaline rush that comes 
from having to save their own lives or the lives of a loved 
one.  Nothing short of this came to Commander Smith as he 
clutched the object in his hand and hurled it forward with all 
of his might.
	Inisil was caught off guard as she saw the object 
speeding towards her, but her programming immediately got 
distracted in attempting to identify it.  She saw it twirling 
towards her, then open up like a small book with lights 
blinking from the inside.  By the time she realized Dan had 
hurled his tricorder at her, it was too late to move out of 
the way and the sensor device struck her square between the 
eyes with a force that would have killed almost any normal 
life form.  The cyborg fell backwards and collapsed into a 
motionless heap on the roof.
	Commander Smith froze, shaking almost uncontrollably from 
a combination of terror and from the cold of the rainshower.  
He crawled, slipping and sliding in the wetness, over to 
Inisil.  A trickle of blood ran down her forehead and into the 
puddle below.  Dan then turned his gaze to the tricorder that 
sat a few feet away.  The innocent looking device's lights 
flashed randomly, reflecting off of the surface of the puddle 
it had landed in.  Dan picked the tricorder up and looked at 
it with nothing short of awe and wonderment.  "My god."  He 
gasped.  "They really CAN do everything!"
	Breathing heavily and aching all over, he stuffed the 
tricorder in his pocket and ran for the roof exit.


	"Our shields are fading fast!"  Vince cried out as the 
Banshee rocked violently.
	Memories were stirring in Charlotte of other hopeless 
battles the ship had been involved with.  The Borg on one of 
their first missions, or the ill fated first encounter with 
the twin flagships of the Voran Imperium.  In all of those 
situations, the crew had been saved somehow by a random act of 
ingenuity that defied logic, invariably worked and proved to 
be immensely entertaining when watching the sensor footage 
afterwards.
	None of those ideas seemed to come to Commander Burns.  
"Can we retreat?"
	"I don't think so."  Ben said.  "We still have warp power 
but I can't find a hole big enough to get through."  The 
helmsman then promptly stopped and snickered.  "Besides the 
one I'm being commanded by, that is."
	Fear began to overtake Charlotte as she collapsed 
backwards onto her throne.  Perhaps this being in charge thing 
wasn't all it was cracked up to be.  The terrified bridge crew 
was looking to her for answers and she had none to offer.  
Finding it somewhat easier to surrender to a colleague than to 
an enemy, Charlotte wearily turned to Captain Velorn.  "Any 
bright ideas, oh senior guidance officer on Section 31 
protocol and policies?"
	"Yes."  Velorn harrumphed, then handed Charlotte a PADD.  
"Reserve your escape pod now while there are still good 
seats."
	Charlotte grumbled as she racked her brain to think of 
something to save the eight hundred lives under her command.


	Jad's heart was almost beating through his chest as he 
sprinted down the corridor, firing blindly ahead of him as 
random Sentries popped up in his path.  He was trying to find 
the nearest turbolift off the floor, but the directional signs 
were lacking and, without an intimate knowledge of the 
building he was literally lost.
	A phaser burst singed the wall behind him as Jeritt was 
hot on his tail, following the debris of Sentries, the sound 
of footsteps and Captain Vorezze's incessant humming of 
suspenseful chase music to keep his adrenaline flowing.
	Jad began to feel trapped as he rounded the next corner 
and found himself running into another person.  With relief he 
saw it was Commander Smith.  "Oh my god, Commander."  Jad 
panted.  "Thank heavens it's you."
	"Are you okay, Captain?"  Dan looked nervously as the 
sound of footsteps in the corridor behind Jad grew closer.
	"Please tell me you're more heavily armed than I am, 
because I'm getting my ass kicked up here."	
	Dan held up his tricorder.  "All I have is this.  I've 
dubbed it the Tricorder of Death."
	Another phaser burst came from behind and shot the 
tricorder right out of Dan's hand.  Jeritt stood at the end of 
the hallway, blue tinted sweat glistening off of his forehead, 
his body panting heavily and an expression of rage in his 
eyes.  "This ends here, Captain!"  He trained the phaser on 
Jad.  "If you will not surrender I have no choice but to take 
you down and fulfill my pledge to expose Section 31 and 
humiliate the Federation."
	"Obviously you never saw the last Alpha Quadrant 
Olympics, the Federation humiliated themselves enough there."  
Dan called back.
	"I will not let you break Viranis again!"  Jeritt 
screamed, his voice flush with rage and passion, his eyes 
filled with emotion and his breath in desperate need of a 
mint.  "This planet is mine now and I will not surrender it to 
the Federation under any circumstances."
	'We have to stall him!  The turbolift is right here we 
just have to get away.'  Dan thought to himself, hoping the 
Captain was using his mental powers to listen.
	Jad quietly nodded before aiming the phaser rifle upwards 
and firing.  The blast hit one of the large chandeliers and it 
came crashing down between Jeritt and the two of them with an 
almost musical sounding crash of breaking glass.
	Dan grabbed Jad's arm as the captain became almost 
engrossed in the spectacle and pulled him down a small 
corridor and into the turbolift.  "Ground floor!"  Dan 
ordered.
	"I pray the Banshee is faring better than we are."  Jad 
gasped for air.

	The central plaza in front of the Federation Municipal 
Building was abandoned from the storm as Carn, Liz and Axik 
burst out the door.  "Where do we go now?"  Axik asked 
hurriedly as she glanced about.  In the distance she saw a 
series of orange glows slowly getting brighter.
	"I'm not sure but we've got company."  Carn pointed to 
the glows.  "There are at least fifteen Riot Sentries coming 
in.  We can't all get past them together."
	"Maybe we should split up."  Liz offered.  "Try to slip 
past them and meet at a safe place."
	"What about that chili bar on South Girris Street?"  Carn 
asked.
	Liz sneered.  "I didn't like their service, did you?"
	"No, but I thought since it was close by it might be 
convenient."
	"I know, but I'm more of a quality over convenience kind 
of person.  Aren't there any good places with salad bars 
nearby?"
	"Oh just pick something!"  Axik screamed and stamped her 
foot.
	"Look let's just go together, no more splitting up."  
Carn said.  "We're in this as a team and we need to pull 
together like one.  We can take these things just stay focused 
and don't give up."
	Liz looked at Axik.  "Pretty damn motivating for a 
machine."
	"It's my corporate Federation pep talk subroutine, now 
let's go."  Carn said as he withdrew his phaser.
	The three of them told themselves that they were brave, 
though each one of them secretly doubted it.  They stared out 
at the hulking robots that lumbered menacingly towards them, 
swallowed hard, and ran forward.
	They were halfway across the park in the center of the 
traffic circle when they heard a rustling in the trees.  Carn 
froze and looked up as the others ran on.  In the darkness he 
saw Inisil, bloodied and battered, descend upon him, knocking 
the android down before somersaulting through the air and 
landing in front of Liz and Axik.  "You ladies seem to have 
lost your way from your cells."  The cyborg glared at them.
	As Axik shrieked and fell back, the front doors of the 
Federation Municipal building opened yet again and Commander 
Smith and Captain Vorezze emerged.
	"There they are!"  Jad pointed forward as he saw the 
forms of some of his crew in the square ahead of them.
	"And they've got company."  Dan pointed to Inisil as they 
ran forward.  "I thought I took care of that ice princess 
earlier."
	It was then that Jad saw Axik and his heart began to 
flutter.  He couldn't help but call out her name and hear her 
answer for the first time in what felt like an eternity.  
"AXIK!"
	Commander Tagel turned at the sound of her beloved's 
voice.  "Jaddy!?"
	Inisil snorted as she saw the two of them running towards 
her and she turned and advanced on Axik.
	The Bajoran yelped out and turned to run across the slick 
grass towards Jad.  As she tried to move, the mud gave way 
from underneath her and she fell backwards, twisting her ankle 
and howling in pain.
	"AXIK!"  Jad screamed as he pushed himself harder to 
reach her while the other stood by, mortified at what was 
happening.
	A sly grin crossed Inisil's face as she picked up the 
phaser that Axik had dropped and trained it on the fallen 
Bajoran, who was trying to squirm away.
	"Oh god, no."  Jad panted as he ran faster.  The sight of 
his imzadi had relieved so many fears and worries and now she 
was threatened again by the cybernetic monster that stood 
before her with an instrument of death in her hand.
	The captain ran on automatic mode as he watched Inisil's 
thumb descend upon the phaser's trigger button.  Things seemed 
to move glacially slow as the tip of the phaser flashed and 
the high pitched screech echoed through the night above the 
dull roar of the rain falling.  The captain threw himself 
forward through the air as the tip heated up and the beam 
began to arc forward further.  Jad felt the wind rush over him 
as he sped through the air faster until he intercepted the 
blast meant for Axik with his chest.  He was knocked backwards 
with a horrible concussive force and he felt the energy of the 
beam surging through his body like an agonizing fire.  Every 
nerve burned as though it was being singed and all he saw was 
the light of the beam, that bright orange light.  He cried out 
in pain as the phaser bolt consumed him and threw him 
backwards before his body landed on the ground with a loud, 
dull thud.  Steam began to rise up from him as rainwater 
evaporated off of the captain on contact.
	Jeritt stood motionless on the steps of the building and 
called out across the plaza to Inisil.  "I didn't want them to 
be killed, only captured!"  His voice was flush with fury.
	Inisil shrugged coldly.  "My thumb slipped!"
	Axik panted heavily from what had just happened in the 
last split second.  "Jaddy..."  She whispered, turning the 
broken Betazoid over and caressing the side of his face.
	Jad opened his eyes just a bit and struggled to focus.  
When the world came to clarity he saw Axik hovering over him, 
her hair matted down by the rain and mud splattered across her 
face.  Yet somehow despite all that, it was probably the most 
beautiful sight the captain had ever seen.  "Axik..."  He said 
as his body throbbed with pain.  "Axik I'm so sorry."  He 
began to choke, rainwater mixing with tears in his eyes.  "I'm 
so sorry for everything, for being a bad lover, for not paying 
attention, for putting your hand in that bowl of water the 
other night, oh god I'm sorry for everything."  With his last 
bits of strength he clutched at Axik's hand.  "I love you so 
much."
	Axik squeezed Jad's hand back as tears welled up in her 
eyes.  "I'm sorry too I just didn't understand, I wish you 
could forgive me so much Jaddy.  I love you more than 
anything."
	Jad was gasping for air, taking frequent shallow breathes 
as he reached up with a shaking hand to caress Axik's face.  
"Imzadi I'm going to die... but I want you to know that I love 
you with all my heart, and I'll always be there with you in 
spirit.  I love you so much."
	"Oh Jaddy."  Axik ran her fingers through the captain's 
sopping wet hair.  "You're not going to die."
	Jad let out a miniature laugh, all he could do over the 
pain swelling in his chest from the phaser blast.  "You're 
sunny optimism is one of the reasons I fell in love with you."
	"No, really, you're not going to die."  Axik slapped Jad 
upside the head.  "The phaser was set to low stun."
	Inisil, who had been watching the scene the whole time 
with an almost depraved fascination and revulsion, immediately 
froze and looked down at the phaser she just fired before 
suddenly sneering.  "She's right!"
	"Enough of this!"  Jeritt shouted as he made his way 
across the park, escorted by two smaller Sentries while the 
larger Riot Sentries formed a ring around the group of them.  
"Captain, I offer you one last chance at salvation.  Your ship 
is badly damaged and on the brink of destruction above, you 
are wounded and surrounded and heavily outgunned and I'm 
missing the season finale of Survivor: Breen Winter.  Stand 
down and allow yourself to save your own life, your crew, your 
ship and to leave with dignity."  Jeritt looked down at the 
dropped phaser.  "Or else the next phaser shot that strikes 
you will not be so weak."
	Jad sat up and looked around, his head spinning slightly 
and pain racing through him still from the phaser burn.  He 
looked first at Axik, the love of his life who sat here with 
him in the cold rain, wanting nothing more than to lay in her 
love's arms again.  He then turned to his battered crew who 
stood wearily, watching with grave concern, who wanted nothing 
more than to go home.  He looked at the growing swarm of 
Sentries around him with weapons trained on each of them, 
ready to blast them into oblivion at the slightest move.  
Something inside the captain felt like it was dying at what he 
was about to say, but something else felt so alive by looking 
at Axik first before speaking.  "Alright."  Jad said wearily.  
"Viranis is yours."
	Jeritt removed a Starfleet communicator from his pocket 
and handed it to the captain.  "Tell your ship to stand down, 
the Stingers will do the same.  Once you beam aboard you have 
ten minutes to get underway, otherwise you will be destroyed."
	Jad paused as he searched his soul for the words to say, 
then pressed his combadge.  "Vorezze to Banshee."
	"Oh, uhh, hi Captain."  Charlotte said wearily as sparks 
and crashes sounded in the background.  "I bet your wondering 
where your rescue effort is."
	"Stand down from red alert and prepare to beam us back 
aboard, the Stingers will be standing down momentarily too."
	"Sir?"  Charlotte sounded confused.
	"Just do it, Commander, that's an order."
	"Yes, sir.  Standing down now."
	Jad turned to Jeritt, who took out a small PADD from his 
pocket and tapped at the controls.
	"Banshee to Vorezze.  The Stingers have stood down and 
they are retreating."  Charlotte's voice sounded a combination 
of relieved and ecstatic.
	"Stand by."  Jad said before turning back to Jeritt.  
"Now what?"
	"Now, Captain, you go back from where you came and never 
return."  Jeritt said tersely.  "Make up whatever stories you 
want to make this sound good for the Federation.  So long as 
Starfleet or Section 31 never attempts to re-conquer this 
planet, your division's secret will remain just that."
	Wearily and aching, Jad stood up and looked around.  "Is 
everyone ready?"
	The crew numbly nodded and approached the captain.
	Jad pressed the communicator again.  "Vorezze to Banshee.  
Five to beam up."
	The light of the Banshee's transporter that consumed them 
was nothing short of the rapture delivering them from the 
flames of Hell itself.





CHAPTER FOURTEEN





	"This is Darla Hammonds with Good Morning Federation.  In 
what can only be described as one of the most unexpected 
events in Federation history, the Federation Council has 
agreed to allow remote member planet Viranis secede from the 
union, breaking all economic and military bonds to go with 
what many planetary sociologists say were already long since 
broken social bonds.  Head of the Muric Robotics Company, 
Jeritt, has taken over as the planet's new leader, though the 
tight-lipped Viranin has not stated any plans he has for his 
newly independent world."

	The newscast ended and the holographic image of Admiral 
Larry Walker paced the Banshee's observation lounge as the 
bruised and battered starship limped its way to the nearest 
repair facility.  The crew couldn't tell if the expression on 
Walker's face was one of genuine pissedoffedness or if it was 
just his natural expression as usual.  Generally speaking the 
two went hand in hand.  "The Federation and the rest of the 
quadrant will forever be told that the Federation voluntarily 
let Viranis leave the Federation without a fight."  Walker 
said quietly.  "It took a tremendous pooling of Section 31 
resources overnight to do it and thus far Jeritt seems as 
though he's not going to dispute things any."
	The captain sat silently at the end of the conference 
table as he looked on the worn and tired expressions on the 
rest of his senior staff.  He finally looked up and asked, "S 
then we're not planning any kind of a major operation to 
overthrow Jeritt then?"
	Walker shrugged.  "Truth be told the Federation doesn't 
even really want Viranis back, it's always been the black 
sheep of our government.  We only wanted them in because of 
strategic importance and they only joined because they were 
afraid of being invaded by another power.  Section 31 has more 
important things to do than throw time, energy and lives at 
that s**thole of a planet.  And by not supporting a rebellion, 
the people of Viranis deserve whatever horrible things Jeritt 
has in store for them."
	"So you're just going to trust Jeritt to keep a secret 
like that?"
	"Jeritt's an intelligent person."  Walker noted.  "He 
knows if he uses the only ace he has up his sleeve that all of 
Section 31 will rain down upon him with full fury, no matter 
how much he's souped up those damned probes of his."
	"I suppose we're all going to be demoted for not 
successfully taking Jeritt out."  Jad said quietly, expecting 
the full brunt of Admiral Walker's wrath.
	"No."  Walker said tersely.  "Truth be told," he sighed, 
"What Jeritt did defied any of our predictions.  Given the 
circumstances, how off guard we as a whole were... I'd say you 
guys did a good job with what you had."
	A slight smile crept across Jad's face as he felt a big 
sense of relief at what the admiral had just said.  "Thank 
you, sir."
	"Don't let that remark leave this room though."  Walker 
growled.  "It's been a rough month for you guys so I'm 
assigning you some lightweight missions for the next few 
months.  But be prepared for more missions like this in the 
future."  Walker cautioned.  "We're Section 31, it's what we 
do.  Walker out."  With that the admiral's hologram vanished.
	The crew visibly relaxed and a moment of silence filled 
the otherwise tense observation lounge.  The captain finally 
spoke.  "I agree with Admiral Walker."  He said quietly.  "The 
Federation has never faced an adversary like this, or had to 
fight on this kind of a level.  I'm proud of the way you 
handled this situation.  And you know me."  Jad muttered.  
"For me to openly say good job is like the equator of Vulcan 
getting a snow storm."
	"Indeed."  Velorn snorted.
	"Dismissed.  Get some rest guys."  Jad stood up and 
followed his crew out, then paused for a moment.  "Doctor 
Lang?"
	Liz stopped, then turned back and walked over to the 
captain.  "Yes, sir?"
	After the last person had left, Jad looked down and 
breathed in deep before saying, "I wanted to say thank you, 
for everything you did for me on the planet.  I know I was a 
wreck the whole time but-"
	"Captain," Liz interrupted, "That's what friends do for 
each other."
	"It meant a lot."  Jad said.  "And all I can do in return 
is promise to take into account some of the things you said to 
me, and try to be a more open person, and mend things with 
Axik the right way."
	Liz smiled.  "Good.  Star by joining us in the Twilight 
Zone this evening for a 'F**k You, Jeritt!' mixer that we've 
decided to throw."
	Jad smiled.  "Sounds like a plan."  He turned and headed 
out onto the bridge, the first time he'd even really spent 
much time there since beaming back on board and going right to 
his quarters.  "Report."
	"We're a few hours away from Section 31 outpost Chi Delta 
Four Seven where we can finish up our repairs."  Commander 
Rachow said from the helm.
	"Good."  Jad smiled as he plunked down in his command 
chair.  "Now things can finally get back to normal around 
here."  The Betazoid leaned back against the red satin 
cushions of the heart-shaped back of the throne and gripped 
the sculpted wood armrests.  He paused suddenly, then opened 
his eyes and turned to Charlotte.  "Commander?"
	Charlotte turned back and smiled.  "Yes, Captain?"
	"What the hell is this?"  He motioned to the throne.
	"Oh that."  Charlotte giggled.  "I thought I'd spruce up 
some things while you were gone.  Oh!  Wait until you see how 
I prettied up your ready room!  I hope you like magenta!"
	Jad grumbled as he slouched down on the throne.

	The Twilight Zone was busy that evening as the crew, 
desperate to unwind from weeks of stress, began doing just 
that over bottles of alcohol and fresh foods.  Merriment was 
the order of the night and there seemed to be plenty of it 
save for in one spot.  Lieutenant Carn sat, alone, on a 
barstool near the end of the bar, slowly nursing a chilled 
glass of coolant.
	"You look like an android with something on its mind."  
Commander Smith said as he pulled up a stool alongside Carn.
	"Nah, it's not important."  Carn said glumly.
	"Well given that you never really seem to let emotions 
get to you, I'd say it is important."
	"You'll laugh."
	Dan snorted.  "Have I ever laughed at other people's 
misfortunes?"  He paused.  "Don't answer that.  Just tell me, 
come on."
	"Just before we left the Vira system I got in touch with 
that Inisil hottie again and was all 'Hey babe, since we're 
not fighting anymore how about you and me go have a few 
glasses of lubricant and see what happens.'  And she just blew 
me off."  The android pouted.  "I've never been turned down 
before."
	"And that upsets you so much?"  Dan asked inquisitively.
	"Well, yeah... a little."  Carn said sheepishly.  "Having 
someone so tough for an adversary was kind of a turn on, it 
was like meeting my equal.  The yin to my yang, the Locutus to 
my Queen."
	"Welcome to heartache, my friend."  Dan patted Carn on 
the shoulder.
	The android growled and sipped some more coolant.  "Quite 
frankly, I don't like it."
	"Guess you'll think next time about knocking us 
'irrational organics' for letting our emotions get the best of 
us."  Dan chuckled as he stood up.
	"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Carn huffed, "Don't you have some 
kind of occult ritual to be attending?"
	"That's not until midnight."  Dan smiled.  "So I can stay 
here and torment you for a few more hours."
	"Goody."  Carn grumbled.

	The only sound to be heard that night in the quarters of 
Captain Jad Vorezze and Commander Tagel Axik was the distant 
sound of the ship's warp engines.  Jad quietly made his way 
across the room and slid into bed, tightly wrapping his arms 
around Axik.  "I missed this, imzadi."
	The Bajoran rolled over and stared into Jad's eyes.  "I 
missed you."  She leaned in and kissed him.  "I never told you 
how brave I thought it was that you threw yourself in front of 
a phaser bolt for me.  I can't tell you how much something 
like that means to me... even if it was on stun."
	"I could never let anything happen to you."  Jad said, 
caressing Axik's face before reaching down and caressing her 
bulging abdomen.  "Or to this."
	"I finally understand why.  And I'm sorry for being so 
selfish, Jaddy."  Axik turned and wrapped the captain's arms 
around her.
	"This just proves we can work our way through anything, 
no matter how bad it seems."
	A mutual feeling came over Jad and Axik as they fell 
asleep in each other's arms.  The strange sense of complete 
satisfaction that comes from the kind of spiritual connection 
that they shared - no matter how irrational it may seem.  For 
all the other cares and fears that either of them had, it was 
moments like this that drove them forward, giving them the 
energy to continue on.  Perhaps they still had a long way to 
go before they truly understood the bond that would forever 
keep them together, but none of that seemed to matter now.  
Each of them was more than content to accept things as they 
were in all their unhealthy glory and to bask in the small 
pocket of warmth that the two of them together had created out 
in the cold, dark vastness of space.




EPILOGUE




	The morning sky in Viranis was surprisingly clear, with 
patches of purple dawn sky showing through the thick cloud 
cover.  Jeritt had not slept.  He'd been up all night, pacing 
frantically at what he was about to do today.  Preparations 
had been made in the weeks since the Banshee had departed 
Viranis, yet nothing seemed to adequately prepare him for the 
task of addressing the Viranin people and telling them what 
the future would hold for them, no matter how bright Jeritt 
thought it might be.
	The doors of his office opened and Inisil entered, as if 
sensing her master's turbulent train of thought.  "You should 
be sleeping, my lord."  She said calmly.
	"Should be, yes."  Jeritt conceded.  "This press 
conference I'm having soon is wracking my nerves."
	"You are simply outlining your policies for the new 
direction you will lead the planet in.  I fail to see how that 
is entirely nerve wracking."
	"You don't understand this planet like I do, Inisil."  
Jeritt said as he sipped a decaffeinated aransa.  "People have 
seen so many false starts, so many rays of hope that fade out 
that they don't trust anyone or anything."
	"That was under a far different system though."  Inisil 
noted.
	Jeritt nodded.  "I look out and I see hope when everyone 
else saw failure.  The solution is not to Federationize the 
planet but to let it bask in what it is.  The Federation was 
blind to that, too obsessed with its own ideals to ever stop 
to think of the Federation way of life is really what's best 
for everyone, or just those people who believe in it.
	"I fought this battle not because I hate the Federation 
but because I hate what they were doing to my beloved 
homeworld.  They had so many chances to make it right and they 
never did.  Do you know why, Inisil?"
	"Not enough fear of neck snapping in the lives of 
government officials?"  The cyborg raised an eyebrow.
	"No."  Jeritt said flatly.  "They didn't care."  He 
sighed.  "I couldn't let that continue, our society would have 
crumbled into ruin if that happened.  People need to know now 
that I am going to rebuild businesses, makes ourselves self 
sufficient.  Be tough on crime so we can give our children 
hope of a better life.  Train the poor and give them work so 
every person on this world can go home every night happy with 
their lives and not finding themselves starving or homeless."
	"Quite a noble aspiration my lord.  It is why I supported 
your cause so intensely."
	"My hope now is that the rest of the planet will as well.  
It was one thing for me to be a businessman doing good things 
for the community.  It's another to be their true leader."
	"Those citizens will learn they have nothing to fear from 
you and that you have the vision, plan and charisma to truly 
change this world for the better."  Inisil noted.
	"I hope so, Inisil, I hope they see that."  Jeritt sighed 
as he turned and looked out the window.  "After all, Inisil, 
it's not like I was the villain here."





THE END