Featured post

What Did Anglo-Force Look Like?

I've been playing around with one of those AI art generator things, generating images for some of the old Anglo-Force characters in a ...

Monday 29 November 2021

Renegades - Civil War Chapter Twenty-Nine

    Lohengrin shuttlecraft Clarke moved towards the Cardassian side of the de-militarized zone. Aboard were Sinclair, Riker, Tarses and Hudson. The former Starfleet commander had wanted Chakotay along for the ride but Sinclair had decided against it.
    “We are approaching Cardassian territory now.” Riker reported.
    “I’m surprised we haven’t encountered any sort of resistance yet.” said Sinclair.
    Suddenly Tarses’ sensor panel came to life.
    “Cardassian cruiser one million kilometres off the port bow.” he reported.
    “On my screen Lieutenant.” Sinclair ordered.
    The imposing image of the alien warship appeared before Sinclair.
    “We are being hailed.” said Tarses.
    The image of Gul Dukat appeared on Sinclair’s monitor.
    “Commander Sinclair! I am surprised to see you here in the zone.”
    “It’s Captain Sinclair now, Gul Dukat. Commanding officer of the Lohengrin.”
    A look of annoyance appeared on Dukat’s face when he saw Hudson sitting next to him.
    “Are Starfleet taking in criminals now?” he asked sarcastically. “I had heard you just got rid of one at Command itself!”
    “This isn’t a time for games, Dukat.” said Sinclair. “Commander Hudson has launched some very disturbing allegations against the Cardassian colonies here in the zone.”
    “I wasn’t aware of any allegations, Captain!”
    “They are not allegations!” Hudson snapped. “You’re colonies are making mutagenic weapons for use on our colonies!”
    Dukat huffed.
    “I know of no such thing!”
    “Then you wouldn’t mind if we went to one of your colonies, in case we find something!” said Sinclair.
    “You’re not on Babylon 5 anymore Captain. You can’t just demand to search something now!”
    “If you have nothing to hide then you have nothing to fear Gul Dukat!” Sinclair replied.
    Sinclair could see that Dukat knew he was getting the better of him.
    “Very well Captain. Follow my ship, and then beam down to the co-ordinates I will give you.”
    The sight of a Federation shuttlecraft in close orbit to a Cardassian war cruiser was one that was not often seen. A lesser seen sight was the one of Gul Dukat beaming down with a Starfleet away team. As soon as they arrived the Cardassian citizens looked suspicious of them.
    “As you can see.” said Dukat. “This is just an ordinary colony!”
    “Looks ordinary enough!” said Hudson. “But every place has it’s secrets!”
    A small group then walked past the away team. Sinclair could not help but stare at the one whose face was covered by a hood. For some reason Sinclair thought that he was not what he seemed. The feeling passed, however, when the group moved away.
    “So, is everything to your liking Captain?” Dukat asked.
    Sinclair did not answer.
    “Captain?”
    “Oh. I’d like to see a bit more. Under the treaty I’m entitled to that.”
    “So you are, but I believe you will not find what you are looking for.”
    “We’ll see.”
    Dukat and the away team walked towards one of the buildings. As they entered they failed to notice the group stop and look at them. They would also had noticed that one of the group was human.
    The ‘tour’ of the colony took roughly two hours. Dukat showed them everything, from their hospitals to their food production facilities, but still Hudson protested, and still Sinclair was not satisfied.
    The last stop was at the main reactor facility, the station that gave power to the entire colony. Upon arrival at the station Tarses began to scan the area for energy readings. This annoyed Dukat.
    “I would be grateful if you did not do that!” he snapped.
    “My apologies.” Tarses replied. “It’s just that I was picking up some anomalous reading.”
    “What do you mean?” asked Sinclair.
    “I was comparing the ration between the power needed for the colony and the power actually being put out.” Tarses replied. “The amount of power being put out is far higher than the amount normally needed.”
    “I am sure it is just a minor discrepancy.” smiled Dukat.
    “I’ve seen that sort of thing before.” said Sinclair. “The Norpin colony had a power surge in their reactor a few years ago which resulted in an explosion. I’d suggest you take a look…”
    Sinclair’s words were broken by a burst from a phaser which hit the ground just centimetres from Sinclair’s feet. Drawing his phaser Sinclair looked upwards and saw the cloaked figure he had seen before, Starfleet issue phaser in his hand.
    At the same time Tarses drew his phaser, and with perfect aim hit the attacker with a phaser blast to his shoulder. Stunned, the stranger fell over the balcony and landed on the ground in front of them. As he landed his hood slipped down revealing him to be human. Sinclair recognised him straight away.
    “Chavez!”
    “Who?” asked Dukat.
    “Gul Dukat, were you aware that you had a Federation renegade living here? Don’t you recognise Lieutenant-Commander Chavez? He was part of the group that hijacked Babylon 5 during the inauguration. I’d like to know what he was doing here!”
    Hudson bent over Chavez’s lifeless body.
    “He’s alive, but barely!”
    Hudson then noticed something that had fallen out of Chavez’s pocket. He picked it up and looked at it. It was a glass container of some sort. There was an orange coloured liquid inside it. Tarses scanned the liquid with his tri-corder.
    “It’s mandarin.” he announced. “It was developed by the Federation during the Cardassian conflict. When combined with other substances it could form a mutagenic weapon!”
    “See, now we have all the evidence we need!” said Hudson.
    Then Sinclair’s communicator sounded. He found it odd the call was from Xon, who he had thought was back on the Lohengrin. It turned out he was.
    “We received a transmission from Starfleet Command Captain.” the Vulcan reported. “We are to abort our current mission and return to Earth at once.”
    “We can’t leave!” said Hudson. “We’ve just made a breakthrough! We could have nailed Dukat to the wall for this!”
    “I assure you I knew nothing of this, or how Chavez came to be here!”
    “I’d like to delve into the mystery also.” said Sinclair. “But orders are orders, so I can’t!”
    Hudson grabbed Sinclair by his arm.
    “You can’t just walk away now! It’s obvious that Chavez was helping the Cardassians with their mutagenic weapons!”
    Sinclair stared at Hudson, giving him a stern look, as if he were visually telling him to let go of his arm.
    “I’ll have Chavez beamed directly to Sickbay.” he said. “Then, on our way back to Earth, I’ll drop you off home. Consider yourself lucky that I haven’t arrested you.”
    Sinclair then turned to Dukat.
    “I would be grateful if you could keep me informed of anything you find Gul Dukat.”
    “I will. But I say again Captain, I knew nothing of this.”
    “The Lohengrin should be on it’s way now. We’ll head back to the shuttle and rendezvous with them.”
    They started on their way back to the beam down point. As they walked Hudson pulled Riker to one side.
    “I want you to find out all you can about this.” said Hudson.
    “Believe me, I will.” said Riker.
    They continued on their way. Ten minutes later Chavez was beamed to Sickbay where his condition was stabilized. The Lohengrin then headed back towards Earth.

    Sleer walked into the main building of Starfleet Cybernetics. He made his way through the gleaming corridors until he came to the laboratory occupied by Commander Bruce Maddox. As he walked in Maddox ignored him, absorbed as he was with his work on the droid R4, brought back from Tattooine by the Valkyrie. Eventually Maddox turned to face Sleer. He regarded the commander with ill-disguised distaste.
    “What can I do for you Commander?” he asked.
    Sleer gazed at the shining form of R4.
    “I have personal orders for you from President Servalan. You are to stop work on R4 and commence the reconstruction of the android Lore.”
    Maddox could not believe his ears.
    “Is she mad? Doesn’t she remember what he did? I won’t do it!”
    Sleet leaned close to Maddox.
    “May I remind you, Commander, of the penalty for disobeying a direct presidential order? You would certainly be court marshalled, and I believe that there is shortly to be new legislation bringing the death penalty back for this sort of offence.”
    Maddox went pale.
    “Very well, I will do it, but under protest.”
    
    Blake stood gazing at Zen’s main viewing screen. He was deep in thought. Then he broke out of his reverie.
    “Zen, confirm the content of the message received from the wizard Ringulrun.”
    Zen whirred into life.
    “The message promises safe haven to all those who fight against Servalan.”
    “Plot a course for the Time of Legends. I intend to let Phineas Magus know about Cygnus Alpha, and also about what I know.”
    “You are mad.” sneered Avon. “There is nothing to say that the message is not a trick. I say we should stay away.”
    “I agree with Avon.” added Vila. “I don’t like wizards. I heard once what Magus did to the Klingon Kempec.”
    “Nonetheless that is where were are going. Magus is out best chance against Servalan while Leacock is on Cygnus Alpha. Zen, head for the Time, fastest possible speed.”



  



No comments:

Post a Comment