Thursday 9 December 2021

Renegades - Civil War Chapter Thirty-Six

    “Erghh!! Pesky bugs!”
    Ever since they had arrived in the Gamma Quadrant and found a Class M world for their planetary survey Quark had done nothing but complain.
    “It seems like paradise!” Sisko commented. “Various forms of plant and insect life, and nothing more!”
    “You know what I see here?” said Quark. “Wastage.”
    “You would probably want to strip mine the entire planet!” replied Sisko.
    “And why not? It would turn a tidy profit, and I never liked nature much anyway!”
    “You could stay in the runabout!”
    “No way!”
    Quark then began to scratch his large lobe. Another of the planet’s insects had tried to use him as a meal again.
    “Nog, get me that ointment we brought along! If these bugs had their way they’d take huge chunks out of me!”
    Nog was not happy. What started out as a nice trip to the Gamma Quadrant was quickly becoming a trip with a very annoying uncle. But Nog knew he had no choice, so he got the ointment for his uncle.
    “That feels better!” Quark said, rubbing it into his ear.
    Sisko wished he was back on the station.

    “I want access to your computer.” said Magus.
    “No way.” said Avon. “We cannot give an outsider access to Zen.”
    “Doctor Magus is hardly an outside.” said Blake as another blast rocked the Liberator.
    “The only way I can carry out my plan is by having access to Zen.” said Magus. “If I don’t we’ll all be blown to kingdom come!”
    “Very well.” said Blake. “Zen, you will respond to the next voice you will hear.”
    Magus stepped forward.
    “Zen, my name is Phineas Magus.”
    “Voice print established. Ready to comply with orders.”
    “Zen, I want you to establish a link with the Lohengrin’s computers.”
    Zen sprang to life.
    “Link established.”
    “Prepare to receive the information I am about to give you, store, and then transmit this information to the Lohengrin.”
    Magus stepped further forward and placed his hand on Zen’s dome. Using his powers he began to relay the information from Blake’s mind into Zen’s memory banks. Seconds later Zen started to transmit the information to the Lohengrin’s computer.

    Night had fallen in the Gamma Quadrant, and as they sat around a camp fire Quark still complained as he picked several bugs off his plate.
    “Damn things! They get into everything!”
    Once again he began to scratch his ear.
    “Nog, get that ointment again will you? And then rub it onto the back of my neck.”
    The young Ferengi let out a huge sigh.
    “Yes Uncle.”
    As Nog went to find the ointment Quark sat next to Sisko under a rather huge tree.
    “Beautiful isn’t it?” said Sisko, taking in a deep breath. “Just smell that clean air!”
    “And what about those bugs?” Quark asked. “Are those beautiful?”
    “The answer’s still no.”
    “Answer? What are you talking about?”
    “About using the station’s to sell merchandise. The answer’s still no!”
    “Typical! If I were hew-man you’d say yes! But because I’m a Ferengi you look down on me!”
    “That has nothing to do with it!”
    “Doesn’t it? Hew-mans have always looked down on Ferengis. You have never liked our people!”
    “That’s not true!”
    “Okay then, Commander, name one Ferengi friend!”
    Sisko raised his finger as if trying to think.
    “See! I told you! You don’t like Ferengis! And I know why!”
    “I’m not going to argue with your Quark! The answer’s still no!”
    And with that Sisko left Quark alone with his insect bites. He soon joined Jake and his tri-corder, and the younger Sisko was busy analysing the data collected during the first day.
    “How are you doing Jake?”
    “I’m nearly finished going over the data. Tomorrow we’ll begin cataloguing the insect and plant life!”
    “Well get some sleep soon. You’ve a big day ahead of you tomorrow!”
    Their conversation was interrupted by screams from the camp fire. The two Siskos jumped to their feet and raced over to see Quark shaking his flaming arm all over the place and screaming the fire down.
    “I’m on fire! I’m on fire!”
    Sisko grabbed a blanket.
    “Quark! Calm down!” he shouted, wrapping the blanket around the burning limb, putting out the flames.
    “I hate this place! My nose is running! The insects are trying to eat me alive, and now I burn myself trying to pick some of those insects out of the pot! I hate this place!”
    Nog hissed loudly at his uncle.
    “You always have to ruin things!”
    He took off in disgust, trying to contain his anger.
    “What did I do?” Quark asked with a most innocent expression on his face.
    “I’d better go and see how he is!” said Jake, taking the path Nog had seconds earlier.
    Sisko stared at Quark.
    “Well Quark, you did it again!”
    Quark was about to reply when they both heard a rustling of leaves nearby. They turned around to see a young woman race out of the bushes. She stopped suddenly when she saw Sisko and Quark. Then she closed her eyes and appeared to take in a deep breath. A small ball of light formed in front of her, a ball of light that suddenly shot towards Sisko, hit him, and then sent him flying. She then turned around when she heard someone behind her. Sisko and Quark could not believe their eyes when two reptilian-like humanoids seemingly appeared out of nowhere. One fired his weapon, rendering the woman unconscious. They then turned their weapons towards Quark.
    “Wait! I mean you no harm!”
    This meant nothing to these men. Sisko and Quark were soon unconscious.

    Xon looked at his science station computer screen with the Vulcan equivalent of amazement.
    “Captain Sinclair, as impossible as this may sound…someone is accessing our computer.”
    Sinclair almost leapt from his seat and joined Xon at his station.
    “Odd.” he said. “They only seem to be accessing the personnel files!”
    Then, while sitting in her chair, Alexander suddenly clasped her temple.
    “What is it?” Shelby asked.
    “I can’t tell.” said Alexander. “It’s as if some force has tried to enter my mind, as if someone where trying to contact me telepathically!”
    On the Liberator the crew watched as Magus’s eyes suddenly opened.
    “I’ve done it.” he said. “The only member of their crew who is a full telepath is their Counsellor, Lyta Alexander. I’ve managed to contact her.”
    “Then you must give her the information.” said Blake. “She can relay it to Captain Sinclair.”
    “Lyta Alexander is a member of the Psi-Corp.” said Avon. “And everyone knows that Psi-Corp are pawns of Servalan!”
    “Not Alexander!” Magus replied. “Something is different about her. I don’t know what, but I know we can trust her!”
    “Then do it.” said Blake. “Before Travis blows is to pieces!”
    And so it began. Magus began to relay the information to Alexander telepathically, hoping that it could convince Sinclair and the others.




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