The small shuttle streaked westward thru the night, racing away from the coast line. Flying just above the treetops, its running lights off, even without a cloaking device, it was nearly invisible to the animals in the forests as it passed over. It came to small mountain and the inertial dampers were unable to compensate completely for the abrupt climb. Its occupant was crushed into his seat on the climb and tossed into the air on the decent.
In the back of the cabin, on the floor a long black bag bounced in time to the pilot sitting forward. If the he had been listening he would have heard a slight moan as the shuttle leveled out on the other side of the obstruction.
The body in the bag, bound hand and foot, it's mouth taped shut, regained consciousness. It struggled for breath, could taste blood in its mouth. The stale, sour air was like trying to breath at a high altitude. It forced it's self to remain calm. To steady it's racing heart. It listened to the muffled sounds outside the bag trying to determine where it was.
Sounds of conversation filtered thru the bag, but the person could not make out the words. So with eyes closed, it focused on the only thing it could, survival one moment to the next.
An hour later the shuttle came upon a river and turned North, until it came to a clearing along the bank and slowed, gently touching down in the wet grass. The body heard the first sound it could clearly make out, the sound of a shuttle hatch opening. Then the feeling of being dragged across the floor and then tossed out onto the ground. The impact nearly knocked the wind from it's lungs and it struggled to suck in air thru it's nose.
The sound of a seal being broken and the feel of cold, damp air rushed over it. Opening it's eyes it could see patches of stars and clouds, but not enough to determine it's location.
Then pain, as the tape across it's mouth was yanked away, and it gasped for breath. Then it focused then on the figure standing over it.
Doctor Siverna looked down, sweat running down his cheek. "Stupid bitch. Why couldn't you have died in the Lab as was planned!"
Commander T'Ros spat at him. Whispered something so softly the doctor couldn't hear it. He leaned down, got in closer "What... Bitch?"
Then with all her might she swung her legs up and punched him with both feet square against the side of his head. He fell to the side unconscious, bleeding from his ear.
She squirmed over the ground and pulled a knife from the ankle holster on the Doctors leg. It took several agonizing minutes, bent backward to cut the bonds from her legs. As soon as she had, she worked her self into a standing position and walked over to a fallen tree. Wedging the knife into the tree she backed up against it and worked to free her hands.
Now, standing over the doctor, the rage so great she could scream she pressed the blade against the good doctors throat. Now she remembered. Now the betrayal came flooding back to her. And as much as she wanted to she couldn't kill the vermin yet just yet.
An hour later Siverna came to, now he was bound to a tree, his arms painfully pulled behind him around its trunk. His feet were bound and pegged to the ground.
T'Ros, seeing him rouse, came over and pressed his knife to his throat. "Who is behind this? What is going on?"
The Doctor laughed. "Did you really think you could stand against the wishes of the Council forever? They don't want you here. They want you out."
"I’m not going anywhere." she whispered in his ear, dragging the blade thru the skin of his neck. A trickle of blood staining his uniform.
"You're already gone! The entire leadership of the colony is already gone!. Omega is ours!"
"What are you saying?"
A demonic laugh erupted. "Hours ago you helped kill them all off. Let's see how much the Federation wants you around now!"
T'Ros grabbed his hair and jerked his head back. "Who is behind this! Who is your contact!"
"I''m not telling you any more. Kill me, I'm dead already, as much as you are."
She looked over at the shuttle on the river bank. "There are things worse than death, as you're about to find out."
She started towards the shuttle and began to hear a faint whine. As she got closer the whine got louder and louder. And then she froze, realizing what she was hearing.
She turned and ran as fast as she could back to the tree and took cover behind its wide trunk, leaving Siverna facing his doom. In the shuttle a disrupter power pack on overload reached critical and the shuttle exploded in a fireball rolling into the sky. The concussion knocked T’Ros from her sanctuary and the heat of the explosion burned her back.
As the rumble of the explosion died away she looked at what was left of the doctor and vomited on the grass. After taking minutes to gather herself she staggered into the woods and collapsed on the ground. She thought she heard a secondary explosion and then realized it was thunder. A storm was approaching and the wind was beginning to pick up.
In frustration she shook her fist at the sky. “Why! Why are you doing this!” She laid down in the ferns and tried to gather herself. The wind was becoming stronger and the first rays of daylight were beginning to streak across the sky.
She looked to her right and in the distance thru the scrub trees she thought she saw a flashing light. At first she thought another team was coming to be sure the job was finished. But the light never moved. In time she gathered her courage and made her way towards the light. It was a small remote science station, set up by some student at the Omega Academy no doubt. She sat on the ground next to the small unit and studied it. The rain was just beginning to sprinkle on her shoulders as she opened a panel and found what she had hoped for. An emergency com unit. She started to call her office in Vorta’Rome and then stopped.
She looked back the way she had come and thought. Doctor Siverna could not have acted alone. And certainly someone had been sure to assassinate the assassin. No , she could not go back straight to Vorta’Rome. And if what Sivernia had said was true. That the colony some how thought she was complicit in the deaths of the leadership. Then where was she to turn?
She knew it was a long shot but she reconfigured the transmission algorithms and hoped for the best.
****
In the Intel Department of the Yang Liewi, Commander Deivan was just about to break for dinner when Lt. Crretit looked up and with a puzzled face. “Commander. The bridge com station says you have an incoming message, but it is uncoded.”
Deivan stopped at the door. “What? From who?”
Lt. Crretit looked down and said. “Your sister.”
Deivan turned on his heal and ran back to his station. “I have no sister. Where is the message coming from?”
“The Omega Academy.”
Deivan was now at his console and was transferring the link to his station.
“Bridge. Transfer the connection. I’ll take responsibility.”
The bridge com officer acknowledged, marking that the Commander was now accepting an uncoded message.
In as bright a cheery a voice as he could muster he said. “Sis! How are you!”
The reception was scratchy . “I’ve been better. Decided to do some fishing, thought you may like to join me.”
Deivan snapped his fingers at his team. Lt. Crretit started tracking the signal. Lt. Ree brought up a map of the continent the colony was located on.
“Sure. I need a break. Where abouts are you?”
There was a pause. “Well, that is another problem. I seem to have gotten lost. I was hoping you might find me. You know that river we went to last time?”
“Yea.”
“Well, I wondered off into the woods and now I can’t find my way back.”
Lt. Crretit looked up .”I’ve got it. The call is coming from an Academy science station.”
On the map behind Lt. Ree a red dot started blinking.
“Oh yea.” Deivan said. “I remember. You sit tight. I’ll be there as soon as I can. I’ll find you.”
There was a long pause. “Thanks I owe you.”
“Ok , big brother out.” and the link closed.
Lt. Ree looked over at Deivan. “Commander T’Ros?”
“I’m staking my life on it.”
“So your theory was correct.”
Deivan was heading for Commodore Reeds ready room. “Apparently. And somehow the real T’Ros is still alive.”
“So the accident wasn’t really and accident.”
Deivan called as the doors shut. “Don’t believe in accidents!”
Off:
Commander T’Ros
Romulan Ambassador and Mayor of Rome (NPC)
Special Guest Appearance by
Commander Ranvir Deivan
Chief Intelligence Officer
USS Yang Liewi
From the Intelligence Department of the USS Yang Liewi
