Prototype

by Scribe

Based on the AU RPG - Enterprise:Federation and on the episode Twilight, once Major Hayes now military governor of Gaia is kidnapped by unknown assailants who are holding him ransom for an unknown weapon that has the ability to shield an entire ship.

This is based on the AU RPG Enterprise: Federation game.

The setting:

This is set on the timeline based on the Episode of Twilight where Earth was destroyed. The survivors who settled on the world of Ceti Alpha 5 have renamed it Gaia. With the Enterprise never encountering the Weapon or Hoshi being kidnapped. The character of Major Hayes did not die. He went onto a long career in the MACOs and later was established military governor of New Earth Colony, the human settlement on the renamed world of Ceti Alpha 5.

PROTOTYPE

By Scribe & Robert Kennedy Drake

Her head hurt.

Her eyes were closed still and felt cold against her cheek. In a second, she identified the sensation as lying on steel. Her eyes flew upon. Steel...a deck...on a ship. Looking about her, all was in darkness. Something stirred in the distance, a scurrying sound like an insect or a mouse. Panic filled her, she disliked rats with a passion. she was still clad in her evening clothes, the one that she had been wearing when Gabe suggested they go out to eat. Gabe! Where the hell was Gabe. Her first impulse was to move and she found she could not. Her hands were bound. A hiss of anger escaped her and she tried to move her feet. Memories tumbled forward, they had decided to go for a walk to the Beasts, grab a couple of burgers, nothing too fancy. Just a night out for the governor and his fiancée. There was no reason to fear.

The attack had come out of nowhere and taken them completely by surprised. Gabe had reacted first but the gas pellet worked swiftly and despite their efforts to escape, could not outdistance the noxious fumes before they were overcome.

The room in which she now found herself was dim. She could see faint silhouettes, nothing more. What light there was came from a small lamp in the corner, a green glow that signaled that it was sealed. She looked around, searching for Gabe.

Who exactly had him, he was unsure. They hadn't talked. Hadn't made any demands. Hadn't drugged him up with truth serum to get information out of the Governor. What they had done was near choked him and Ren to death, before knocking her on the head while he engaged in hand-to-hand with a being in black. He took the first man down, years of MACO training coming to him as naturally as possible, despite the civie evening clothes. Even the second got a shot to what should have resulted in a broken nose. Hard to tell when black cloth covered their faces. When three and four grabbed him, if he had it right, number two or a fifth cracked him upside the temple and he found himself falling forward. Hayes' hands caught his fall, but it was barely noted when his arms gave out and he finished the fall himself. The gas finalizing the job.

Now he sat, hands bound behind him, trying to figure out if this was a joke. If perhaps this was a new level to Ren and his fantasy. No. There was dried blood on his lips. It stung when he ran his tongue over and he could feel the split. Trying to think and clear his head, it didn't appear that they had drugged him up yet and looking around the dark room, it was hard to tell if anybody else was here. The want to call out for Ren to see if she was even in the same room came to him, but years of training held it back. Gabriel remained still and only moved his eyes. It was better for him right now if they hadn't realized he was waking up. Listening, he tried to overhear anything. Foot falls. Conversation. Slowly he moved his bonds and found himself secured somehow to the wall. His feet were bound as well.

Knocked out like a goddamn maggot, Ren didn't know what was more embarrassing, that or being trussed by like a turkey, waiting for someone to come collect them or do god knows what. She hoped Gabe fared better and tried to look around, when she saw nothing, she closed her eyes and fell silent, he was MACO and so was she. First rule, don't let them know that you're aware of your situation, so in other words - dummy up. Closing her eyes, she concentrated, listened closely, beyond the scratching rat she imagined was somewhere around here, not a rat, something bigger, something trying to work at his bonds, to free himself. She let out a sigh of relief.

"Gabe," she whispered softly as she could, because she did not wish them to hear but she had to know if he was okay.

Immediately his head snapped in her direction, the darkness revealing nothing. "Ren? My god are you okay? Did they.?" If they touched her in any wrong way, he would kill. If they.. The Commander of the MACOs should not have answered. A low whistle perhaps. Or Morse code against the wall. They never once trained Gabriel for was dealing with a threat to his family. Up until this past year, he didn't think he had one.

Caution out the window, he only cared about her safety.

"No," she shook her head, intensely grateful that he was alive and well. The way he had fought, she had feared they might have become more extreme in their efforts to restrain him. "No, nothing like that. I'd have to be awake for that and any one trying that is going to have a very bad or at the very least, forget about fathering children. Are you okay though?" Ren whispered, wishing she could make her way to him. She probably could but the shuffling noise that would produce was not one she wanted to make. "Have they shown themselves? Or told us what they want?"

She actually didn't need to be awake, from his training back on Earth, but Gabriel kept his head and did not alert her to that. Right now, they both needed a cool head. Her words were brave, but meaningless. At least she was thinking straight and the fight was still in her. The Colonel's mind assessing the situation as best as he could, given the dark room and unable to see her condition. "I'm fine." Honestly, he wasn't sure how he was, but again, she only needed to be reassured. "There isn't much I know, but I am secure in place over here." He reached out with his bound feet, trying to feel for her. Dress shoes on the floor.

"Maybe we should have stayed in for dinner," she remarked quietly, trying to inject some humor into the situation, if only to make herself feel better. "I'm tied up too," she replied struggling against her binds and found that she was now making the same sound as Gabe and was grateful that she had been right about that at least and there was nothing else in here with them. Suddenly, she felt his feet touching hers and almost jumped in the darkness, "Gabe, please tell me that's you?" She said going all tense in anticipation of his answer.

"It's me." God dammit, she was so close. "Can you move Ren? Are you attached to the wall?" In learning she wasn't, the Colonel knew this was against his better judgment, but he wasn't exactly the Governor right now. Gabriel was concerned and balancing all aspects in here today. There was not a real answer, so he went on instinct. "Can you come to me? I can't move darling."

It was a balance of them continuing to talk at a higher-level whisper and remaining still, or her coming to him once. Either way, there was a chance of being heard. More than likely, the room was bugged or they were. He might as well have the comfort of his future wife's touch.

"I can try," she replied and rolled into a sitting position. Thanks to push-ups, sit-ups and the like, sitting forward with her legs outstretched was not a difficult proposition and she some how managed to get to his side, her legs shuffling awkwardly towards the direction of his foot. "Never thought I'd be grateful for that aerobics class that taught me how to tone my butt by walking across the floor with it." Ren knew she joked when she was nervous and their situation was turning her into fucking abbot and Costello. After a few minutes, she found her way beside him. "I'm offended," she said resting her head on his shoulder, able to see him now that she was closer. "They made sure you couldn't move."

He was in no mood to joke however understood her reasoning for doing so. "That they did." Useless against the restrains, for this wasn't a simple rope binding she might be able to bite through, he stopped struggling. Gabriel leaned over and kissed her. "It'll be alright." He made the empty promise, knowing it could very well be empty. Her smell comforted him and Hayes worked against the will to rest his head against the wall and fall back asleep. The will was there, courtesy of a blow resulting in a huge cut and knot on his head, but in the darkness it was impossible to see. His eyes drooped and his chin slowly began to tuck into his neck.

Ren wondered how he could sleep when suddenly, the room flooded with light. She blinked to adjust to the sudden illumination and realized that her initial observation had been correct. They were in what appeared to be a cargo hold of some kind, steel all around them and only one way out. Ren prayed they weren't in space because that complicated any escape beyond reason. However, she didn't believe they were. Ship engines made a hum, a familiar kind that was unmistakable, after three years on a ship fleeing across space to Ceti Alpha, Ren remembered how it felt. The door opened, following a hiss from hydraulic fluids that made up its mechanism. Two men stepped in and Ren's stomach clenched.

"Gabe, they're...they're...not human." She didn't recognize the species. He had logged more space time than she, so he probably knew what race they were. All she knew was they were big, with bony protrusions connecting their nose to their chins. Their hair was long and shaggy against jaundiced like skin. They were almost the size of your average Klingon.

"Come human," one of them said to Gabe and reached down to pick him up. "The captain wants to see you."

"Gabe..." Ren looked at him in panic. Maco training alone kept her from doing anything stupid because these aliens were armed.

"Shut up," the other growled at her and she felt silent, just because she didn't want to provoke them into hurting Gabe.

Blinking into the light, he heard Ren, felt them yank him to his feet and bent forward slightly. At first, he almost thought they were Xindi, sloth race, with the yellowish skin, bridges and hair. Adjusting to the light, he made out their features better, and recognized. "Nausicans." The label was stated and he licked his split lip. "What on earth could you possible want with us?" The blood working harder to fight against gravity began to pound the upper right part of his temple, and when he turned to look at Ren, the light shone the dried blood that looked to be painted on the side of his head. Origin point near his hair line and it had dribbled on down to his dinner shirt.

Growling slightly himself, Gabriel warned, "Leave her alone."

Until the human had said it, the Nausican called Merk had not paid any attention to the female but the obvious weakness in his desire to protect her gave Merk the opportunity for sport and he said with a snort, "For now. Until the captain says we can have her." He looked at his companion who Ranek who found this exceedingly amusing and guffawed loudly, amusing themselves at the male's reaction.

"Gabe he's just trying to piss you off," Ren said quickly, aware that the Colonel had a short fuse and that remark alone could cause him to do something stupid. In truth however, the idea both terrified and repulsed her and she really hoped they were kidding.

He was about to fight, his body already rigid and tense. Ren's words penetrated his MACO immediate thick-headed response so he settled on shutting the hell up. Damn. Gabriel wasn't thinking straight and he knew better. Knew. Better. Than to broadcast Ren into the spotlight. He assumed they knew and who knows. Maybe they did. Maybe he did it. Turning his head back to look at Ren, he said nothing now, but tried to simply tell her everything he could through his eyes. They undid the bonds at his feet.

Ren let out a sigh of relief knowing that her words had impacted and that he was heeding them. She watched as they took him out of the hold, laughing making further derogatory remarks in order to provoke him into responding and fortunately, Gabe was hip to it now. When the door closed behind her, sealing her in once more and the light growing dark around her again, Ren never felt more alone or vulnerable. However, her fear was next to nothing when she thought about Gabe and why they had taken him.

The Nausicans took their prize down the long and narrow corridor to the nearest left and stepped inside. Both were warned about this particular human who may not seem very impressive at present was one of Gaia's greatest warriors and military governor of the colony of humans on what was formerly Ceti Alpha Five. This one had seen many battles in the past and so they watched and kept their hands close to their blasters, aware that humans had the ability to secrete something called adrenaline, which made them exceedingly dangerous in a fight. At the end of the journey, they reached the upper decks and once again continued down another equally lengthy corridor until they reached a door at the end. The rest of the crew were in their quarters, told to remain there while the Captain took care of his business with this human. Those who served the Captain knew the price of disobedience.

"Not much longer to go," Merk replied, unable to resist taking a dig. "Then we can leave you to the captain to see to your woman. Is true what they say about Earther women, that they are soft to the touch?"

"Enough," Ranek snapped before the human could answer, "we can find out for ourselves."

The door slid open and they shoved him inside, stepping into the room. The room was Spartan, with a desk, a computer terminal, com equipment but nothing descriptive that could be indicative of any one race.

"Captain," Merk called out. "The human."

The man behind the computer terminal stood up and regarded the captive.

He was by all accounts Vulcan but his hair was long, his swept brows were not groomed meticulously like Vulcans tended to do but were rather unkempt. He wore a gray tunic and pants, dark boots that could have been purchased anywhere or produced by a resequencer. All very generic.

"Colonel Hayes," the man greeted politely, an accent that was not at all Vulcan but something else. "It is a pleasure to meet you."

Keeping his wits about him, Colonel Hayes said nothing to their comments, praying that Ren was alright. Of course, if these bastards did try and touch her, she would hopefully make good on her threat before they pinned her down and. God Dammit. This was not helping. Trying to think clearly, he knew he could be of no use to her any other way. Looking where they took him, he looked for any windows. Portholes. Something to show that he was in space. He did not hear the familiar hum of working engines, but that didn't mean they weren't out coasting in the atmosphere. Gabriel looked for any clues that would help him understand the situation he was in.

Shoved inside, Gabriel stumbled in and looked at the near-Vulcan before him. "Perfect." Was the only response he could give. Clamming up, his hardened hazel eyes looked at their Captain, knowing Nausicans to be foul beasts. Their choice in captain probably was an easy choice, given what little Hayes knew of them.

"Colonel," the Captain regarded the human who was at this moment directing a very high powered gaze of scrutiny in his direction. "Or would you prefer Governor? Please sit down,"

he looked at Merk behind the human who promptly shoved him in a chair and forced him to sit as the Captain retreated behind his desk once ore and took a seat, facing the human to conduct his own study. He knew who Colonel Gabriel Hayes was of course, he was military governor of Gaia, the commander in chief of the Starfleet Marine Corps, Starfleet's own commando unit and the probably the most seasoned battlefield officer they had, even before he was consumed by Starfleet and the NX01 Enterprise. "I am Captain Varnek. You are presently my guest while we conduct our business. No harm will come to you provided you cooperate. I apologize for the rough handling in bringing you here but I didn't think you would accept an invitation. Do we have an understanding?"

"Is this standard operating procedure? Kidnapping and bonding your guests?" That fucking alien whacked the back of his legs, but the MACO sucked it up. "Rough handling and causing physical harm violates about fourteen different interstellar peace codes, so forgive me if I am not buying into this bull shit of 'guest' status." Catching himself, Gabriel held back further sarcasm. It was rather obvious that this Captain Varnek could give a rat's ass about peace codes.

"Well prisoner does have such an ugly ring to it," Varnek replied nonplussed. "However, since we are dispensing with the civilities, this is your situation. I need your assistance and if I do not have it, I can guarantee you by the end of this day, the girl will be in the hands of Orion Slavers who are always in the need of fresh meat for their pleasure houses. Trust me, once they have her you'll never see again and if you do, I seriously doubt you'll want her back. So," Varnek stared at the human with a little smile, "can we negotiate or shall I have Merk here ready her for transport?"

Great. Orion Slavers. Why did this sound familiar? And a Vulcan. Where were those assholes now on Vulcan Command? Damn. If he was aboard the NX, they would more than likely be on the search for him. Back on Gaia who was there...Styles. How good was her security Fleet now? Did they even know he and Ren was captured?

"Get to the point." Gabriel said nothing else and stared dead pan at his captor.

"Now that is better," Varnek said with a hint of triumph in his voice, pleased that he had his men bring the girl when they had taken the Colonel. Women were always such a useful bargaining tool. "There is a ship presently docked in your space station on Gaia. It has been impounded because the damn fool pilot who was charged to bring it to me had decided to get nostalgic and stop over at your fair colony. This is what comes of employing humans. Apparently your Starfleet scanned the ship and found that it was carrying cargo with multiphasic scan deflectors, which naturally aroused their suspicion. So they have impounded my property and discovered my cargo. Cargo which I now understand is bound for Starfleet engineering where they will no doubt examine to determine its purpose. I want it stopped and I want it returned to me immediately. You have the power to do this. You can order the cargo returned and the ship allowed to depart, do that and you and your woman will go free. Don't and say goodbye to her."

"What is the cargo?" Gabriel's mind started to click, not as fast as he'd like for his reaction time was slow.

"That is not necessary for you to know," Varnek retorted promptly. "All you need to know is that I want it back and you are going to have to get it for me."

"You're mistaken. I'm afraid that it is." There was leverage here and he looked around to see if they were in space.

"Let's just say that its technology that I have gone to great lengths to acquire, too much to allow some a human with an attachment to his female stand in my way," Varnek bit back, not at all liking the human's tone. "You will make the call or I'll give her to these men now, what is your answer?" Varnek glanced at the Nausicans behind him. "I understand she is very beautiful."

Varnek stared at the human, waiting for his response, his patience with humans in general wearing rather thin.

Gabriel's breathing hitched slightly, doing rather well until the Vulcan Captain began to play on him again. One year ago, this situation wouldn't even be happening to him for they would have nothing to barter on. Hayes would have easily given his life away for the job. Strange how eight letters could simply change a man. "What's your bargain if I make the call and Starfleet disobeys my order? I'm sure my absence did not go by unnoticed."

'Styles, you better be on your game.' Hayes silently cursed.

Alexandra Styles was not having a good day. She read the report, stared at Aaron Tobin and Tom Merrick with nothing less than a storm cloud brewing over her head. She had professional relationships with each man and yet both knew as they faced her now, they weren't facing good friend or lover, they were facing the Chief of Security and she was goddamned pissed.

"So you're telling me," Alex listened to Aaron with her temper under tight control. "That persons unknown entered the colony, overcame the three security officers we assigned to the Governor and managed to take him and his fiancée off the planet with no one being the wiser. Explain it to me how this happens?"

Aaron looked at the report, "the initial analysis is this, there is DNA residue recovered from the surrounding radius where the Governor was taken. It matches that of our people on site. Whatever the weapon was, it vaporized them entirely. What residue there was, was barely enough for identification. Starfleet has nothing like it on record, not even the Vulcan database knows what did it. Secondly, we have a detected a transporter beam trace signature but not where it went to. There was no ship in orbit, none that had had transporter capability anyway. We've scanned the others and the Intrepid and the Excelsior have been dispatched. I've got patrol flying out to conduct a visual sweep. So far nothing."

"Nothing!" Tom exploded. "You mean that's it! A Maco colonel goes missing and that's all you guys can do?"

"Hey," Alex stood up and silenced him with a look. "The man is absolutely adamant about his privacy and what protection I give him is limited. If I had my way, he does not go anywhere without a military escort but you know Hayes better than I do." Alex calmed herself. "Get the Intrepid back here," she retorted. "If the Colonel's not on Gaia then someone took him, someone with a ship. If its assassination, he'd be already dead and we'd know about it. This is about something else, so I'm gambling its a hostage situation which means they couldn't have taken him far if they want him for something."

"You sure?" Tom looked at her.

"No I'm not sure," Alex bit back, "but that's all we can do at the moment, at least until they let us know what they're demands are."

"Well Colonel," Varnek activated the communicator on his desk, "what shall it be? Will you speak to your people or shall I have Merk pay your fiancée a visit?"

"Give me the information and hail them." This was out of his hands. He was a pawn here, Hayes realized. A very powerful, political pawn, but there was nothing he could do by himself bound. The pros and cons had been weighted in his head, and all he could do was play along.

"Open a channel to the colony," Varnek said into the communicator. "Ensure that our scramblers hold. I have no desire for us to be detected by Starfleet Command or their ships. Do not deviate from the programmed orbital path." Turning to the human, Varnek said coolly. "When you're ready Colonel."

He would have asked for the bonds to be released, or demanded that Ren be present, but experience told Hayes that they were petty requests to this type of man. Once given the name of the cargo ship for release, Gabriel hailed Starfleet Command. Requesting to speak to Styles, he waited.

"Commander," the voice filtering through her communicator in her officer called out excitedly, "I've got Governor Hayes on restricted channel."

Alex looked up at Tom and Aaron all at once before responding, "put him through and trace it!"

"Yes Sir!"

"Governor!" Alex nearly shouted, "come in Governor!"

"You're coming in fine Commander Styles. How's security coming along today?" Gabriel could not help but let his sarcasm come through. "I've got a bit of a situation that needs your assistance." Glancing up at the Varnek, the Governor of Gaia regarded him stoically.

Alex didn't miss the jibe and remarked, "well its him." She frowned.

"Gabe are you and Ren alright?" Tom injected quickly. "Are either of you hurt?"

"Governor," Alex gave Tom a withering look, thinking these MACO really did not know how to handle these situation with delicacy. "What's IS your situation?"

He disregarded Tom's comments, wondering if Tom had ever properly gone through training as a Captain or if he had drank his way through learning how to not give your enemy more ammunition. "I'm on an open channel, so please feel free to ask any questions you like so I can inform the Captain." Hayes trying to trickle any information he could to them. "Situation is fine. A favor, if I may?" He then proceeded to calmly tell those planetside the ship which was to receive immediate clearance.

"However, it should not be allowed to leave space until you receive confirmation that Miss Richards and myself have been properly transported to an agreeable safe location." The man was not a complete fool.

"Understood Sir," Alex nodded, "I'm certain this communication is being monitored by the persons who you captive so I would like to say that it will take a few hours to locate the Ang'lashak and release it." In truth it would take an hour no more but Alex was curious as to finding out why the ship was so important that it risked the kidnapping of a Governor to reacquire. She glanced at Aaron who nodded in understanding, already retreating to find where the Ang'lashak was currently berthed.

"Thank you Commander. In the meantime, I'm sure I'll continue to enjoy the very pleasant, loyally bound, hospitality as the Captain's guest." More sarcasm and trying to give the status of their treatment here. Merrick might miss the 'bound' comment, but he doubted Styles would.

Gabriel looked at Captain Varnek. "Care to inform Starfleet of the drop off location of current cargo bay goods?"

Varnek had listened to the human's attempt to parlay his freedom and that of his lady whilst discussing the matter with the chief of security and had not intervened until now. "There will be a slight change of plan. What sort of pilot are you Colonel?"

"Change of plans Styles." Gabriel looked at the Captain before looking down at the comm. "It appears we will be flying back. But my orders stand. No release of that ship out of our air space until we're home." Gaia never looked so good.

"I think you misunderstood me," Varnek looked at him. "You will have your 'Styles' prepare a shuttle, have my property placed on board, after which I will release you on the provision that you pilot it into orbit. Once in space, we will conduct a simultaneous transport exchanging my cargo for your fiancée."

Gabriel was growing tired of the lack of proper information. "Styles, you getting all this?" Hayes was not about to repeat it. To Varnek, he added, "She'll be on the shuttle with me, right Varnek?" The orders from the Vulcan Captain most unclear.

"Only when I have my property," Varnek said coldly. "And only then. I will release you now. I expect you in space at the coordinates. I will give you in no more than one hour. If the shuttle is not where it one minute after, my ship and I will be on our way to the Orion Syndicate with your woman. Is that clear?"

"Make it happen Commander." Gabriel spoke to the comm, but kept his eyes locked on Varnek. "We'll see you in one hour." God help him if they couldn't make this happen. At least the location Varnek gave them made sense. They were out in space near enough to make it in time. "Might I return to my guest quarters during the wait Captain?"

"You can return to your woman,'" Varnek said to him, "make your goodbyes and then I shall return you to the colony. Remember Governor, one hour, no more no less. Merk," he regarded the Nausican to take the human back to his female.

Now the full picture was made known. This Vulcan was about as clear as a mudded lake and try as he could to get information out, only once the transmission was cut did Hayes get the final picture. Being returned to Renee, Gabriel stepped into the dark room. "I've got five minutes before they take me planetside. Are you okay?" His eyes sought her out in the room, and from what he could tell on the initial pass, she seemed unharmed.

Ren had spent almost the entire time that Gabe was gone worrying at what they were doing to him. One did simply did not kidnap the Governor of Gaia unless they had a very strong hand to play and she wondered what that could be. When he appeared safe and sound, Ren was so overjoyed she could hardly think but now he was saying that he was going planetside. Without her. What the hell did that mean?

"What do they want you do to Gabe?" She asked. "And why can't I come with you?" She asked, fearful for the first time not for him but rather herself.

He filled her in, in brief and explained how they were both simply pawns for illegal cargo. "A simply formality, you staying behind. I'll be back to get you. Come hell or high water, I promise." Gabriel kept his back to the door, where the light came in, so she could not read his eyes. Had she, she might realize he was not her fiancé right now, but rather The Colonel covering up some pretty strong concerns. "Can you be strong for me Rennie? Hold it together and sit tight until I come back?"

Leaving her was going to be one of the hardest things he would have to do, but do it he must.

"I can hold it together," she said firmly, using a voice she normally reserved for Gunny Sgt. Rickman when he was giving her an order in the field when everything was going to utter hell. She was frightened but she was also MACO and if he said he was coming back for her, she believed him. "You do what you have to Gabe, I'll be fine." In truth, she was terrified of being alone, not even knowing where she was but if he didn't believe she could be strong then he couldn't do his job and right now, for both their sakes, he had to.

"I've got to go now. We're close to Gaia, so I will be back in one hour to see you soon." Stepping forward, hands bound behind him, Gabriel leaned in to kiss his finance. A short, quick peck. As they lead him away, he looked back at her, "Soon."

"Come on," Merk barked and ushered the human out of the cargo hold, giving the girl a look as he turned away.

Ren watched Gabe go, hating that he was going, hating that she was alone here but reminded herself who she was. She was a MACO, she could handle this. Gabe would get her out of here, he promised and she had to cling to that no matter how bad things got.

The Nausicans lead the human out of the lower decks to the transporter room where Captain Varnek was waiting for them the to arrive. There was only one transporter pad activated and Varnek waited behind the control for his 'guest's arrival.

"I take it all is well with the young lady?" He asked. "Remember, whether she remains that way is entirely up to you." As he said that, Ranek sniggered behind the human.

"So I've been made aware in no uncertain terms. I've got one hour so will you take these restraints off and let me get on my way?" The Colonel glanced at them all, his head still giving him that steady pound which he ignored. Adrenaline already kicking in and helping the MACO commander along.

Varnek nodded at Merk who stepped forward and free the Governor from his binders. "Get on the transporter pad," he ordered once the human was freed. "You don't have a lot of time."

When the human complied, Varnek sent him on his way to the colony, setting him down where this had all begun in the first place.

An old school dog, transportation by beaming was his least favorite means of travel, but under current circumstances, the Colonel was not about to argue or complain. Landing on the ground, the bright daylight caused Hayes to shield his eyes for a moment until he could get his bearings. Not wasting any time, Gabriel Loman took off at a dead run towards the shuttle and shipyard docks. Bursting in the door, he started barking out orders as if he owned the place, yelling at some of the workers he first encountered to direct him towards the ship under immediate red alert investigation.

At first, a few of the MACO guards approached the wrinkled civilian with the mad gestures, screaming and dried blood. Once they came near and really heard that voice and what was said, the I.D. was near better than a fingerprint. Salutes happened instantly and they were quick to begin escorting the Colonel towards the cargo plane in question. They weren't moving fast enough, for an order was issued to hoof it like men and the Iron Colonel started telling the nearest man to get in touch with Commander Styles and Captain Merrick.

The first impression was the most accurate: A mad man had entered the compound.

"He's back!" Alex hurried out of her office when the report reached her that Colonel Hayes had been returned to the colony and was presently causing hell on earth in the Brasov Space Station. "I want to speak to him," Alex shouted into her communicator as she ran down the hall towards the space station. After what they had discovered about the object in restriction, Hayes had to be made aware of what he was delivering to the kidnappers. This decision was his call, she couldn't make it without him and she wasn't sure how reasonable he was going to be if his fiancée was in danger.

A comm had been put into his hand by one of his MACOs, "Commander Styles online for you Sir." Taking the unit, she began to speak soon after he identified himself.

"Colonel, there's something you need to know about the cargo," Alex said into her communicator when she finally got him online.

Continuing at his swift pace, escorted and lead by soldiers, Colonel Hayes growled at Styles, "What Security?" He was pretty enrage at the moment, heading towards the quarantined plane. Time was ticking.

"I've had an engineer look at the device, he thinks its a prototype for a cloaking device," Alex said climbing into the hovercar waiting for her. "The device in the Ang'lashak was just a prototype but if a full scale model can be built and applied...Sir this thing can cloak a warship!"

A little stunned, arriving at the plane and heading towards the guards, Hayes commed back, "What does all that mean Commander?" He knew what it meant, but this wasn't helping him out at all. In her comm, Alex could hear a little fainter, "Look. I'm Colonel Hayes. Do I look like I here to terrorize what's ins..." Hayes voice came in full on the comm. "Alex! Will you tell your Nazi Security Team to give me clearance to board! This punk Gordon and his pal Routs don't recognize the goddamn Governor of Gaia!" This was probably the first time Hayes identified himself as such to Styles.

"Gordon!" Alex shouted, switching over to the appropriate security channel. "This is the Chief of Security, Alex Styles, stop fucking around and give the Governor every assistance or you'll be assigned to garbage disposal you got that?"

Once onboard, Colonel Hayes was directed to the back by one of the engineers. A man by the name of Slusher started talking technical mumbo jumbo to the Governor and it was all the frazzled man could do to keep up. In the back of his mind, the implications vs. the life of one of his men. That was the lowest common denominator Hayes had been reduced to in an attempt to keep his head clear and thinking straight. Ren had become a soldier to him, or at least, he tried to believe that was how he was handling the situation. "Where are you Styles?" Colonel Hayes slapped the comm and growled, needing his fiancée or his right hand man or somebody to bounce some information off. The closest MACO was Merrick and bless the man for how he ran the training facility, he was not the man to keep calm and expect intelligible ideas to flow forth.

Alex appeared not long after the Governor reached the shuttle, her mind wracked with ideas of what to do. Letting the thing go was tactically unsound. A cloaking device that could cloak a starship was an enormous advantage, weighed in with the life of one corporal who just so happened to be the Governor's fiancée. Hayes was being inundated with technical information from Slusher, one of the techs who had looked at the thing.

"Sir," Alex said with concern when she saw the blood on him. 'You're hurt."

Excusing himself from Slusher with a simple wave of overload, Hayes immediately headed to intercept Styles, took her by the arm and moved off to the side. He really was too used to dealing with MACOs. "Irrelevant. I've got forty-three minutes and counting." Taking a disturbed look at the machine, he met the Security Chief's eyes. "Bullet point for me: I want your pros and cons on this. We obviously known mine."

"Okay," Alex took a deep breath. "Alright its a hell of weapon Sir, it can cloak a warship. Theoretically if the science if correct, a starship with a cloak can fly straight at any enemy target, they won't show up on sensors or anything, an almost complete scanner blank. With this thing, we can do park a torpedo right up the enemy's ass and they won't even know until it goes off. Plus the fact, that the trouble this guy is going to get it makes me wonder where he got it from to risk kidnapping you."

"Anything else?"

"Sir," she took a deep breath. "I'm not prepared to sacrifice one person to this guy's demands. I wouldn't do it even if it wasn't your fiancée we're talking about. This opens the floodgates to every other scumbag who decides that might will get that want so we have to deal with this. I want to send a fighter escort with you. This ship has to be close and no one has spotted so I'm guessing they've got a cloaked ship. The science boys tells me that this ship still has to exude some kind of exhaust plasma, we outfit the fighters with sensor equipment specific for gaseous emissions and we may be able to detect her."

He thought for a moment, weighing the whole new set of options. Dammit. Hayes was going to break his promise. Again, he went over the scenarios in his head and then had a thought. "Where's the NX-01?"

"She's on her way to Regula," Alex answered promptly. "She'll be here in three hours."

"Not enough time." He was brainstorming aloud now. With now Ren or Sloane, Styles would have to do. "What type of numbers in success probability do you get if we send me up in a shuttle full of MACOs, utilizing the cloaking prototype to mask the men? From what I could see, Captain Varnek's ship is medium to small in size, probably no more than ten decks. My 'escort' could be one of our short range firing bird's which also has a sizable cargo bay that might hold twenty or more men. I know what deck she's on and her position. Explosives will be needed." Gabriel paused to go over the plan in his head, for he knew he wasn't remembering everything.

Alex thought quickly, knowing he was not a man who was patient waiting for answers, especially not now. She considered his plan. "I give it fifty fifty," Alex said honestly, "but here's my expert opinion. He may not let her go once he has the device."

"I wasn't thinking of giving him the device." Not used to how his mind worked, Hayes explained, "I am saying we conveniently loose communications, board his ship, charge and attack him." It wasn't a solid plan, and looking down at his watch, Gabriel was running out of time. "He won't let her go. There had to be a way to detect the exact location of that ship. Pretend to go where he wants, but charge it. Maim it. Cripple it. Hit its warp drive and send out our fleet." Colonel Hayes was too used to the NX-01 and the versatility it offered. "What do we have down here that can accommodate that?"

"Wait," she looked up at him. "Sir. We give him the device or at least what looks like it and outfit with a transponder beacon. We have the MACOs on standby with one of the short range troops carrier and blow the fuck out of it when it gets sent across. If he keeps his word and sends her back when he's got the replica, we can open fire with extreme prejudice, it not the transponder will tell us where it is. The energy output required for this cloak means they don't have shields. We should be able to transport our people without difficulty."

"I've got a limited amount of time Styles. How long is a decoy going to take?"

"Ten minutes at the most," Alex looked at Slusher. "Get going. Get me a replica of the device, arm it with a tachyon transponder device. I want to be able to activate it by remote, do you understand?" She looked at the man who nodded blankly before hurrying off. "What are your orders Sir?"

"Do it." Gabriel kept his head clear. He had to. "I want two teams of MACOs here yesterday. Fifty men total." He barked to the officer who had escorted him inside the ship. Back to Alex, Colonel Hayes asked sternly, "How long is it going to take to get additional pilots off the planet and into battle space?"

"We've had a squad on rotation for the last three months," Alex explained. "They can be in the air within fifteen minutes."

"Do we have a tractor beam to latch onto that ship's coordinates to keep it in place or prevent it from pulling further away?"

"We have a grappler," she returned. "The Vulcan's haven't given us their tractor tech yet. Its being negotiated, last I heard."

"That's going to be of no use planetside." Hayes shook his head annoyed. "Alright. You have your orders. Show me to the fastest shuttle so I can begin to re-familiarize myself with the controls."

"It's being brought here from the Robinson Shuttle Bay," Alex answered, keeping pace with the Colonel's question.

Disembarking the transport ship, Hayes walked away slowly, finding that old familiar adrenaline stirring in his blood that hadn't been alive for near half a year. The thrill of action was heavily killed by the price of the hostage. His head continued to pound, but like a good soldier, he managed to pretend it did not exist.

The shuttle arrived not long after, piloted by one of Alex's security personnel, carrying the replica device with its imbedded transponder beacon. Slusher had been meticulously faithful to the original, attempting to ensure that a scan would not reveal the replica was anything but the genuine article. He was on hand to meet Alex and Hayes when the shuttle arrived to explain the situation. Meanwhile, Tom was reading a squad of MACOs as requested to board the short range troop carrier that would provide escort to the Colonel when he returned.

Nodding to Slusher, a small token of words, "Thank you." Gabriel entered the vehicle, ignoring any looks directed at the Colonel in civilian clothes. Sitting behind the controls, he reviewed quickly before starting it up to a mock warm up cycle. This wasn't a standard shuttle he was used to from the NX, a little more warrior than transport, and keeping the safety on, Hayes manned the gun control.

Alex looked at him alone in that shuttle and was not eager to let him pilot the shuttle on his own. "I should go with you Sir." She said offering it as a suggestion, even though she wanted very much to dig her heels in with this issue. He wasn't Langley, who would take her suggestions in the spirit it was given. Damn him that Hayes had a mind of his own and a MACO mind at that. And he worse than Tom.

"Think I'm going to crash myself into their ship?" Gabriel raised a blood crusted brow and looked at her.

"Well the thought had crossed my mind," Alex said deciding if he was going to be a smart ass she could indulge him. It must be a MACO thing. "I prefer to accompany you Sir. It's going to be dangerous enough out there as it is."

"Commander," he turned in the pilot chair and regarded her with that stare of his, "I've earned my Marine Naval Aviator Wings, Marine Astronaut Wings, and Starfleet Space Aviator Wings. I'm sure you've got your own access to my file, so I won't even mention the Combat pilot award." The Governor of Gaia began defending his skilled. "Might I remind you also, that I've logged more flight time than any Colonel before me in the past fifty years.

"That said." The determination in his eyes died down a little, "If there is a way to have you on board undetected, I think I might enjoy the company." A hand reached up to scratch his hairline where the knot had been forming since late last night. Showing Styles today's weakness by covering it in past strengths.

"Noted," Alex said crisply, "but they'd be scanning the shuttle but if I can use that multiphasic deflector they used to hide the device in the first place, maybe I can slip under the net." she pointed out.

He seemed a bit relieved. "Time's running out, so what's one more unsure variable?" Without looking at a clock, Hayes knew exactly how many minutes he had left, and they weren't many to spare.

"Styles to command," Alex said stepping into the shuttle. "Transfer the multiphasic deflector to the shuttle and inform Lt. Tobin I will be accompanying the Governor? What is the status of the MACOs. If they're not ready to move in five minute I will personally come back from this mission to explain what a reaming is like and you can tell that to Captain Merrick."

Allowing Alex to do her job, Gabriel leaned back in the seat allowing himself a minute of a break. He did not shut his eyes, but rather stared at the ceiling.

Alex issued her order ands heard the familiar hum of the transporter as the deflector was send into shuttle. Going to it, she quickly activated the device and it filled the shuttle with a slight drone. "With any luck," she said coming back to Hayes, "they'll think we're just returning the device in the same way we found it." She noted his expression and then remarked quietly, "We'll get her back Sir."

Giving an appreciative nod, Hayes offered a weary, tight-lipped expression. "Thanks Styles." Turning his head to stare out the cockpit, he could only wonder what Rennie was thinking as he hoped and prayed she was safe.

He was coming back.

Not her fiancé who had gone with promises to return to her but the other, the Nausican who had looked over his shoulder as Gabe was being led out of the cargo bay, with a gleam of sinister intent that told Ren he would be back and soon. Ren had had no doubt that Gabe would move heaven and earth to get her back safely but she had seen the look in that Nausican's eye as he had led Gabe away and something inside her, something terribly female knew she would not be alone for long. That feeling led her to other revelations that if Nausican did come back then it would be because he had little fear of marking her, which meant she was not needed to be left unspoiled for the Orion slave markets. They planned on disposing of her long before that ever came about.

So this was her situation. They were most likely going to kill her shortly after Gabe delivered their prize or use her further leverage against him to make good their escape. Either way, she would dead and Gabe would blame himself for the rest of his days. No, Ren shook her head that was not going to fucking happen. She had waited too long for him to let it end this way. She needed to get out of here and if that Nausican was coming back then she would have to use that somehow.

She was going to have to do this and it was a risky plan. If he didn't come back alone, then she was lost and two of them, doing what they intended was a nightmare Ren did not wish to experience in her last hours of life. Breathing in deep, she reminded herself who she was. She was Ren Richards, Corporal of the MACO. She had fought enemies far greater than one Nausican with a hard one for female flesh of the human variety.

The door slid open with a loud thunk, interrupting her thoughts. Ren stared at the light flooding in and saw the Nausican returning as she had suspected he would. She held her breath to see if he was accompanied by his companion and only allowed herself to believe he was alone when the door slid to a close.

"Where's Gabe?" She demanded.

"He is down on the planet," the Nausican returned approaching, his eyes running over her legs bound on the floor.

"What do you want?" Ren asked, as if she didn't know.

"The Captain has promised you to me when he acquires the cargo," he said gruffly, a hand falling on her thigh, squeezing beneath the hemline of her dress.

"Is that right?" She looked at him. "I doubt we're sexually compatible, different species and all." She said confidently, hiding her fear.

"Why don't you let me find out," he said touching her face, holding by the chin, examining her closely.

"Because you have no idea what you are doing," Ren bit back, "and if I have to do this, I might as well help things along to make sure you don't tear me up inside doing it. My race is far more fragile than yours."

"You would be willing?" He looked skeptically.

"I would be cooperative," Ren returned. "Willing is another thing entirely. I want to survive this."

"You will," he returned.

"Your Captain will kill me as soon as I am no longer convenient." She pointed out. "If you protect me, I will show you everything you'd ever wish about human pleasure. We women know things.." her eyes looked at him in suggestion.

"What things?" He grunted but there was a tone to his voice that was universal, no matter what the species, the animal snarl of desire.

"I can't show you with my legs unbound," she suggested.

"Pah!" He started to get to his feet. "This is a trick."

"Yes, it is a trick, I am going to overpower a Nausican, a warrior with a weapon to escape where? Your ship is in orbit and I really don't need a lesson in futility. Its your business if you want to sample the good," she couldn't believe she was talking about herself. "You will be the only one on board with a human for his pleasure slave." Her green eyes met his. "Not even the captain boasts that does he."

"No," the Nausican seemed to accept this and lowered his hands to her ankles and began freeing her with the key to her binders.

Ren waited for no more than a fraction of second where her legs were free when suddenly, she shifted abruptly, angling her body like a spinning top balancing precariously. Her legs flew apart on either side of the Naussican's head before closing in, foot clenching on either side of his head before one vicious and powerful yank by legs trained to run great distances brought him down like a sack of rice. The terrible squelch of bone faded from her ears as she saw him falling, his neck very much broken. Wasting no time because it wouldn't be long before someone found her, Ren flipped on her feet and hurried to the dead body to get his phaser.

"Switching to radio silence and visual commands Commander." He looked at her in the co-pilot's seat and nodded his 'go'. There was no taking any chances of them locking on and listening once in the air. Slowly the shuttle craft lifted and pressing her forward, Gabriel wasn't long in testing her out. She responded much quicker than the NX shuttles and her sleek form maneuvered almost too easy. The Colonel brought her around too hard and was quick about straightening the vehicle out. Giving Styled a glance, he was not up for any commentary that might be tossed is way. Soon, Hayes headed away from the planet's surface. Back to space.

The Colonel wasn't speaking much and Alex wasn't forcing the issue. She knew the man was trying to find the balance between doing his duty and his love for the woman held hostage. Alex faced that kind of choice everyday though not to this degree. She loved Tom but there was this line between them that could not be crossed, that one day she would have to send him out to hold the line against invaders and he could die. She did not envy Hayes' choice at this time. "I'm going to head out back before we're in scanner range," she said.

A nod of the head was all the MACO gave, and he kept his comm on open channel, waiting. Listening. Captain Varnek did not give him specific coordinates, but logic told him approximately what range to keep within. If he were a cloaked ship engaged in this type of transaction, he would remain as far away as he could to the main land's aerospace as possible. Into the head com Gabriel called, "Colonel Hayes hailing the..." He realized he was never given a name. "Ghost Rider One. Come in Ghost Rider One."

On board the ship known as the Praetor's Bane, Captain Varnek was unsurprised that the shuttle was escorted by a minor troop carrier. It was expected that a man of Hayes' importance would not simply be allowed to deliver the cargo without Starfleet Security having some measure of reassurance that they were going to get their Governor back. He couldn't careless whether the human lived or died, the cargo was all that mattered. With that, he could buy himself a seat on the senate if he wished, remind the praetor who he had exiled all those year ago. He wanted to hurt the praetor and selling his people's greatest secret would do that quite nicely and make him rich beyond the dreams of avarice at the same time.

"Scan the ship," he told his Tellerite navigator. "Is he alone?"

"Difficult to say," Urul, the Tellerite female reported. "The device is still protected by the multiphasic deflector and it's interfering with our scanning signal."

"They haven't even learnt how to disable it," Varnek snorted with derision. "No wonder these humans were nearly obliterated by the Xindi." With that he opened the channel to the shuttle. "Very good Governor," Varnek said smoothly. "Continue at your present course, we'll be intercept range in two minutes."

"Where is she?" Gabriel slowed down his speed for effect. Not looking back on Styles, he kept his gaze straightforward and continued the open comm on his shuttle. "I want to hear her voice. Know she's alright."

"You are hardly in a position to make demands Governor," Varnek retorted before throwing a quieter order at Urul, "get Merk to bring her here now."

The Tellerite nodded and went off to comply with the order.

"The young lady is fine," Varnek returned to Hayes. "She has been left unharmed as promised. I assume my property is the same?"

"I'm looking right at it." The bluff was issued and Gabriel wondered if he should push the balance on hearing from Ren. Probably not, for if they asked for proof, he was screwed. "How do you want to do this Captain? I made it within one hour and I'm holding up my end of our bargain."

'With barely a minute to spare.' Colonel Hayes thought gingerly.

Ren had no idea where she was going when she hurried out of the cargo hold into the corridor outside. With a phaser in hand, she knew she couldn't stay out in the open like this. She had to get out of sight before someone found the Nausican and raised nine colors of hell across the ship when the alarm went out. The corridor had no other doors than the elevator at the end, which took it to the rest of the ship. As much as she wanted to take that obvious path, it was just that, too obvious and without her having any idea where she was going, too easy to be spotted by someone else.

Suddenly, she spotted what appeared to a maintenance hatch and though it would be a tight fit, it was the only option she had. Hurrying to it, she pulled at it with an up and side motion before it came off easily in her hand. Looking into the dark confines, which smelt musty and covered in grime, Ren cursed inwardly before crawling through. She pulled the grill over her escape route and scrambled away, just as the sound of footsteps heard distantly.

Just in time, she thought, crawling on her hands and knees, still holding the weapon as she disappeared into the darkness.

"Captain," Urul's voice flooded the bridge of the Praetor's Bane. "Merk is dead. The girl is gone and so is his weapon"

Varnek shook his head in disbelief, "well there goes my faith in Nausiccan warriors. Comb the ship, she can't have gotten far from the lower decks."

"Yes Captain," Urul replied.

"Varnek addressed Hayes who was waiting for his question to be answered, "it appears we have a problem, it seems your woman has decided to take a tour of my ship and I really don't have time to wait."

Styles would have heard a single chuckle escape Gabriel's lips. As much as this might complicate his mission, Hayes couldn't help but feel proud. She was one of his MACOs and MACOs were never kept down. "Well, that puts a bit of a cramp in our deal, considering you were to keep her safe, doesn't it Varnek?"

Not missing a beat, Colonel Hayes continued, "Given time as the issue, I do believe boarding your ship will be in order to find her." A strategically placed pause so his statement would have effect. "If you want your cargo that badly, that is. From the sounds of it, you are no longer in position to make the transfer and complete the bargain."

The human was right and he sensed that without seeing or at least hearing the woman, there was the possibility that Hayes might destroy the cargo believing that she was already dead and Varnek was playing him. "Tell your troop carrier to withdraw," Varnek said after a moment's consideration. "And I'll allow your shuttle on board."

"No." The answer was stern into the com. "Give me five minutes to transfer over a few of my men to this shuttle, and you can beam us aboard." God he hated beaming. "That is my final offer Varnek." The Colonel stood his ground.

Varnek had no desire to acquire more of these humans on his ship but he had come too far to risk harm to the cargo, "you have ten minutes but my final offer is that you pilot your ship onto mine. Once I have my prize, I do not intend wasting time beaming you off my ship." Varnek knew that there was no way he could allow Hayes to come alone, his personal feelings for the woman aside could be overridden if it became too great a risk to his person. As a military man himself, he knew that there would come a point when the life of a woman become less important than the life of the Governor and she was the only bargaining tool that Varnek had. "Do you accept?"

"Let me worry about how we unboard your ship. Be ready in three minutes to beam, one way, four aboard." Cutting the transfer, Gabriel stood and started shouting commands into his comm. "You've got two minutes to lock and board. I want Kilter and Sanchez. You've got to make up for that lousy excuse Fleet vs. MACOs game Sanchez. Get moving!"

Cutting that transmission, Gabriel moved to the back and grabbed a space suit helmet. "I haven't gone moon walking in a while. How about you Commander?" Without thinking anything of it, hitting a unit on the inside shuttle, Hayes grabbed a tracking device and shoved it down the front of his pants. "Four to board. That includes you Alex. I need the best." He began to crawl into the space suit. "We'll need to bring a fifth."

"Moon walk," Alex looked at him. "Why do I have a bad feeling that you're about to do something insane Sir?" She asked grabbing a helmet and slipping on the suit.

Not having been in a battle for a while, it was the seasoned Governor clashing with the action starved MACO inside. "Probably." He let the word stretch out a bit with the deadpan look. "Because I am." Once Cub boy and Sanchez came on board, Gabriel threw a helmet to each man. "Suit up. We're beaming aboard in less than sixty."

As his MACOs quickly began to change, Gabriel looked at Alex. "How much money is this stunt of mine going to cost? Seeing as how we're probably going to lose this shuttle."

Alex began to catch on and added with a smile, "They can bill me Sir," she replied. "Besides, a shuttle for a device that could cloak a starship? I'd say they're getting off cheap. How are we going to do this Governor?" God help her, Alex thought. The stone-faced bastard was growing on her. Damn MACOs.

"You are to instruct your air team to leave the ground now. Also, instruct the shuttle to do everything within their power to not let Ghost Rider One to leave nor take this shuttle, until we have safely escaped an airlock and have been sucked into clear space." Looking at his MACOs, the Colonel grinned in an almost evil manner to them. "Just when you Gaia boys thought your space training was for naught." Oh how he couldn't wait to tell Sloane he sucked her Cub through an air vacuum.

"We're abandoning this shuttle and once the five of us are spotted in space, we are to be intercepted by either the ground flyers or the other remaining shuttle. Is that clear?" Gabriel had moved over to the front of the shuttle and switching to close range alarm hail, he began to send out Morse code signals loudly into space. Loud, foghorn-sounding booms began to fill the air. He was sending a message to Renee that they were coming. And that she needed to be found by him.

On board the Praetor's Bane, something odd was happening. The shuttle was sending out a signal but it seemed to be echoing throughout the ship. It might have been code but consisted of nothing more than a series of short beeps. Varnek tried to decipher it but it no encryption he had ever heard before. "Shut it off!" He shouted to his comm officer and immediately contacted Hayes. "What are you doing Governor? What message are you trying to send?"

Hitting the open comm, Gabriel chortled, "I'm trying to locate what you lost. Four to beam in less than sixty seconds. Colonel Hayes out." He ended the transmission and began to move to the centre cockpit, urging his men to do the same.

One they all had their space suits tightly secure and the four stood waiting to be beamed, Gabriel tossed a helmet to Sanchez, "Pretend it's the sports ball and do NOT drop it like last week's game." The extra space suit for Ren he tossed to Cub boy and ordered, "Don't fuck up Rickman, or it's going to be my balls in a vice." The implication of Sloane was present.

There it was again; that gleam that made Derick think the Colonel had chosen him for more than one reason, and that was to see his cold, lifeless body in frozen splinters against the hull. "I think that goes for me too, Colonel," Derick retorted when he caught the spacesuit. More implication of a certain redhead, former MACO.

"Then we're both in the same boat here." Gabriel looked to Styles, and that is when the beaming transfer began.

One they all had their space suits tightly secure and the four stood waiting to be beamed, Gabriel tossed a helmet to Sanchez, "Pretend it's the sports ball and do NOT drop it like last week's game." The extra space suit for Ren he tossed to Cub boy and ordered, "Don't fuck up Rickman, or it's going to be my balls in a vice." The implication of Sloane was present.

There it was again; that gleam that made Derick think the Colonel had chosen him for more than one reason, and that was to see his cold, lifeless body in frozen splinters against the hull. "I think that goes for me too, Colonel," Derick retorted when he caught the spacesuit. More implication of a certain redhead, former MACO.

"Then we're both in the same boat here." Gabriel looked to Styles, and that is when the beaming transfer began.

"So we're all friends now?" She said sarcastically, "we can quit the macho bonding moment and get going?" Damn she hated space walking. Like everything else she had set out to do, she scored high but she always needed a stiff drink. She hated it. Alex had no idea what was going on between Rickman and Hayes, aware only that there was bad blood that Tom wouldn't talk about but they had a job to do and Governor or Gunny, she expected them both to focus.

Not about to disagree, Gabriel couldn't expect Styles to understand that he'd have to watch out for Cub boy to make sure he didn't get himself seriously injured. Sloane would have his head and could very well blame Hayes for setting it up. Then again, when Merrick's best man for this type of job was Cub boy, if the Colonel did not choose him, he would be accused of personal conflict. There was no winning and Gabriel gave up long ago trying to please everyone. One didn't get the job done that way.

"Aaron," Alex spoke now that Rickman and Hayes had gone to their respective corners and resumed suiting up, "they're preparing to beam us out to the deck of their ship. The Governor is carrying a tracer. The instant transport is complete, open fire. Disable the bastard. Move in the troop carrier as soon as the ship becomes visible and board her."

"Yes Sir," Aaron Tobin said from within the cockpit of the Gryphon that had been following them on extreme sensor range since Hayes left the planet. "Good hunting."

"Thanks," she responded when she heard Hayes barking orders at her.

"Styles, Rickman. I want you searching the lower decks when the firing starts. Sanchez, you're coming with me. Keep on the coms. If anybody gives you any flack, shoot them on your highest stun setting. Call out for Ren and make as much noise as possible. She's given them the slip."

Ren had climbed up a maintenance ladder that was carrying her upward when she heard the alarm that screamed throughout the ship. At first she thought it might have been the alarm being raised over her escape however, the sound wrong. It was being filtered through the ship, short beeps that sounded vaguely familiar. She paused in mid climb, listening to the short bursts of sound, trying to place where she had heard it before when suddenly it impacted on her psyche as loudly as it was tearing through the ship.

Morse code!

That was Morse code. Listening carefully, she found herself remembering the simplistic code language that had been indigenous only to her home world and the most likely way that Colonel Gabriel Hayes would attempt to contact one of his MACOs. She concentrated hard, a smile crossing her lips realizing that he was telling her that a rescue was coming. Now all she had to do was find her way to him before the Nausican's buddies did.

She climbed a little more, reaching the top of the ladder and finding it emptying into a rather silent room. Taking a gamble that she might be somewhere useful, Ren pushed her way out and emerged into a large space that hummed loudly with machinery. Sweeping her gaze around, a smile crossed her face.

Well what do you know? She thought to herself. I'm in the engine room.

Wasting no time at all, she sighted the engine core and before too many of the engineering staff noticed her presence began opening fire.

Varnek was not happy as he marched to the main transporter room with Ranek and a handful of guard, in order to greet the Governor, his entourage and the cargo that had been the cause of all this. The humans had started to materialize when suddenly, everything on his ship started to go to hell.

insert Beaming

For Hayes, his skin did not tingle, nor did it feel much like anything was happening, other than a glow around his body happened and the inside of the shuttle hull became slowly translucent. Not soon after, missing parts of the shuttle were slowly filled in, pixel by pixel (as his eyes saw it) to a well-lit receiving room. The transporter room. Not wasting a second, Hayes lifted his phaser and aimed for the aliens behind the controls. The MACO began to open fire.

There had been little time to deal with the arrival of the human in terms of restraining them because as soon as the materialization was complete, two things happened. First, Varnek's ship lurched under his feet so violently that both he and his men were caught unawares and staggering. The disorientation, allowing the humans to gain the upper hand and if that were not enough, his ship then rocked as multiple blasts from what appeared to be a torpedoes impacted against the hull of his ship.

"Sanchez! Let's go!" Taking a step, Gabriel felt the impact of the torpedoes from Gaia ships and grabbed onto a railing, throw forward towards the wall. A few stray shots left is phaser, aimed ahead towards an approaching Nausican and missed. From behind Colonel Hayes, another shot flew past, hitting his target whom fell to his knees. "Let's go. Let's go. Let's go!" Carefully running down the corridor, Hayes and Sanchez pressed their backs against the wall before turning around to face the new hallway. Ready to open fire.

"What the hell is going on?" Varnek demanded as he took cover when the fire fighting broke out.

"We've lost attitude control Captain," a terrified voice responded. "The female is engineering, she's sabotaged the ship and we're being fired upon by a squad of small fighter craft."

"What about the cargo?" Varnek demanded. "Has it been transported on board?"

"Yes Sir," the response came back. "Its in the main hold."

Varnek didn't answer him, instead he was already scrambling towards the transporter controls.

"Ren!" Gabriel called out. "REN!" Movement in the EV suit wasn't as easy as in his coveralls, but over the years the practiced MACO had made due. Grabbing at an emergency control on the ship, he broke the glass and pulled forth the large steel bar that was meant to aid in the turning on the device. As Sanchez and he hoofed it, Hayes banged the bar loudly against the deck walls, clanging as they ran. With the helmet for Ren tucked under his arm, Sanchez was the man looking for Nausicans and took quite a few down once they entered a main lift way. "REEEEN!" Gabriel's voice hollered through the EV suit.

Ren was in engineering and in trouble.

The Naussicans had come from her and it didn't take long before someone managed to wrench the phaser from her hand. Being overpowered by three men taller than Gunny on a good day could do that. She made a fight of it though until one of the Nausicans got a good punch in and that almost took her jaw from her face. Staggering in pain, feeling her mouth fill with blood, she landed hard on the floor and tried to scramble away when a hand grabbed her foot, yanked her backwards even though she was clawing at the ground. Giving up, she allowed herself to go limp until he relented slightly and she was close enough. A well-placed kick sent him reeling and she had just enough time to get to her feet when he shouted. "The first one who takes her, takes her."

The implication drove all MACO training out of her mind and for the first time in her life Ren was forced to do something she hated doing in a fight. She was forced to run. LIke a frightened child, she fled while she could.

Still no luck. Not a call or voice back. "Styles! Report your positions and findings!" Sanchez and Hayes came to a dead corridor, simply leading to an elevator lift and a hallway that seemed to loop back around towards where they had recently came. "Sanchez! Down to the next deck!" The Colonel ordered, pacing back and forth as there was nowhere else to go. Given up on this deck, Hayes paused for a moment to watch Sanchez type in to call the lift and heard a hum beyond the doors of the machine moving inside.

No sign of his fiancée, Gabriel felt large hands grab his shoulders, jerking him backwards. Phaser fire flew overhead and for Governor Hayes, the world went dark.

Ren was limping. Her ankle still hurt from where the Nausican had grabbed her and she was not as fast as she should be. She could hear them closing in and panic filled her because three of them, three of them could overpower her easily and they were armed. Why they hadn't shot her yet was a mystery but then she remembered that chilling claim. "First one to take her, takes her." Oh they wanted her awake and alive for that much. Around her everything was in chaos. Klaxons were screaming and the ship was rocking violently from what felt like torpedo blasts. Gabe was here, she thought with relief. He had come to find her.

"Sir!" Sanchez watched the Colonel go down as the Nausican seemed to overpower him. Human forms were made more for thinking than hunting. Predators by design, their eyes were flush forward like great beasts however their fangs and claws were lacking. Another flaw in the make up was the lack of protection by means of thin skin. "SIR!" The young MACO called again. This time, he voice was rewarded.

A muffled growl, but recognizable growl nevertheless, came from underneath the furry Nausican whom had tackled him.

"GetThisThingOffaMe!" Pushing as hard as he could, Hayes managed to free his leg and looked mighty un-government official like, having a over three hundred and fifty pound stunned alien covering his body. Combined efforts and strengths finally freed the Colonel, and rolling onto his legs once more, Sanchez and Gabriel headed for the lift. Heading down, the mobile room lurched as the outside fighters headed another round of attacks.

She heard voices.

Someone was calling her. She could hear her name in the distant, voices that were calling her with some measure of urgency. He was here! Her heart soared with relief as she slowed. Her ankle was burning and the side of her face felt heavy and tender from the blow she had taken. Blood had run a rivulet down the corner of her chin and had dried into a think red line.

"I'M HERE!" She shouted, slowing a little as she paused at the juncture of the corridor, hoping that someone would answer and she knew which direction to go. "COME ON YOU ASSHOLES I'M HERE!"

Suddenly, something appeared at the corner of the eye and she had just enough time to turn when something slammed into her so hard, she was thrown against the wall from the impact. Her head whacked the metal plating and she reeled in dizziness when she saw the hulking form lunge at her. Instinct and training forced her to move before he reached her and she barely staggered out of his path. A hand snapped out trying to halt her escape and to most part succeeded, a thick arm flung her against the wall again. This time holding her there.

"Hello pretty," the Nausican looked at her with a sneer. "Let's find out how soft you are."

And they kept going down. At first, the elevator lift showed on the other side nothing but dark metal as it painfully moved down floor by floor. "We're not stopping Sir." Sanchez had pushed every button and then a combination of buttons as it seemed their slow boat charter sank at the pace of an old woman stepping into a cold pool.

"I can see that Sanchez." Gabriel was annoyed, having headed into a dead end, been smothered by a wilder beast and now stuck in a slow moving Tylenol cap seal. "Can you read any of the panels?"

"No. Sorry Sir. These aren't markings I recognize Sir."

"God dammit."

"Do you want me to blast the doors Sir?"

"And chance getting stuck in here? No. Look for an escape hatch up above. I'll hoist you up." As the freight elevator continued it's slow descend, Sanchez set down the helmet for his teammate and was hoisted up by Hayes. The kid's knee was in Gabriel's face, and upon climbing higher, the boot chanced to slip and yank one of the air hoses off Hayes' back. "Careful Sanchez." Gabriel warned, turning his head to give the kid more shoulder space.

"I've got it Sir. There's a hatch. If you lift me a little higher, I can put it off completely and begin to crawl thru." Another lurch of the ship as more attacks came. Sanchez began to scramble his hands, arms and head into the opening, dragging his shoulders along.

While his back was turned, the dark, steel walls of the outside world opened up, and Gabriel saw a large room had opened up below. Near as dark, there were sparks from motors and core drives shooting up in various locations. "Engineering." He'd recognize that room on nearly any ship. "Sanchez, we've got." The Colonel's voice froze and soon Sanchez felt his body's support give out as his fingers gripped onto a thick electrical cable. Dangling, the kid's legs swayed and he heard a very unfamiliar voice order, "Sanchez. Down!"

The sound of broken glass came from above, followed immediately by the sound of phaser fire. Having his eyes adjusted to the room, it hadn't taken Governor Hayes long to see the moving figures, throwing a small, frail body into the wall. Instead of true voice, Gabriel's mind clicked into a machine, calling and abandoning Sanchez as the elder MACO began to smash and smash it repeatedly the back of the elevator with the steel weapon. By the time glass gave way, Sanchez had already been on his feet. Aiming at the target below carefully before opening fire.

There was still a bit of fight left in Ren, even though she was aching from numerous places. His hand on her throat, he was moving into pin her with his body when she brought her knee up between his legs. He let go immediately, uttering a growl of pain as Ren threw herself past him to give her enough speed to escape him. Barely landed on her feet, her sprained ankle screaming in agony as she started to move in the dim light of the room, her progress painfully slow.

"REN!" The voice of the wolf, muffled by EV suit, snarled through the window. "REN! GET DOWN!" As the slow freighter inched its way along, both MACO men opened fire on the aliens below. When the majority of them went down, still some hundred feet up in the air, Hayes commed in his position and findings to Styles. Alerting her that they were on deck 9, heading towards 3. Engineering. Rickman and Styles, along with the very precious empty EV suit, needed to join them.

Ren saw the familiar Starfleet issued EV suits and dropped, as she heard Gabe's voice, never more grateful in her life to see him. Lowering herself to the ground, she pushed herself against the safety of the wall so they could do what they needed to. The Nausican had regained his bearings, straightening up long enough to go for his phase weapon. "Gabe watch out!" She could help but shout as she saw him preparing to fire.

An expert marksman, a shot flew out from as the lift lowered, stunning the beast. Engaging the grapple, Gabriel and Sanchez climbed out of the window and the familiar sleek, shriek of wire through pulley units joined the chorus of mini-explosions in the engineering room. Boots to the floor, Gabriel moved quickly to Renee, and Sanchez stood guard on alert, waiting for the other two-man unit to arrive. The helmet securely tucked under his arm until it was needed.

"Jesus." Moving near, Gabriel helped Ren to her feet, his hands engulfing her through the EV gloves. "Can you move to get out of here on your own power?" The Colonel demanded to know. Seeing what looked to be a dislocated jaw, along with a series of other injuries, Gabe and the wolf were tucked safely away inside. Right now, neither one had any place here in the battle zone.

"Yes Sir," Ren nodded, somehow reminding herself through her intense pleasure to see him that he was the Colonel here and she was a corporal. "I think I sprained an ankle," she said struggling to speak, the side of her face aching painfully. "But I can damn well walk out of here." She spent only a fraction of a section looking at him, trying to convey as discreetly as possible, all the emotions running through her at seeing him and finding her in time. "I got loose in their engineering room and took a couple of shots with a phaser at some of the machinery. Before I had to make a run for it, I think I disable something they were calling the cloak."

The large helmet looked down at her, "A nod or shake of the head, really, is fine." God, this MACO could even speak a mile a minute when injured. "Don't talk Ren." The Colonel instructed and lifted her arm over his shoulder for support. The face visor of his shield turned to look across the room. "Sanchez, get in touch with Styles, she or Rickman haven't commed back. I want them here pronto!"

"Shhh. Lean on me. Come on. That's it. Don't talk." Slowly Gabriel moved with Renee Richards across the room towards Sanchez. Helping her like he was left the Governor completely open for attack, so as he called in for the others position, Sanchez kept his phaser up and his eyes alert.

When firefight started with Alex and Derick made their way out of the transporter pad and began the search for Ren Richards. Hayes had ordered them to search the lower decks and it was sound advice if the woman had escaped from the cargo hold. "If Richards were roaming about loose, where do you think she'd head?" Alex asked as they made their way through a corridor with emergency lights flicker overhead and sirens screaming through the ship.

"I'd find the nearest gun and head for the transporter room," Derick remarked, as they cleared the next cross section. "If I knew where it was," he said. "But, since I don't...I think I'd find a good tight hiding place...with a gun. She's got to know something's up," he said, indicating the wailing alarms.

Alex looked around the place. "They knew she was missing so it would have been to risky to stay out in the open. Lower decks wouldn't have that many doors and the elevators are too high traffic," Alex said as she advanced down the passageway and halted when her eyes caught sight of something, "Derick," she met his gaze, "we're looking at air vents and maintenance shafts. These don't look big enough for a man," she said staring at one but it might fit a woman."

"Lovely..." Derick quipped, eyeing the nearest vent with trepidation. "She'd do it, if she thought of it," he said. "The question is, where?"

"We do as Hayes ordered," Alex said giving him a look as she paused at the corner of the corridor and look to see if it was safe to move. "Clear," she said promptly and stepped forward when suddenly, she saw a Vulcan with long hair crossing the corridor from one door to another. "Wait," she said with a hiss. The door opened for him and Alex strained enough to see that he was entering what appeared to be a hangar. "I don't like the look of this. Come on," she beckoned him to follow once the Vulcan was gone.

The Colonel had had it right. Don't fuck up, Rickman. Either way, Derick was so screwed. No Alex, he lost Tom. No Colonel, he lost Sloane. No Ren, he lost his neck. Following along behind the Lt. Cmdr, Derick kept an eye peeled for anymore folks.

Alex proceeded forward to the doors the Vulcan had just used and motioned him to take flanking position on the other side, as she activated the panel. Hayes had said that his keeper had been a long haired Vulcan and she was certain there weren't too many of those about. No sooner than the door had slid open, she peered inside and saw a ship and it was powering up to leave. She could see the Vulcan through the cockpit window.

She had barely enough to register this when suddenly, she heard the whirring of the ship's guns targeting them. "Watch out!" She shouted as the weapon opened fire.

Grabbing Alex by the battle harness, Derick dived them both behind a low storage crate, one bolted to the floor. He twisted around, wincing as he slammed into the bulkhead, Alex's weight, though not much, not helping. "Fuck me..." he growled, as the lasers from the transport thumped against the storage crate, blasting the bulkhead above them and showering them with sparks.

Alex scrambled off him, allowing both to get cover as the cannons continued their pulsing fire, blowing half the crate apart with one shot. The EV suits made it difficult to move and they could risk any of the debris tearing the material in case they had to use it to moonwalk as Hayes had put it. "Blast that fucking thing before it tears us to ribbons." She shouted as she prepared to take aim.

"Colonel," Alex shouted into her headset as she and Derick received the word that Ren had been found. "The ship's been set for auto destruct, by the looks of it, we've got seven minutes before she blows!"

"Then I really need that EV Suit Commander!" Gabriel growled back. "Get everyone on the horn to evacuate. Now! Meet us towards," The Colonel looked around, "Towards the back of Deck Three. There looks to be a dump on the starboard side. Tell some of your fighters to be prepared to pick us up outside. Everyone else, get the hell out the way they came."

"Come on Sir. Mam." Sanchez did not move in to help them, but rather urge and direct their flow based on the Colonel's orders. Again at a slow pace, this time due to injured MACO as opposed to slow lift unit, the threesome headed towards back. Passing hissing and flaring engines. An explosion went off across the way, and a large drum of toxic waste could be seen shooting up in the air, before crashing and spilling out across the floor.

The Colonel's voice sounded tenser, "Better make it instant Styles!"

"Tom," Alex spoke into her headset. "Get everyone off the ship now. Its been rigged to blow. We've got seven minutes to get everyone off. Evacuate all our people immediately." She shouted.

"What about you?" Tom's voice returned nervously.

"We''ll get out once we meet up with Hayes," she returned. "Good luck and see you on the ship."

"You too." Tom replied and said nothing further. They were professionals regarding each other at this moment and they had a job to do.

They had been waiting at the toxic dump evac when Cub boy and Styles made their appearance.

Sorry we took so long," Alex approached the Governor, his fiancée and Sanchez not long after. "We were searching the lower decks when we saw that the destruct sequence had been activated. Apparently, the captain is the only one who has access to the codes that set the ship off."

It didn't take them long to reach the others and Derick skidded to stop next to Ren, stripping his pack off his shoulders. Slinging his rifle over his shoulder, Derick dug into it for the extra suit and tossed it to Ren. "Suit up Corporal!"

"Thanks Gunny," Ren said taking the suit, unable to move as quickly as she liked because of her tussle with the Nausican. "I see the whole fucking cavalry is out."

"Yeah well, the governor's fiancee gets kidnapped," Derick replied, frowning when he noted her movement. "Here... you go and get kidnapped and even though you've got a big mouth, we have to come and get you," he half teased, stretching out the suit and holding it up for her to get into.

"Oh you just missed me," Ren grunted and then noted Gabe and gave Derick a look to tell him that she could handle getting into the suit from here on.

Derick nodded once at the unspoken warning and backed off, slinging his weapon back into place. At least they were all together now.

"That was two minutes ago, so there's still time. Come on Ren. We've got to get you in and fast." Helping Ren in, Gabriel was mindful of her injuries, trying to take whatever care he could with fumbling hands and a timeline ticking. When she was suited up and properly latched in, Hayes hit the button for the room to close off for the dump.

"Sanchez, Rickman, help escort the security commander. Recall your training." Tightly, Gabriel slipped his hand around Ren's waist. For the life of him, despite the tight suction of space, he was going to not loose her twice in one day.

Alex gave Sanchez and Derick a warning look, "I'll be fine. I'm Fleet, we've got Zero G training too. Let's do this thing."

Stepping next to Alex, Derick worked his gloved hand into her battle harness. "Sorry, Commander. Just because Ren's here doesn't mean I'm safe yet," he said with a wink. "Colonel, we're good to go!"

"Gee thanks," Alex gave him a look. Frick and Frack and their goddamn pacts.

"Prepare yourselves to be disposed like garbage into deep space." He warned, just before hitting the manual release on the wall. Without so much as a second passing, a large oval hole opened and began to lift the quintet off their feet and throwing them into the dark black void as easily as if they had been dead leaves.

Ren clung to Gabe tight, her body still aching from her injuries and trying to stuff herself quickly into the cumbersome evac suit. She had training just like any other MACO and had never found moonwalking particularly frightening. However, doing it next to a ship that was about to light the sky was another thing entirely. Blown out into space, the humans were propelled forward through the darkness, surrounded by stars and the ship, which now seemed so much smaller from space. Ren had never seen anything like it but she was certain she wouldn't forget it. Sleek, compact, there was no doubt in her mind despite her limited knowledge of starships, that this one was a predator.

"I'm so hoping someone is picking up us before that thing goes..." Ren said to no one in particular, her heart pounding in her chest once they stopped streaking forward like comets.

Utilizing the small rockets on his suit, Colonel Hayes began to turn he and Ren around, and a bit of a smile crossed his face. Waiting for them was an impressive sight. Over six fighters were near, hovering like the predators they were. "Looks like your boys came through Styles." Gabriel continued the tight hold on Ren to his suit. Into the all comm, Gabriel called, "How about a lift boys? I think I'd like to get home before things get too bright."

"Tom, you copy?" Alex said to Tom Merrick who was most likely on the troop carrier by now, having returned there when the general order for evacuation was given by the Colonel. "Get us out of here before that bird goes up."

"Right here Commander," Tom answered, completely professional even though she could hear the relief in his voice to know that she and his friends had come through the mission safely. "We're locking on to your signal and will have you on board in a quick minute."

"Good," Alex looked around and gave Derick a smile he probably couldn't see through the helmet, "we've got injured and I hate space walking."

"You and me both," Derick replied, keeping one eye on the Colonel and Ren and the other on his best friend's Godzilla cohort.

Ren couldn't say what was on her mind when the communicators in their headsets ensured anything she said to Gabe would be broadcast to the others. Instead, she expressed her affection by resting her helmet against his, a slight gesture of warmth in the coldness of space. Staring at him, she smiled faintly, grateful for the promise he had managed to keep when the world begin to diminish in the hum of a transporter beam.

Hearing the back and forth dialogue, Gabriel did not add anything to the conversation but allowed himself this small token of enjoyment floating in space, knowing it would be taken from him soon. Planned trips up to visit the NX or other planets as Governor, strengthening relationships with other species of aliens would allow him more situations of this nature. Realizing what he was doing, Hayes closed his eyes slightly and within his helmet shook his head. 'My god. They've done it. I'm thinking like a politician.' Not wanting the transformation to be true, the MACO commander looked over at Rickman and nodded his head once in appreciation to the man when it appeared Cub boy was looking his way.

Glad that this apparent truce was holding up, Derick offered a respectful salute and a nod of his head to the Colonel.

Her helmet gently rested against his, and Gabriel turned his attention towards Ren, a smile forming as the two met eyes. 'I love you.' he mouthed, thickly gloved fingers tightening around the palm of her hand.

Ren smiled at him through the visor and squeezed his hand back with the same words echoing from her lips silently.

As the Praetor's Bane flared in the sky above Gaia, taking with it all hands, Varnek was already slipping into warp, his small runabout making its way out of the system, hopefully to lose itself in the heart of the Mutara Nebula before Starfleet's warships began the search since his departure could not have gone unnoticed. Once the craft entered warp, the man let out a sigh and departed the cockpit, eager to inspect the cargo that had cost him his ship. A Romulan Cloaking Device was weight its weight in Latinum wherever he went in the galaxy and there was much a former Sub-Commander of Romulan Star Empire with the amount of credits that device would bring him, could do. Perhaps even enough to go home to reclaim his place.

He entered the cargo bay and deactivated the multiphasic deflector that the device had been concealed with. Eagerly, he inspected his prize and pulled open the control panel to ensure nothing had been tampered with when suddenly, he froze and stared at the innards of cargo, which was empty. No mechanism, no power source, no circuitry...nothing. They had tricked him.

No, Hayes had tricked him.

Sat in his ship and bartered for his bitch with nothing and Varnek had fallen for it.

A howl of indignation echoed throughout the small ship as the Romulan swore bloody vengeance against the Colonel who had outsmarted him and left him with nothing.

Returning to the cockpit, Varnek could do nothing but set the coordinates for the Nebula, swearing that his business with Hayes was not done.

They would meet again.

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http:www.ans.com.au/%7Egsuter/Federation.html

Enterprise: Federation