Chapter Nine
Location: Reman Sector.
Remus Prime.
Wearing the clothes of the dead Romulan, Carla Williams joined the two Starfleet Officers as they searched for the last remnants of the Enterprise crew held captive on the darkest world in the galaxy as far as two officers where concerned. Both held captive and tortured by the Reman Unity, they both held no regard for the ugly devil like species walked amongst. Holding his cloak firmly around himself as a cold wind blew through him, Tom Paris fought for every breath as he followed the two officer through the dark narrow streets of Remus Prime. The stench of Reman food flowed through the streets on the wind as he fought too keep himself from loosing his lunch and everything else he had eaten in the past year. Stopping at a corner, Paris looked up as before them, the large circular Senate building stood before them.
"This contraption indicates sixty human life signs in that corner" Steele grunted.
"Then that's the way we go" Williams snorted.
"Alright, lets do this. Tom, you know what too do?"
"Aye… sir!" He smiled.
Reaching into his bag, he pulled out a small metallic box and placed it in Williams' hand as he spoke quietly while Romulan and Reman civilians walked past them.
"This box, contains eighty micro transmitters… one for each survivor. Once they are activated, Donatra and Sk'lar will beam them up"
"Sk'lar… Donatra. You're working with Romulans?" Williams growled.
"Different cast, they are allies of the… Federation"
"They are not my allies. Keep them out of my way" Carla said with a dangerous look in her eye.
"I'll create a distraction while you enter the building Jack. Once the crew are onboard, our friends will beam the rest of us up. And run like hell for Voyager"
"Be safe Tom, I'd hate too have to tell Belanna you're not coming back, she'd kill me!" He winked slightly.
With a subtle distraction, Steele and Williams entered the large building through a small isolated door and followed the scanner in his hand. Slowly making their way through the building, they did no speak. Using only hand signals they opened the first door as eight human women ran into a corner shaking with terror. Closing the door behind them, Carla stayed close too the door as Jack raised his hands and removed his hood as he spoke softly.
"I am Lieutenant Jack Steele, from the Enterprise… remember me?"
"Go away!" One woman said in fear.
"Take it easy, what's your name?" He smiled softly.
"Terri…"
"Terri, Crewman Terri Carpenter?"
"Y-Yes…" She said with fear.
"Easy, easy. Relax Terri, all of you. We're taking you all home"
The foul stench of sweat filled the air as the women stood in the far corner shaking in fear, yet hiding something behind them. Sighing deeply, Steele walked towards them with his hands raised as he spoke softly.
"It's okay, we have vessels in orbit. They are going too take you all to a Federation Starship and return you all too DS9"
"DS9?" Terri sighed.
"Yes. I am Lieutenant Steele, this is Lieutenant Williams… we're both from the Enterprise, do you remember the Enterprise?"
"Y-yes… It's about damned time" She wept.
Falling too the floor and into the light, she was covered in dirt, bruises and dried blood. Slowly, Jack reached out his hand. Shaking, her hand touched his as her torn uniform hung off her starved body as she stood slowly and wrapped her arms around him shaking in fear and relief.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you…"
"Carla, the transponders?"
"Of course"
Handing out the transponders too each of the frightened and badly treated women before him, a small hand reached through the gathered women as Jack looked on in shock as a face appeared through the small group.
"Oh my god!" He said in shock.
"She's… my daughter" Another woman said.
Sighing deeply, he knelt down before the young girl, dressed in torn fabrics from their uniforms as he spoke softly too the little girl almost one and a half years old.
"Hello. My name is Jack, what is your name?"
"J-J-Jenny" Her mother said nervously.
"That's my grandmother's name… a good name. You are going too go for a little ride, you will be safe now. Do not worry… do you understand me?"
Protected by the women in the room, she took hold of the small transponder as her dirty blonde hair fell from her face and Romulan ears could be clearly seen. Hiding his shock at what he saw before him, he stood as he spoke into a communicator, hidden in his collar.
"Donatra, nine too beam out on my mark"
"Understood" She replied over the com-link in his ear.
"Have medical teams standing by"
"Already in place…"
Looking up at him as she nervously stood before him, a slight smile echoed across her dirty face as smiled slightly and gave the order to beam the women too safety. Moving deeper into the facility, the same situation seemed too play out in each of the cells as more half Romulan Children where found hiding and shivering in the darkness along with their mothers and the only other humans they had seen in their short and horrible lives. As they moved through the facility, the true story of what had happened too them had come into the light. Over the past two years, they had been visited by high ranking Romulans for their own personal pleasure. Many of them had taken their own lives through the terror of their captivity whilst others hung onto the hope of a rescue.
With the last of the survivors beamed up too the Romulan vessels for medical attention and transport to Voyager, a single human life sign still remained in a cell isolated from the rest. Checking his readings once more, Steele looked at Williams in shock as the readings remained the same.
"Okay, this is strange… I have one human life sign… Male!"
"What?" Williams said in shock.
"Male. Follow me!" He said quickly.
Following the readings, the entered into an abandoned section of the vast imperial court as the readings became stronger. Stopping outside a large metallic door, Williams attempted to open the door before she looked at Steele and shook her head.
"Locked, I can't get past it"
"Not a problem!" He boasted.
Pulling the panel off the wall, he worked the system he had became familiar with since they arrived as she squeezed the hand grip of her two weapons, ready for a fight if needed. Too her shock, two loud cracks where heard as the door slide open slightly, forcing the door open, Steele looked inside as his face showed shock at what he saw.
"What? Who is it?" She said quietly.
Stepping inside, Steele knelt down before the human male as he spoke with shock.
"It's okay, it's okay… we're here to get you out" Words he had said numerous times.
"Go away, leave me alone!" The man said with a gravely voice.
"Ohh, I can't do that. We've come too far now sir"
"Sir? Sir?" He said slowly.
"Look at me… damn it look at me!" Steele whispered.
The battered and bruised old man looked up at Steele as his eyes widened and he moved backwards into the darkness in fear as he curled up in a ball and screamed in terror.
"No-no-no! it's okay sir… I'm Lieutenant Steele, Jackson Steele from the Enterprise"
"Enterprise?" He said slowly, as if he had almost forgotten the name.
"Yes sir. It's good to see you sir"
"Sir? There is no sir here… only death and more death"
"Sir, please… we have come to take you home. To the Federation…"
"Federation, Federation… the Federation is dead, it's dead. They told me, yes they did… everyone is dead. I know that, they told me… so it must be true, yes it must be true"
"What's wrong with him?" Carla whispered.
"NOOO! Go away"
"He's in shock. Damn bastards have broken him. Sir… CAPTAIN PICARD! Look at me!" He said forcibly.
"Picard? Picard… who is he?" He mumbled.
"Sir, please… take my hand. We're taking you home, to Earth!"
"Earth? Home? I am home!" He declared proudly.
Curled in a ball and rocking slowly, the once proud Captain of the USS Enterprise shook his head as his mattered, dirty long white hair flowed from side too side. Almost unrecognisable too the officers before him, he screamed in terror as Steele held out his hand.
"Go away, go away… you are not real!"
"Captain, take my hand… please take my hand" Steele said slowly.
"NOOO! A trick, another trick. You can't fool me, I've told you everything I know… everything, yes everything I did, check... you can check!"
"Jack, we don't have time for this!" Carla complained.
"He's coming with us. Sir, listen too me. We have a Federation Starship waiting… do you remember me sir. Stupid question, of course he doesn't. Riker, Will Riker… Geordie LaForge, your daughter Alison"
"Alison?" He replied slowly.
"Yes-yes. Alison, she's waiting for you… please, I can take you too her" He said with a smile.
"Alison is dead, Riker, Geordie everyone are dead!" He muttered.
"No sir, not all of them. They are alive and waiting for you… I can take you too them. All you have to do is take my hand sir"
Slowly reaching out towards the officer, his hand shook violently in fear as Steele looked down at his hand and sighed. All that remained on his right hand was his thumb, index finger and middle finger. The rest appeared to have been severed by a blunt blade years ago.
"You are real?" He wept.
"Very real… Captain"
Pulling him close, Steele hugged his Captain and Father-in-law as they slowly stood, the true extent of his injuries came clear as he stepped into the light. His left arm was severed at the wrist, his nose and jaw where broken and set long ago.
"It's about damned time. Thank you!" He mumbled.
"Steele too Donatra, you're not going too believe this. But we have Picard"
"WHAT?" She said in shock.
"He's stood before me, he's in a bad way. Transport him directly too the sickbay now!"
"On it!"
"Sir, Jean-Luc. You're going to be beamed to a vessel now, they'll take care of you. I promise"
"YOU come with me? Both of you?" He said in fear.
"Carla will beam up with you. No arguments Carla… you need a Doctor, thank you for your help. I have one more job to do!"
Against their objections, both Carla and Picard beamed out of the facility as five seconds later, Steele was beamed out and into a separate location next too Tom Paris. Smiling, Paris looked at him as he spoke.
"We're done then?"
"One more thing. You got that controller I gave you?"
"Right here" He said as he handed him the controller.
Activating the device as instructed by Belanna, Steele walked towards a window in the room they where in, over looking the old Senate Building on the planet and the centre of all Reman activity throughout the Unity itself. As he typed in commands, a large fireball could be seen in the skies above streaking over the clouds.
"Jack, what are you doing?" Paris said in shock.
"Completing my orders…"
"What orders?"
"Watch!" He said darkly.
Screaming across the skies, the fireball began to break apart slowly as small pieces broke away and fell too the ground in a fiery death while the large section of the fireball continued along it's course. Alarm signals screamed out over the city below as the fire ball continued on it's course towards the senate building itself.
"Jack, stop this now!" Paris ordered.
"Too late. We must end this war, by any means possible… the destruction of the Reman Senate will be that way" He smiled.
Explosions ripped across the fireball before it slammed into the centre of the large circular building and exploded in a large fireball which encompassed the entire structure as alarm klaxons echoed throughout the city before them. Grabbing Steele, Paris spun him around before he slammed him into the glass before him as he spoke.
"What the hell did you just do?"
"Completed my orders… OUR ORDERS!"
"You have just declared WAR!" Paris said in shock.
"Wake up Tom! We are already at war. The Remans have taken hostages, tortured them… this was a last resort, you didn't see those women, I did. Beaten, assaulted… Tom! Listen too me, this is was approved"
"BY WHO?" Tom yelled.
"YOUR FATHER!" He yelled. "Your father, he knew the truth… It was supposed to be Riker, I couldn't allow that. I can not allow that much blood on his hands"
"Stay away from me Jack!" He said in shock. "I don't want too know you anymore!"
"Tom, I followed orders… a good soldier follows orders, even if he doesn't agree with them" He pleaded.
"I saw the smile on your face Jack. You enjoyed that!"
"Yes, I did. You have no idea what those… things did too me. Did too those women and Picard. I do Tom, I've been there… I know what those… bastards are capable of!"
"Stay away from me!" Paris growled once more.
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed before them as they both looked around. Grabbing their weapons, they both stood their ground as a large group of Remans closed on their location.
"Ohh crap!" Steele said slowly. "Donatra, transport now!"
"Sorry, main buffer is down. I can only bring you in one at a time"
"Take Paris…"
"What?" Paris said in shock.
"Go Tom. I hope you did what I said?"
"All charges are set… Steele, don't do this!"
"Transport locked" Donatra called out.
"Give me the detonator Tom… give it too me, now!" Steele demanded.
Nodding slightly, Paris placed a small black box in his open hand as he nodded slightly.
"Tell Alison…"
"I know!"
The transporter beam locked onto Paris as the small room dissolved and a Romulan transporter room appeared before him, quickly stepping off the transporter platform. Paris ran towards the console as he spoke.
"Bring him up!"
"Fifteen seconds…" Called out Donatra.
"Times up!" Steele said over the intercom.
The sound of weapons fire exploded over the speakers as Paris looked at the control station in shock before large explosions echoed over the speakers and the sound of screaming caught his attention.
"I've got him" Donatra yelled.
Alarm bells rang in the transporter room of the Romulan ship as worked the controls and a figure materialised before them both with flames burning on his clothes and skin. In an instant, a forcefeild activated before the fire was suffocated by the emergency procedures as the badly burnt form fell too the floor still smoking before their eyes.
Location: Sol System. Earth.
Sat quietly at her desk, the President of the United Federation of Planets completed reports and her long lost of paperwork before she leaned back in her chair and rubbed her eyes slowly. The sound of her office door sliding open and heavy boots on the floor caught her attention as she looked up in shock while several Starfleet Officers led by Admiral Owen Paris entered the room with their weapons drawn.
"Do not bother trying too call security, they are already here… Madam President!" Paris said firmly.
"What are you doing here. What is the meaning of this?"
"You are under arrest, for crimes against the Federation" He replied.
"Arrest me? How dare you. Lower your weapons, that is an order from your President!"
"You will find your authority, severely diminished" A Vulcan officer called out.
"So I see. Well, this is not as I expected. But you are too late, this morning I signed a treaty with the Reman High Command…"
"I think you will the Remans have their own problems by this point… Madam President!" Paris smiled. "Officer, arrest the President"
"Stand your ground Officer, that is an order!" She barked.
"No Ma'am. On the charge of Treason against the United Federation of Planets, I am placing you under arrest"
Laughing, she pressed a control on her wrist as she looked at the large group gathered before her. Looking down at the hidden communicator on her wrist, she hit it twice more as Admiral Paris stepped towards her with a smile.
"Ohh, we deactivated that. Three ships have found your vessel and boarded it. It's over…"
"It's never over. We took that into account…"
Clenching her jaw shut, her eyes rolled to the back of her head as she fell backwards into her chair as the Starfleet officers rushed too her side.
"Don't bother checking for a pulse. She's dead!" Paris sighed.
Activating the control system on the desk before him, the Admiral spoke with a firm voice.
"This is Admiral Paris of Starfleet Command too all vessels. Stand down, the President has been exposed as a Reman Operative. Effective as of this moment, arrest and detain the members of the Federation Council and the Starfleet Command Council… more information will follow!"
