Warning: This chapter is very descriptive and contains a lot of violence and disturbing content. Please, beware.

I do not own Startrek or these characters, well everyone except Kate, Suran and T'Vok


Chapter Eleven: Knowledge & Power

Curiosity swarmed the house, it was ebbing at every corner of the occupants minds. The encounter with Shran was fresh in their minds, to the point that Soval had only meditated for an hour and Kate couldn't sleep, her mind was too restless. She walked down the stairs to see the Ambassador studying the pyramid on the living room table. His gaze was pensive and he seemed to gaze at it as though he were attempting to ascertain how it worked by merely examining it. She walked into the room hesitantly, she was wearing a baggy purple sweater that fell off her shoulder and a pair of long black velvet yoga pants, which seemed to swim around her feet. The floors were cool, but not too cold.

As she walked into the living room she noticed the sunlight from the sun had slipped through the windows, its rays warming surfaces and surrounding the Ambassador with light. He was wearing a dark maroon sweater, it was thick and she noticed how it seemed to warm his face. His features appeared softer, and less intimidating in it, for once he looked like a simple being, rather than the powerful Envoy from Vulcan she was acquainted with. She paused as she stepped into the living room, "Good morning," she greeted. Soval looked up from the table and arched a brow, "I had expected you to sleep longer, humans require more rest than Vulcans," he remarked.

Kate hummed as she walked down the stairs and into the living room. "I couldn't sleep," she replied as she swept around the table, across from him. She then slowly settled on the floor, her legs crossed and she rested her arms on the table. Kate looked at the pyramid with interest as she leaned against her palms, she had no idea how it worked, and had hoped at least the messenger had. "Why?" asked Soval after a moment, he seemed hesitant and she had a feeling it was because of their lack of personal conversation between them. They were always focused on business, the first time they had conversed about her personal life involved a memory of her father.

In many ways, he was out of his depth, and yet he was attempting to speak with her. She was well aware Vulcan's didn't do small talk, however, he seemed to ignore this and ask her. She wasn't sure if it was his way of being polite or was genuinely curious. "This," she stated as she stared pointedly at the object, she knew it was childish but she had expected something more from Stark – the man who was into complexity and extravagance. She had expected an elaborate piece of technology, and yet all she had received was a pyramid, that didn't look anything like the technology she had known.

She glanced over to see the Ambassador also examining it, "I will confess it has occupied my mind as well," he replied. She wasn't surprised, their future was hanging in the balance based on the information on this diamond, not just theirs but the planet's and the stars in the heavens above. She nodded as she swept some of her blond hair behind her ear.

Soval and Kate stared at the reader which was on the table before them, it looked different in the daylight than it had in that of the moon. The clear pyramid wasn't as transparent as she had thought, while it was glossy, it was impossible to see the components inside of it. It stood on the table of the living room, and contrasted greatly against the natural elements, it was sleek and harsh compared to the soft tones of gold and green. "How do we know if it's on?" she asked. Soval stared at her, his brown eyes were filled with confusion and it became clear that he also had no idea how it worked. Kate drew a deep breath and huffed, "Of course, he sends us to get it and then doesn't tell us how it works," she grumbled as she walked over to the table.

Kate knelt on the floor before the devise, the carpet was plush and full against her sore knees. The pendant winked in the light of the sun, she leaned over it in an attempt to figure out how to turn it on when the pendant slipped out of her sweater. There was a crackle and she looked down to see the clear pyramid turn black and bright blue lines appear around the tip. "What?" she asked in confusion as she backed away only for the lines to vanish and it to become clear once again. "Fascinating, it is activated when the diamond is near it," said Soval as he took a step closer. He then knelt on the floor across from her, his eyes falling on the now black pyramid. Kate reached around her neck and quickly released the lobster clasp before allowing the necklace to slip from her neck, the gossamer silver chain made her fingers tremble as she held it near the pyramid, only it didn't react.

Blue eyes narrowed in confusion until Soval said, "Hold the pendant over it, as though you were going to put it inside the capstone." Kate did as he suggested and dangled the pendant over the pyramid's tip. The crackling occurred once more, only this time she watched as the tip was broken in quarters, like the GD logo. Silently she watched the wedges that had been created by the once solid lip slip downward, revealing a compartment that was the perfect size for the diamond. She looked to the Ambassador and then to the device as she slipped it into the port. There was a click and she listened to several loud chirps before the pyramid lit up entirely, it glowed a transparent blue until it became pure white. She was confused until light slipped out of the tip and she looked over Soval's shoulder in wonder.

Her lips parted as her eyes widened, once again she was captured in the magic and genius that was Stark. The room was transformed into a whole new world, it was bright and the images were of the highest quality she had ever seen come out of a holographic projector. It looked as though she could reach out and touch them. Flickering behind him were images of Earth and its society, all captured in the highest resolution she had ever seen.

Soval looked equally enthralled as he too looked around them, only now did she realize what ever technology it was, it had projected a hologram 360 degrees around them. She listened to the speech of people, and chirp of birds. Gulls jumped off the ground and leapt into the air, their wings beating against the turbulent winds of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge was in the background. Her eyes never left the images of life as humanity celebrated it's harmony with nature. "It's gorgeous," she breathed.

Just as she did so the images shifted into what had appeared to be blue prints, "The UN Building?" she asked as she looked at the images, it didn't make sense, it was located in New York, it was surrounded by the flags of nations, waving with pride. Delegates moved freely and just as she was about to question its purpose she watched Starfleet's headquarters appear. Its unmistakable silver compound surrounded by a maze of hallways and a large turret like structure in the center was a tip off. It was nothing like the elegant Consulate she stayed in.

Suddenly it was as though the room was plunged in darkness, the UN flickered into view once more, only this time she watched it as it exploded. The images occurred slowly as though someone had purposely slowed them, her eyes narrowed as she watched the bright yellow and orange flames force the glass out of the windowpanes and the delegates scatter. Shouting rang in her ears, and she nearly missed it, only it appeared that Stark had taken the liberty of showing them more detail as the individuals' face was suddenly in view. "The same assailant, a little older," said Kate as she looked at all of his basic features, focusing on the eyes, nose and lips as well as ears. It wasn't easy to change the basic structure of the face, and although skin sagged on humans as it aged, these basic structures were unmistakable.

The image was ushered away and she felt as though someone had grabbed them by their ankles and was dragging them into the deepest pits of hell. She watched as images of explosives came into view, each explosion lighting up the dark room, she could see shrapnel flying and with each one the same face, as well as a few others appeared, "He doesn't work alone," she stated a she pointed to three other faces that were in common. Soval stared at her as she pointed to them, "He has a team, it is logical, each location is difficult to enter without a skilled group," Soval stated.

Kate watched as people died, over and over again, she watched the bombs detonate, and the physics programs that ran simultaneously. "This program, it's not something we use. Do the Vulcans have something like it?" she asked as she watched the algorithms across the bottom of the screen and renditions of bomb location and chemical composition from the blast footage alone. She had seen such work with shrapnel and fragments but never with footage and sound.

"No, we do not. We have other technology which allows for us to reconstruct the explosions," he stated, "Nothing that allows us to analyze it from footage, and compile it to create something this detailed." She could hear the awe in his voice, which she couldn't blame him for, Stark seemed to have a certain talent for creating things that not even Vulcans had dared to.

The subject changed as she identified the crew of four individuals that were responsible for the bombs. "We need to get those faces to Amanda and Suran," she stated, Soval nodded in accord, it was all they had on these individuals. Soval was staring past her shoulder and she turned to see a man standing on a podium in the middle of a massive meeting hall, he stood out in his black ensemble against the gold and silver walls of a building. The man was bald and had a pair of nearly black eyes, which made him seem soulless. His voice was dark and commanding; it rang in her ears and sent a shiver through her. "It's like watching a newsreel from the 1940s and seeing Hitler," she whispered, the parallels between their body language, subject of the speech and overall air was enough to sicken her.

"Terra Prime's goal is to get rid of all alien occupants on Earth. We never asked them to come! They invited themselves and look what they have done! Look at the damage and all the lives they have cost!" shouted the speaker, "We never asked for their help and now look at the damage! They are unclean, Terra is for the people of EARTH, Humans, not for aliens to come and treat us like exhibits!" shouted the man, his eyes never leaving the camera. She could hear the cheering of what she assumed to be thousands.

She looked over to see Soval was still composed and wondered if his control would snap at some point, however based on his expression she had a feeling this wasn't his first time dealing with such prodigious. "We must purge the Earth of these abominations and wipe the slate clean to preserve our ways, the human way," the speaker commanded. The speech continued and Kate's sky blue eyes widened, reports of children from other worlds being murder brutally flittered across the screen. Each time they were twisted out of proportion, butcher as though they were less than alive and she stared at the mutilated shells of what she knew were once vibrant children. Blood smeared across surfaces, murder weapons of the crudest construction and banners proclaiming Terra as belonging to humanity were found.

She felt her stomach drop and blood run cold at the report of a young Vulcan being subjected to such torture, he was strung up and she wouldn't have recognized him if it weren't for the ears and winged brows. The child's arms were chained from the ceiling and she stared at his body, he had been flayed brutally after being burned, there was discoloration from frost bite and she realized this had all occurred in an icebox. Bright green blood covered nearly every surface and her stomach twisted. An animalistic growl rang in her ears, causing Kate to immediately turn to the ambassador.

Soval's dark eyes were narrowed, his lips curled back in a snarl and for the first time she could truly see his fury. "Soval?" she asked tentatively and the Ambassador grit his teeth, it looked as though it was taking all he had not to break the pyramid. "That was L'Vor, he was nine Terran years old, his family had come here to assist in research and brought their son," he growled, "He was taken in the middle of the night in Berlin. We searched for weeks, but never found him. Not even a bond worked."

Kate looked slightly confused, from what she knew, Vulcan children bonded with their parents to protect them and to teach them about control of their emotions, to provide order to chaos as they grew up. "How? Bonds can't be broken by humans, right?" she asked. Soval inhaled and she realized the was fortifying himself as though what he was going to say next was physically painful, "No, the bond wasn't severed until the boy's death. They had given him a compound that sedated him until he was roused for the torture," he stated. Kate stared, that meant, "My god, they felt him. They felt their son's pain and couldn't help him," she whispered in pain.

Soval was still before he stated, "His parents returned to Vulcan and have yet to have another child, both are part of the Vulcan Science Academy and refuse to return to Earth." Kate couldn't imagine the agony, to lose a child to a bunch of monsters and never know what had happened or have a body to bring home.

It was then she realized she was more fortunate than they were, her father's body came home, and their son was lost to them on an alien planet and would never return to Vulcan's red sands. "I grieve with thee," she whispered out of respect.

Soval didn't comment as more images rolled by, women, children, men, it didn't matter they were all subjects of this treatment. Kate felt her stomach twist as reports of families slaughtered because they were different flittered across the screens, so much blood, it was a wonder that any other planet desired to work with them. There were recordings of events, floggings, several burned alive, she didn't think such violence existed anymore.

The events continued to transpire only to slow, it was a conversation in a boardroom, the speaker from the first speech was absent and in his place was a tall man with a long face and dark blue eyes, his skin was lightly tanned and he had lines that indicated a great deal of stress had been placed upon him. "Is it set?" asked the man at the head of the table. The camera shifted and she looked around the massive screen only to see the rest of the group hung in the shadows, "Yes, he's in place, we have been able to keep Forrest in the dark," hissed one of them.

Kate perked up immediately, "Excellent, make sure we keep Archer busy," replied the man who was obviously the leader.

There was a silence and she listened for a moment as another speaker began, "That will not be an issue, he will be working on the outer reaches of the universe. We have seen to that he has been routed to our connections on Vulcan." Kate's blood went to ice as she watched the man's lips split into a sickening smile, Vulcan, they had people on Vulcan. Her eyes flew to Soval who looked pale and his eyes widened, his nostrils flared and his lips parted, words dying on them. She didn't know much about their culture, but from his reaction this news was more disturbing than even she realized.

"The Andorians are being distracted, now we just have to make sure the prototype works," said a third, his voice was raspy as though he has smoked too many cigarettes, a rare issue in their time. The Andorians were being played; she could only imagine the chaos that would ensue when the Imperial Guard heard this. They were chasing something else, something that wasn't Vulcan, and that was surely going to lead to the fury of the Guard.

There was a laugh, it was familiar and she froze, "No," she whispered, she knew that laugh and listened closely hoping the same tone she had grown up knowing was absent. "Don't worry about them, once we have them chasing the Vulcans, and they will surely call in the rest of the collation, it will be easy," stated the voice. Kate shivered and stared at the images, "Gardner," she whispered. The Admiral was behind this, he had been part of this. She felt her blood boil and was about to knock the devise off the table when the images flickered and the leader said, "We did not acquire the information to break into the Vulcan Consulate, however we have it for the Andorians, Denobulans and other members, sadly our asset wouldn't break."

She noticed the table flicker and images sprawling across it, she watched the angle change and she stared at a figure who had been strung up in the middle of a warehouse, he looked more like a piece of meat than a man at that moment. His skin was irritated and red, he had soft blonde hair and she stared at the Starfleet regulation pants.

"Look away," said Soval quickly, his tone was clipped, and she looked over to see the urgency in his eyes. It looked as though he was pleading with her to shield herself from what she was about to witness, she had seen the images of children tortured, buildings exploding and a serious case of violence. Yet for this he wanted her to run. It was illogical, he never made decisions based on emotions, yet his were showing. The child had broken him and now he looked as though he was going to leap across the table and shield her from the information flying by them.

"What?" she asked in confusion. The Ambassador's gaze was heavy.

"Look away."

She crossed her arms and hissed, "What give you the right to," she began only to hear the crack of leather against skin and a whimper. Kate huffed, she had seen worse, after all she had been conditioned to no longer react when being tortured or witnessing torture, it would cloud judgment.

Questions rattled off the walls, some on Starfleet and others about the Ambassador, long red ribbons stood out angrily against the young man's back, his torso was covered in bruising and she watched as they pulled a knife out. Its silver blade angrily biting into the man's skin, "Answer us," one of the men hissed as he grabbed fair blond hair and roughly yanked the man's head up.

It was then she understood, her hands flew up to her mouth as she watched the crystal clear blue eyes of her father narrow. His lip was split and she noticed blood traveling down his chin. Yet despite the injuries, he remained defiant, "Daddy?" she asked her voice trembling as all her training abandoned her, this wasn't a teammate or a charge - this was her father.

A younger version of Maxwell Forrest glared at them and replied, "No," it was soft yet firm in resolve. A vicious grin curled the lips of the man before him, "Fine then, bring it over." Kate watched in confusion as a large brand was brought over, it was glowing bright orange and she felt every muscle in her body stiffen, she wanted to look away. Her father was strong, he protected her, he taught her how to fight. Yet, there he was helpless and in so much pain, to see someone desire to hurt him made her want to scream.

She so desperately wanted to do as Soval instructed, to look away, but couldn't. Her chest tightened painfully and even the act of drawing air was painful. Her eyes fell on her father as his face twisted, another scream left his lips, ringing in her ears. He never screamed or cried, never had he appeared so vulnerable, so exposed. Her breaths were shallow and she felt the world slipping, she couldn't look away, she couldn't close her eyes.

Suddenly warmth surrounded her and darkness followed. She was stunned for a moment and went to fight when she heard a whisper, "Peace," it vibrated behind her and belonged to the last person she thought would touch her. She heard an unbearable scream and she just as she was about to fight, there was another touch, one to her hand. Fingers wrapped around her own, they were strong and firm, sparks seemed to fly and yet she didn't care, what mattered was the warmth and safety. "Breath, Katharine," Soval whispered into her hair, "Slowly," he directed. His fingers threaded wrapped around her trembling hands, and he squeezed her hand in an attempt to ground her.

Kate drew a breath and felt the fear slowly slip away as warmth and waves of comfort rolled over her. She slowly drew another and felt the warm hand that had covered her eyes fall away. "Peace," said the rich voice of the Ambassador once more. Hesitantly she opened her eyes and watched the scene before her while nestled in his protective embrace. He surrounded her with powerful arms that she knew were three times stronger than her own, and yet, he treated her as though she would shatter if he touched her wrong. "Breath," he instructed, his voice soothing the pain like a balm on a burn.

A group of men barged into the room in the hologram, the sound of the doors flying open echoed in the room and she heard the rushed footsteps of individuals as well as rapid voices. At first she thought they were Starfleet, until she saw the dove gray robes of Soval, he swept into the room with grace. He was slightly less gray yet held his own in the room, standing out against the grim and without hesitation he stepped into the puddle of her father's blood. A tan hand slipped out from his robes and she watched as he slowly slipped his fingers under her father's chin and tipped it up to look at his face.

There were several rapid commands in Vulcan and she heard him whisper to her father before clutching the battered man to his chest as he was released from the restraints. "You saved my dad?" she asked tentatively, she knew that her father had known Soval for a long time, but had no idea it had been that long. He didn't look any older than 27 in the images before her.

Soval's hands fell away from her and yet, he made no movement to indicate that he wanted to leave her presence. "Yes. Starfleet didn't know he was missing, he had missed a meeting with me," he replied. She watched as the Ambassador took a weak man into his arms and carried him with ease. "You're father was my best friend, the only one who understood the relationship between our worlds and saw the dream I had," he explained, "I wouldn't allow someone with such greatness locked inside of him to perish in such a way." Kate nodded as she felt the Ambassador pull back, he shifted and retreated to the other side of the table, putting it between them strategically. The images continued, information on a number of attacks, locations of former meeting places and several sights where there had been busts.

"Hang on, those were supposed to be illicit substances and weapons," she stated in confusion as she watched her father charge into them leading several assault teams. Only to come up empty handed. The raids stopped and yet the information continued, she was about to ask where it came from when the cameras were thrown down trash chutes into lakes and rivers only to be recovered by someone, the same person each time. She stared at the Starfleet ring around his finger.

The footage ended with a blueprint for a ship, a mining craft. She studied the image only for it to flicker and disappear. The pyramid was slowly turning clear as she pulled out the diamond, "It would appear that is all that there is," said Soval. Kate felt numb, her father never mentioned the raids or attempts on his life. Not once had he stated that he had been there in the very beginning with these attacks on people and had attempted to stop them. She looked up from her hands where the diamond sat winking in the light, it looked unassuming and pretty, yet it held some of the most dangerous and darkest information within its facets.

"Major Forrest," said a stern voice and Kate looked up to see the dark eyes of the Vulcan Ambassador boring into her. She slowly drew herself up and noticed how he looked even more concerned than before. It was odd, he had shown her more emotion in the past two days than he had their entire time working together. Part of her wondered if it was because she spent more time with him privately, or if it was because he felt safe around her. "Sir?" she asked as she slipped back into professionalism. The diamond had presented them with a great deal of information, so much that she wondered if there was more and they were simply unable to read it.

The Ambassador looked at the crystal pyramid on the table before he began, "We must show Suran the files as well as the other Ambassadors, we are all in danger," he stated. His tone was grave, and emotions seeped through it as though they had always been there. Kate nodded numbly, she could only imagine the pain that would be caused, what ever the project was it was designed to destroy the Vulcans and the Andorians, and perhaps all chances at humanity exploring the universe.

She nodded firmly, "We'll take Starks flitter, it's fast and can make the journey. It has a polarized shell as well as advanced weapons," she stated. She wasn't going to ask why he had decided to anchor her, in reality she couldn't, she didn't need her judgment clouded. She had a job to do, protect Soval, everything else was on hold. These people were dangerous and with their size, she had a sinking feeling this was only the tip of the iceberg. She could only speculate about what was waiting for her beneath the surface. "That is wise, I will contact Shran once we arrive using a secure channel, I won't allow this to drive us further apart," he stated, she could hear the conviction in his voice, it was odd. Months ago she never would have.

Kate nodded as she got up and then fastened the necklace around her neck. "Good, I'll contact Amanda and we can go from there, I don't need the press to swarm," she stated as she walked across the room and headed toward the stairs, she had to change, they were leaving, and the sooner they left the arctic the sooner they could inform the others and begin tracking these people down.

~~vOv~~

The Embassy was bustling as news of the Ambassador in the Arctic spread, it had seemed trivial at first, however several reporters were beginning to question Vulcan's involvement in the Collation and saw this as the Ambassador taking a detour. The comments that were falling from the lips of the press made Amanda's skin crawl and she watched as Suran attempted to beat them back with his usual weapon of choice, his diplomatic and logical stick. Yet, it wasn't enough, tension was growing and Amanda was suddenly not just Suran's guard but one of the people he had asked advice in how to handle humans. Days and nights began colliding together and all she could do was pray that Soval and Kate retrieved what they needed.

Her heels clicked as she walked down the hallway, her eyes glued on her pad when she heard a familiar voice ringing from the direction of the media wing. She paused and looked up to see the face of Andorian Ambassador, his features were distorted as he scowled, "We will not stand for actions not being taken against the Vulcan's blatant disregard for the trade agreements!" he shouted. Amanda whipped around and barged into the media room, not caring how rude she appeared, this was more pressing. "Ambassador Soval is off in the Arctic while several more Andorian Ships have been attacked as well as Tellerite, not to mention that the Klingons have threatened the Collation that if no action is taken they will be forced to react," spat the Andorian with irritation.

The camera panned and she stared at the sight of the Ambassador's gathered, "What the hell?" she spat as she looked to one of the communications experts, they were just as confused as she was. "They're holding a party and they didn't invite us," she growled as she clenched her fists. T'Vok looked up and she wondered what the VSA Liaison was doing, "This is not a social gathering Major, it's a diplomatic forum," she stated, her tone held sincerity. Amanda crossed her arms and replied, "It's an expression, shouldn't you be in the science wing?" she asked. T'Vok straightened her robes before responding, "I was asked to release information on a new modification to a vaccine we have been working on, the media group handles this." It was logical like many of her arguments.

Amanda couldn't take her eyes off the screen, "We move for the removal of Vulcan from the Collation," commanded a Tellerite. Now she panicked, they were being muscled out. "Shit," she cursed, "We need to crash this party before it gets out of hand. T'Vok come with me," she said as she dashed out of the room. Suran was reading reports from Vulcan and she had a feeling he was oblivious to this development. Without warning she slammed into his office, unfortunately she was wrong, he wasn't alone, he was speaking with Archer. "Major?" asked Suran. She was silent as she turned on the screen across from them and pointed to it. "We have bigger issues right now Jon," she barked, not even caring about what ever topic they had been discussing before.

Suran was quiet as the voices of several members were in the air, they were debating. "I concur, they have breached trade agreements and this is an act of hostility, we will not stand for," shouted an irate Coridan Ambassador. The Denobulans and Orions looked to one another, neither of them seemed easy with this decision. The Orion Ambassador left his position at the table and stated, "The evidence yielded in these investigations has lead us to realize that Vulcan is in fact breaching these contracts, we move to dissolve contract." Suran was on his feet and turned to T'Vok, "Cancel my appointments, this is an immediate matter," he stated. In a moment the pair were sweeping out of the room, Amanda hot on his heels. She looked at a security member and whistled, "Phaser," she stated. With in a moment she was tossed one and she secured it on her hip.

The elder Vulcan slipped into the traditional brown robe of an aid and walked through the building swiftly. The press was gathering for a statement and were going to stop them until Suran held up his hand, "I suggest you move, I have an important matter to attend to," he stated. It was as though he had parted the red sea and she watched them split to the sides and allow him through. It was a move she had seen Soval use, and wondered if all Vulcans were like this. Sitting outside the gate was a flitter ready to transport them to the meeting place.

She slipped inside and sat across from T'Vok and Suran. Immediately they left the vicinity, and slipped through traffic, Amanda was listening to the broad cast. Ambassador Kessil rose from her seat and stated, "While the evidence points to misconduct on the part of Vulcan, it doesn't provide motive. Vulcan's are logical, there is not logic in these actions." At least someone was on their side, it was as though Kessil was stalling, and she then realized that she was. Kessil was stalling for them.

Amanda was startled when the flitter stopped, it was then she wondered just how many laws had been broken according to traffic safety. It was a rush as they walked through the hallways, murmurs followed Suran as he walked with an air of pride through the halls. She was shocked by how many other delegates backed away as he swept through, his robes whispering, however, he wasn't as imposing as Soval. She had seen Soval at work, and she wondered if Suran would be able to salvage the situation. Suran walked past a pair of Starfleet guards and just as Amanda was about to follow he said, "Not you Major, contact Major Forrest." She was confused until she realized he needed to inform the Ambassador.

All she could do was nod and watched as T'Vok followed him into the room, her steel gray eyes locked on the room before her, and she wondered how many times she had been standing behind Suran and served as his reinforcements. As the doors closed she quickly began to look for an alcove with a modicum of privacy. Soval needed to know. As she walked through the halls, her eyes flickered about only to notice an empty hallway. She quickly slipped into it and began to call Kate, when she noticed Archer was attempting to reach her.

A groan fell from her lips, of all the times for the Captain to call, she answered rapidly with the intent of telling him off only to see T'Pol and Archer as well as Trip and an unidentified individual. "Captain, I'm busy," she said in a rush. Archer glared at her and replied, "I am well aware of that, but you can't cut us off and not tell us what the hell is going on there," he sounded furious and frustrated, a combination that would not bode well if she didn't tell him what was occurring. She looked at the PADD and replied, "Someone called for a meeting of the Coalition and didn't invite Vulcan. They are attempting to remove them." There was dead silence, it was odd, especially with Archer. She had expected the hot headed captain to speak out, and yet he stared at her in disbelief.

T'Pol drew a breath and replied, "That is not logical, we have not violated the treaty in anyway, and expulsion must be brought on by illicit activities, behavior unfitting of a coalition member or an act of war." Amanda knew that, and yet someone was working against them. She wished she wasn't aware of this fact, she desperately wanted to understand what was happening, there had been signs of discontent but she didn't think anyone would be swayed to this reaction. "Yes, but the Andorians are claiming that they have, and they fear the Klingon Empire's reaction," she replied. It was then the unidentified Vulcan stepped forward, "These autocracies were not committed by Vulcan, it would be illogical to commit and act of war against Andoria when we are prospering with trade routes we have with them," he stated.

Amanda stared, the young Vulcan was rather tall, he had dark hair and his black eyes were filled with both logic and oddly fire, the same fire she had seen in Soval's from time to time in passing. "Who are you?" she asked bluntly, there was no point in dancing around the bush. "Sarek of the House of Surak," he replied. Amanda stared at the Vulcan he didn't state his rank, but she had a feeling he was supposed to be at an Embassy. "Sarek, they aren't all logical, they are being swayed by fear. Vulcan's are one of the most technologically advanced races in the universe, do you really think they won't take that into account?" she asked coldly.

They were a threat, even if Vulcan's weren't known for acts of extreme violence, she was well aware that they were capable if pushed, they did have the strength of three men after all. "Where is the Ambassador?" he asked quickly. That was a question she really wanted to know the answer to, "He is in the Yukon with Major Forrest, they are retrieving something," she explained. Sarek was silent, displeasure rolled through the group, but only Trip and Archer were displaying this. "They aren't back?" asked Archer in confusion. They should have arrived that morning, yet the transport hadn't appeared.

Dark eyes swept over the hallway, she was making sure there wasn't a soul eavesdropping on her conversation. "No, I was going to contact them when you called," she replied shortly, her temper flaring. Just as Archer was about to reply Amanda heard voices, "Quiet," she snapped as she hid the PADD behind her back, she wasn't supposed to have it out, it was only permitted for Aid and Ambassadors to have them, as a security measure. There was a harsh voice, it grated against her ears like sandpaper. "They are voting now, it's only a matter of time, once we force the Vulcan's out we can make our move," said someone. Kate was silent and quickly pulled the PADD toward her as she slipped into a supply closet. "Archer, stay quiet and I might let you hear this," she spat as she turned the microphone sensitivity up and stood silently. There were heavy footsteps, it was odd, they did not sound human completely. "Excellent, have you located the Ambassador?" asked a supple voice, it was familiar and she began to wonder where she had heard it before. The other speaker was quiet before responding, "No, the cabin was empty." Amanda froze, Kate would have alerted them that she was going, yet she didn't receive a message, now she wondered what was going on. She should have, the channel was secure, no one used it anymore.

There was a sigh and she listened to someone say, "Pity, I was hoping they were still there, it would appear they are in the wind." There was a pause and she glanced down to see the others listening raptly, "There is some good news, we managed to intercept a message meant for Cole, it was on a secure network, we couldn't attack the sender, but we assume it was Forrest," the second speaker stated. Amada froze, they knew, they knew what was occurring, which meant Kate was in danger, as was Soval. "Locate the flitter, if they are on their way back there I want it shot down," said a the human. Now there was trouble, and she watched Archer's expression harden.

"That is an issue, we can't track it. It appears to have vanished," stated the second speaker. Amanda was still, they were just outside the door, and one name came to mind, Stark. They had taken one of Stark's flitters, which meant Kate wasn't a sitting duck, however it didn't make her feel better, they were still in the arctic. She listened to the sound of a phaser charging and she froze, "I see, I thought you told me you had good news," he stated and she listened as she heard the other speaker mumble something in another language. "What are you?" asked the second party in confusion. Amanda listened to the smooth human voice reply, "Cleaning up, you're useless to me now."

She was confused until she heard the sound of a phaser being shot.

The sound echoed in her ears and she waited to hear the usual fury of footsteps, there weren't any. Amanda pulled out her phaser and placed the PADD on a box, "Major Cole," hissed Archer. She ignored him as she waited a moment and quickly threw the door open. She had her fire arm out and swept the hallway only to see the form of an individual retreating. "FUCK!" she shouted as she holstered the phaser and took off after them, abandoning the PADD. Her feet hit the floor as she ran, her heart pounded and she searched for any sign that the individual was still in the building.

Someone had just been shot and no one noticed. It was impossible, all of these buildings were equip with security measures to detect phaser fire, and the presence of there power cells. There should have been a swarm of men in the hallway in less than twenty seconds. She skidded across the floor, and stopped before Suran who was about to question her when she dashed away. "Major!" called Suran. Amanda ignored him in favor of pursuing the assailant, she had to. She slipped under the arches of the building and skidded to a stop in the atrium, it was empty. She had seen him run that direction. "Fuck," she hissed, T'Vok was at her side and Amanda breathed, "I lost him."

She heard the steps of Suran and noticed his gaze was locked on her with concern, "I lost them, someone has been-" she didn't have a chance to continue as a scream split the air. Now the alarms blared and she dashed back up the stairs, her PADD, she had left it behind, she had left evidence at the scene. Amanda swung around the corner and found herself staring at the corpse of an unknown species, at least to her. T'Vok watched as the security guards took measures, "Stand back," commanded the chief of security. She snorted as he attempted to usher her away only for her to flash her Starfleet ID. "Major," said the officer in a split second. He was forced to move to the side.

"What happened?" she asked, feigning interest, she knew but had to know what they did. She noticed some forensic specialists had been called in, all of them were human. "Shot with a phaser, killed with a single shot, the assailant hung out in the closet from the looks of it," he stated. Amanda looked toward the closet and expected to see a silver PADD, and yet it was absent. Internally she panicked, that PADD was her link to Kate, and now it was missing. "I see, the alert systems didn't work?" she asked.

The officers shook their heads and she turned back to the ginger who seemed to be in charge, his brown eyes fell on her as he replied, "They were offline for maintenance," he stated. Amanda gaped, that was too convenient, "Maintenance? There was a meeting of dignitaries and you took the security offline!" she shouted, they could have all been killed. The security officer sighed as he crossed his arms, "Look I have orders too, besides we had to station all our security around the main hall, so the exits couldn't be covered, we don't have the manpower for this shit," he barked.

That was why the atrium was empty, if this was so, that meant they had access to many areas that were restricted, the UN replayed in her mind as she looked down at the individual before her. "Sweep the building for explosives and bugs," she commanded. The two stared at her and she grit her teeth, "Do it, and get everyone out." The officer stared at her before responding petulantly, "There is no reason to, it's secure."

Amanda growled, of course they were playing this card. "Bull shit," she snapped, which caused several people to gasp and it was then she realized it was more than the Vulcan's watching. "You lowered security and just admitted to having all the manpower around the delegates, you haven't had anyone on the exits or other part of the building. Anyone could have walked in and you would have never fucking known!" she shouted, her voice elevated as she thought about the blatant disregard for regulations. There was a rippled of discord behind her, when she noticed and odd marking peeking out of his collar. Starfleet didn't allow for tattoos unless they were acquired prior to enlistment or were religious in nature. Something was wrong, very wrong.

The officer raised his hand in an attempt to silence her when she noticed something on the bottom of his wrist, it was a blue pyramid with a green sphere in the middle. "Major Cole, we will tend to this," he said simply in an attempt to defuse her. She stared at him, he should have been more concerned. "Understood," she snapped with reluctance as she pivoted and walked toward Suran who was standing next to the Andorian Ambassador. "She must be yours, Vulcan, Pink Skins don't lie," he hissed. Amanda ignored this and stopped before Suran she didn't look at him and said, "Leave now, this building is not secure, they lowered security." The Andorain Ambassador froze and watched as Suran nodded. In an instant they were walking out of the building and she noticed the Andorian's following suit, she had expected them to stay, yet they seemed to follow the Vulcan example. Perhaps there was some trust there, either that or they had little interest in being blown apart.

The tension in the building was palpable, it made her even more alert as she swept out of the building and rushed them into the flitter. Just as they managed to do so she heard her Communicator chirp. In moments she had it in her hand, "Major Cole are you alright?" asked Archer. She sighed as she slowly looked at the pair, "Yes, do you know where my PADD is?" she asked, she had a feeling they were tracking it or at least had seen who had taken it. "A kid, don't know 'em but it was a kid," replied Trip, his accent warming her and she nodded. "Okay, human or?" she asked.

Suran stared at her before looking to T'Vok, who seemed as interested as him. "No, Vulcan," replied Archer after a pause. "Hang on, what's a Vulcan child doing there? At a crime scene, wouldn't they report this?" she asked. Vulcans had a strong sense of protocol it didn't make sense, they would have immediately contact the authorities upon seeing the body, especially a child. "We don't know, but the kid was Vulcan, if the ears are anything to go by," said Trip. Now that was more bizarre than the maintenance call as a session was being held. For each scrap of evidence collected there were seven new questions. "Thanks, keep me posted," she said before hanging up.

Her head hurt and she groaned, "Kate's gonna kill me."

~~vOv~~

Preparing to leave was quick as Kate had taken command and was working to get them out of the arctic, they were too exposed and Soval acknowledged this. The town had probably realized who he was and would be teeming with eager individuals as well as who ever had been attempting to destroy them. The flitter handled with ease as Kate flew, he wasn't aware she was this skilled and began to wonder just what else he had yet to learn. He had seen her scars and felt her pain, there was a part of him that yearned to know what had caused them and to heal them. He knew it was illogical but seeing her in pain annoyed him, for a reason he didn't know.

The flitter's engines hummed, and he watched as she adjusted the course, "I've got a nasty headwind, I'm compensating," she announced as she hit the thrusters to alter their course. He listened to them fire off in secession, as she redirected them and continued her trek away from the cabin, they had been in flight for an hour, and while Stark's flitter was quick, Kate hadn't pressed it hard. "Oh do be quiet Ambassador, you're talking up a storm," she remarked sarcastically. Soval looked in her direction and realized she was worried about him. After their time in the cabin and observing her at work he had come to the realization that when she was concerned about him she would acquire a certain tone and expression, one that was softer than most.

"I was unaware that my silence affected you," he replied. She snorted as she looked over at Soval, she had insisted on piloting the flitter manually, which made sense thanks to all of the trees. Her hands tightened around the controls, "You usually talk more, especially when something like this has landed on our lap," she replied. Her replied caused him to pause, he hadn't thought he had confided in her that frequently. Immediately he began to think about their conversations, only to note a pattern forming as of late. Anything dealing with these assailants was a topic they spoke about, not only for security purposeless, but because of their affect on them.

The Ambassador watched as she huffed and continued, "I get that it isn't my place, but this thing could kill us and I really don't want to be blamed for the Vulcan Ambassador's death." Soval nodded in agreement, he didn't want to be blamed for hers. "I understand," he replied as he looked at her. Just as he was about to speak Kate hissed, "Fuck, what's going on with the sensors." The shuttle jolted forward and she quickly hit several switches. Soval watched as she rolled out of the way and noticed another ship rising, "What the hell?" she asked in confusion as she looked at the bulky gray craft.

Soval didn't recognize it, he knew nearly all security vessels on sight, and yet this one wasn't one of them. "Hold on," she stated as she began to fly out of range, it was then he realized they were being fired upon. He looked over to the monitor and watched as the hull's polarizing strength began to drop. "Major the polarization is at 87%," he said quickly as he looked over the consul, it wasn't one made with a Vulcan in mind, but with any luck it was as intuitive as all the rest had been with Stark's designs. "Damn," she growled as she quickly inclined upward, "He can't kill us if he can't get a lock," he muttered.

While her logic was sound, the individual pursuing them in the unknown craft was moving just as fast and appeared to be a skilled pilot. She spun the flitter with grace before dropping in an attempt to acquire a lock, the Ambassador appeared unfazed however rather astounded by the skill she was exhibiting. He managed to locate the weapons, before she could even instruct him Soval looked for the engines on the craft, only to realize he couldn't locate them. He shot at the hull in an attempt to damage the craft enough to get it away from them. The shots hit the hull of the gray ship, but didn't affect it. "Weapons against the vessel are ineffective," he reported.

Kate jerked away as several icons on the screen appeared; he noticed warning flickering as they took another shot. "This thing isn't designed for this kind of beating," she said quickly. "They have acquired lock," he stated and felt his heart in his side pound, it wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was more of that they may not be able to make it out of this. Kate banked to the left, causing the ship and it's contents to tip and the crates whined in protest against the cables holding them in place.

She couldn't escape him, Kate quickly cut several thrusters and he stared at her in alarm, "Major what are you doing?" he shouted as he listened to several alarms in the flitter blare, lights flashed and the lighting in the cabin tinted red. "Hold on," she stated as she began forcing the flitter to dive back toward the ground, "Come on," she growled. His stomach flipped as panic spread through him. He knew better than to allow emotions to flow, but he couldn't suppress this one. Even Vulcan's had a sense of survival.

Soval was confused as he watched her push it further toward the ground only to see the gray ship following, his brown eyes widened as he realized what she was attempting, "Major the chances of us surviving this are less than 4%," he cautioned. Kate ignored him as she hissed, "It'll work." His eyes widened as he watched the branches rush by, scraping against the hull and the windows, their green needles sweeping over them and the crack of tree limbs, she was in the forest. The brown tree trunks were a blur and he noticed on a side screen the gray ship was on their tail, following them. Kate adjusted the angle, they were too steep, at that rate they were going to slam into the ground. "Major, pull up," he said quickly, they were going too fast.

"Not yet," she said with determination. "Major!" shouted Soval as the Earth grew closer, they were running out of time, now the odds were even less. He gripped the sides of his seat, "NOT YET!" she shouted over the whine of metal and screaming alarms, the dashboard lighting up with numerous gages as the flitter suggested thrusters, "KATHARINE!" he shouted as he stared at the ground, he could make out the details of a stump covered in moss, and stared.

It was then he heard the thruster sand she pulled on the controls harshly, "NOW ALL THRUSTERS ON MAXIMUM," she shouted over the screaming alarms, the computer acknowledged and he felt them kick in, it was a major push upward and he felt them soaring upward and away. It didn't work, they were still following. "What the hell is this guy?" she asked as she dodged trees, she was attempting to use her superior skills to rid them of the other pilot. He was silent as she rolled the ship and slipped between two trees, instead he occupied himself with reading the sensors, "Kate, he is 150 feet behind us, and with his rate of acceleration he will soon be on top of us," he stated.

Kate grit her teeth and he watched as a pair of boulders approached, at their speed they would be unable to fly over them, which meant going between the gap. However, they were too close together, and his eyes widened, "Kate we won't fit," he cautioned. She sped up and said, "We'll fit." Soval glared at her, he knew the dimensions of the shit and could approximate those of the gap, it would be unlikely. "Kate!" he shouted as the ship turned on the side, "We will not!"

The blonde glared at the gap, her blue eyes were ablaze as she locked her jaw, he watched her tense as she became perpendicular with the earth, "We'll fit, we'll fit, we'll fit!" she reiterated in an attempt to drive her point home. The gray rocks were even closer, "Kate!" he shouted as he watched the ship enter the crevice, he could hear the rocks scraping the paint and she said. "We'll fit," again as she forced the flitter through. The flitter pulled out of the crevice and shot through the air, "See we fit," she stated.

Soval glared at her and said with a hint of irritation, "I do not classify that as fitting, Kate." She continued to stay near a lake and he looked on the sensor array, he didn't detect the ship, "Nothing on sensors," he began only to see something appear, "Kate, 450 feet and heading in our trajectory." She growled as she continued her trek across the lake, watching as many angles as possible. "Same as the last?" she asked. The data had proved to be such, and he wondered who was manufacturing the ships, there had to be someone. "Affirmative," he replied.

She sighed as she attempted to get out of range, "Whey do I get the feeling someone's trying to kill us?" she griped as she altered her course, the water that was displaced by the thrusters flew up and he watched it run over the ships sides. She was traveling faster than recommended, but it couldn't be helped. Another shot was fired, "Another vessel has appeared, the same as the first two," he stated. They were being ambushed, someone had learned where they were. They wouldn't be able to make it, their weapons were ineffective, polarizing was dropping and she was pushing the flitter hard. He knew that an average flitter would have dropped out of the sky by that point. Even a Vulcan one that wasn't retrofitted for an offensive ground team would have done so.

He was surprised by how long the flitter was holding out, and could tell that the gray ships, while bulky had advanced technology as well. "I can't get away," she said in a rush as she attempted to break away from the pair on her flank. She rolled to the left and darted back into the forest. As she did so he noticed a glacier ahead, a wall of ice that looked even more imposing than he thought possible.

Just as she approached another ship throughout of the woods, this one however wasn't like the others.

In moments the gray ships were shot down, falling to earth and exploding upon impact. Kate stared in confusion at the screen, "We are being hailed," said Soval as he flicked the switch on the panel. Suddenly they were staring at the familiar Andorian.

"That's four you owe me Soval!" snapped Shran.

~~vOv~~

Pain, it was burning every never ending and searing his very soul. There is only so much a person can take before they break. A pair of blue eyes opened, and stared unseeing into the blinding light above. The smell of blood and rotting flesh surrounded him, and the days seemed to blur. "Tell us what we want to know," snapped an individual and a deep chuckle left the battered soul's lips. "Go to hell," he returned with a smirk. There was a growl and a harsh hand griped the man's chin with force, as it directed his gaze toward it's owner. His eyes fell on a pair of black eyes, filled with hatred.

"After you Stark, after you," he spat as a harsh bowl landed across Nathanial's abdomen. The Commander closed his eyes and welcomed the pain, there was no point in denying it, all he hoped was that he could withstand it long enough for his plan to work. "You need me," he gasped as he took another blow to the stomach. "Oh?" asked the man before him, his black skin was wrapped around a heavily muscled body and his light red lips were twisted in a malicious grin.

Stark nodded before responding, "You need someone to break the inscription, that someone is me." He had to survive. If he didn't it would fail, they would all be dead and he couldn't imagine it coming to end like that. "Why?" asked the man, "When I can have Dr. Nathan Stark do it?"

Kitty, Stark's head whipped up and he stared in confusion, "What?" he asked. There were only two people who went by that name, one of them protected Stark and the other was a photographer. The man laughed as he stepped to the side, emerald green eyes widened as he watched the man turn the spotlight over his head off and Stark stared in shock. Lying in a gown, her skin nearly translucent was a man covered in wires, his hair was thick and he looked as though someone groomed him. "What the hell is this?" he asked as he stared at the numerous ports which covered the man. Nathan Stark was dead, the man was his ancestor.

The man laughed and replied, "This is your future Commander, and you'll follow in his footsteps." There was a silver headset on his head and he recognized it immediately, "You Tapped him? You fucking used a neuro-net and widget to TAPP him!" he shouted. He felt a pair of hands grab him and Stark panicked, he didn't want that, he would be integrated. Instinctively he squirmed and attempted to push them away. "I'm certain your ancestor can do this, he was the designer of the warp core after all," he jeered. His ancestor, the Nobel laureate and man who practically invented technology as they saw it was plugged into a wall and being used as a human processor.

It violated every right of humanity, and he wondered how it was even possible, of course IQ was genetic but in order to have this individual they would have to raise him in a similar environment. It was then he paused, a clone, they had stolen the DNA and made a clone to become the computer. Global Dynamics discontinued this practice and deemed it unethical, yet they had gotten their hands on the gear. He recognized it all from the storage units that were kept locked up in Oregon, "How?" he asked after a moment, that technology, it was supposed to be destroyed, he remembered blowing it up.

The man was about to reply when the doors swung open and he watched as someone walked in. "Victor," sneered the man as he walked toward them, he was dressed in an impressive dark gray suit with a blue tie, his dark eyes fell on them and his head was shaved, he looked clean pressed much like the generals did. "Victor, I though I had informed you to alert me when the Commander woke?" he asked as he turned his attention to Commander Stark. He looked down his nose at Stark and hummed, "Commander, I see you have met the other Stark," he said with amusement. Nathanial grit his teeth he wasn't about to rise to the bait.

The man looked to Victor and remarked, "Not the talkative type?" Victor walked around Stark and slammed a baton into his back, causing the Commander to shout. "What do you want?" he asked. This made the man grin, "Revenge." It was plain and simple, but Stark didn't like this idea. If he only wanted revenge his ancestor wouldn't be hooked up to a TAPP, he would be free. "Terra belongs to humans, aliens are destroying us, we can never unite with them," he stated darkly.

"Who are you?" asked Stark as he looked at the man before him, and ignored Victor's gaze entirely, he wasn't the brains the man before him was.

"Paxton, John Frederick Paxton," he replied. Now Stark was in trouble, he knew that name all too well and froze, "I know you've been working to undermine us, it wasn't a good move." His limbs were long and he stood before Stark confidently, his eyes were locked on him, and he felt as though he were becoming tangled in this mans' web, he knew. Paxton knew who he was, what he had done and probably knew what he ws intending to do next. He was out gunned, out stripped in resources and in many ways at the disadvantage. Paxton slipped his hands into his pockets as he shrugged lazily, his broad shoulders lifting slight as he did so, his voice was practically sandpaper on his ears, "You know, Commander, it was a valiant effort, for years I had no idea, until one many gave you up in an attempt to keep his life. Too bad I knew he'd run back to you anyway," he remarked with ease as he stared down at him.

He was finished, "You're ancestor was like you, always looking to the stars," he stated as he glanced over in Doctor Starks' direction, "Always attempting to travel to space. You never think about the ramifications though," his tone was dark and he could tell the man before him looked down upon their innovations. Innovations which had introduced the planet to the universe and ultimately an even brighter future, a galactic community they could belong in. "Tell me, how's it feel to betray your own species?" he asked, "You're a disgrace to humans. We don't need that crap, we have done well enough on our own."

Stark grit his teeth as he prepared to be struck only to feel a prick in his arm. "What?" he said in confusion, his tongue felt as though it were made of led and he stared in alarm at Paxton. "Don't worry Commander, we need you without the headgear, but first we need to see how the drug works," Paxton remarked.

Fire, it was in his veins, spreading, burning, searing his insides and Stark couldn't take it, he threw his head back and screamed in agony. The pain was clouding everything and slowly he felt himself slipping, he prayed that he would fall unconscious, there he wouldn't fell it. What ever had been in the needle was doing this, and he didn't want to know who it was intended for. He just wanted it to end.