The Children of Vaal (Revised)

Chapter 25

Norz stood on the transporter platform, still in his usual Deltan guise. He turned to Shavara, who was standing next to him to his left. She was finding it hard not to scratch the area where Dr. Crusher had inserted the subcutaneous transponder. The good doctor told her that the itching would diminish after a while.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Norz asked.

She nodded in the affirmative a bit anxiously.

"I was just about to ask you the same question."

Norz smiled in amusement.

"Yes, I know."

"You don't have to come with me, you know. This is mainly my mission. I am a Vaalian and these are my kin. Shalana must be brought to justice for killing her shipmates. My father made them honorary Vaalians."

"You forget that I was once a part of Captain Pressman's crew. That makes me an honorary Vaalian as well. It is appropriate for me to accompany you. Because of my shape shifting telepathic abilities, you stand a better chance of success."

"My parents' lives are in danger and my sister did threaten to kill you if she saw you again."

"I know that too. She will have to recognize me first. I must tell you some disturbing news. The captain is coming to see us off and I read in his thoughts that your young nephew Makuta has been injured by his maternal grandfather."

"Is he all right?" Shavara asked, horrified, but trying her best to keep her composure. Injuring a child was unheard of in her culture.

"No, but he will be."

"What happened to him?"

"Your father in law shot his image with a phaser rifle when he tried to project himself with Calandan technology into the area where your parents are being held prisoner. He is still alive, but in deep shock. The Captain was contacted by the Calandans-"

As if on cue, the transporter room door parted and Captain Picard entered the room.

"Akuta must be mad! Injuring a young one would be considered a serious crime. It should not go unpunished."

As the captain looked their way, Norz stood at attention and Shavara bowed with respect. O'brien, who was at the transporter controls, also stood at attention.

"At ease, gentlemen. I see you picked my brain, Mr. Norz. No matter. It is time to transform into Vaalian form. Set your phaser on stun and don't kill anyone with your special ability. Do not reveal your true identity unless it is absolutely necessary, and...stay alive."

"I will do my best, sir. We who are called salt vampires are not dangerous when fed. I have had my necessary daily allotment of sodium chloride this morning."

"Good. Be careful. Mr. LaForge was able to dismantle the auto destruct on the Rainy."

"Captain, I'm a little concerned about something."

"Yes, Miss Shavara?"

"What if Vaal still has the ability to extract the power systems from the Enterprise-D like it did with Kirk's ship and the Romulan one?"

"If it had that ability with this ship, it would have done so by now."

"Aye, it would have." Norz responded thoughtfully, transforming himself into Vaalian form. Shavara could not help but to stare in fascination as he transformed into her sister. Picard shook his head with a mixture of amazement and astonishment.

"Bon chance, both of you. Energize, Mr. O'brien."

Young Makuta had hoped that his paternal great father would not discover that it was really he, who, under the direction of the Calandans, accidentally committed patricide. Akuta regarded his great son lovingly at first, lowering his weapon slightly, but then he heard the voice of Vaal in his head again, which told him that his great son's image was nothing more than a Federation trick and that Makuta was responsible for his father's death. Akuta's eyes narrowed and hatred overtook him. He raised the phaser rifle and shot the image. Appalled, Makora and Sayana heard a terrified and painful scream and Makuta's image dropped to the floor and seemed to disintegrate. Makora stared in horror at the black spot where Makuta had been a moment before.

"You killed your own flesh!"

"That was not Makuta. It was a holographic Federation trick." Akuta turned to them. "Vaal told me you conspired against your fellow Vaalians by collaborating with the human invaders. For that reason, you are next."

"We heard the poor child scream in fear and pain!" Sayana said with dismay. "He fell to the ground! Would an image do that?"

"The child was speaking the truth, Akuta. Akunna's death was nothing more than an accident. You know that Vaalian does not harm or kill Vaalian! You are sick in the head!"

"It didn't look like a trick to me!" Sayana retorted angrily. "You could be put to death if he dies!"

"If it were really Makuta projecting himself somehow, then he deserved what he got. He killed his own father."

"We are not Klingons! You know very well he is only twelve annos old and is well before the age of accountability!"

Akuta glared at her with disdain and raised and pointed the phaser rifle at her. She looked away in fear and heard the sound of phaser fire. Soon, she realized that no beam hit her flesh. She looked back and fainted when she saw who she thought was Shalana, standing over Akuta's motionless form.

"Shalana?" Makora asked hopefully, glancing over with concern at his spouse, who was still being held in the force field as he was.

"No, sir. I am Norz. I have come to free you. Shavara is in the process of recapturing Shalana, with the help of one other of your very brave grandchildren."

"Is Akuta dead?" Makora asked, looking down at the former leader of the feeders of Vaal.

"No, merely stunned." Norz went over to Sayana and released the force field that was holding them. She fell like a rag doll into his arms. He managed to tap his communicator. "Enterprise, this is Norz. Mission partially accomplished. Have security personnel and medics standing by in the transporter room."

"Acknowledged." O'brien's voice responded.

"Four to beam up, Mr. O'brien."

"Energizing."

Makuta regained consciousness and found himself on a very plush and comfortable cot. A Calandan medic was scanning him with a medical tricorder. He tried to sit up but was hit with a wave of dizziness. He felt weak, frightened, and a little disoriented. He found that he ached all over. He laid back down again and closed his eyes, tears escaping down his cheeks. When he opened them again, he saw his two sisters at his bedside.

"Brother..." Seletha spoke first. "Are you all right?" She, too, had tears in her eyes, having just witnessed her grandfather try to kill him on a viewing screen.

"No...I am not." He admitted honestly. "He knows."

"He knows what?"

"Great father knows I killed Father."

"How could he know that? Besides, it was not your fault."

"It was! I killed him!" Tears formed in his eyes again.

"It was an accident."

"He needs rest, Seletha." The Calandan medic interrupted softly. She nodded.

"I must take Makuta's place." She looked down at her brother, who had a horrified look on his face.

"You could be killed, sister! Mother still hates the Federations. You should not risk your life because of her."

"Great father Makora wants peace, as do many of us. Seventy-five annos is too long for a war to continue. Mother must be stopped so the war can end. It is like that storm on that gas giant in the Sol star system, the one the humans call Jupiter. This war cannot be as endless as that storm."

"I just do not wish to lose any more of my kin." Makuta said plaintively, another tear escaping down his cheek.

"I understand, brother, but we must bring back peace to our world. It is a necessary thing to help recapture Mother."

"I am powerless to stop you, but I beg you to reconsider. Mother is no doubt in a very dangerous mood." He paused for a moment in thought and knew from the look on his sister's face that she was determined to do this. "Very well. If you must go, take your blow gun with you. I am assuming that Picard gave it back to you."

"He did. Do not worry so much, brother. I believe the element of surprise will be in my favor. I will go. Sapana will stay with you as you recover."

"Where are my brothers?"

"They are with the one called Spock and some Calandan engineers, making warning buoys in the form of satellites so other human-run ships will not suffer the same fate as that old man."

Frustration was building as Shalana worked at Vaal's newly discovered controls. She found that for some reason, she could not turn on the auto destruct on the Pegasus shuttle, so she started working on locating the Enterprise-D's destruct mechanism. She was encountering too many lockouts. As she worked, she didn't notice that her sister was standing behind her, brandishing a phaser until she spoke.

"Sister, what are you doing?"

Shalana turned her head to glance at her.

"I see you escaped your human captors. Nice going. Why are you pointing that thing at me?"

"I am trying to stop you from making another mistake. The humans have not harmed me. I repeat. What are you doing?"

"I am attempting to activate Picard's ship's auto-destruct."

"You should know you won't succeed. The Enterprise chief engineer is very resourceful. Stop this foolishness or I will shoot."

"The humans must die, Shavara. They have violated their Prime Directive and nearly destroyed our world."

"Ancient history, sister. Picard is different. He is more thoughtful and smarter than Kirk. These humans have not harmed us since their arrival. In fact, they saved my life."

"You have always been trusting and naive, sister."

"I know but I have changed. What you are doing and what you have done is wrong. I trusted you and you lied to me. These humans are here to make peace with us. Peace is preferable to war. End this. They will not harm us. They are not monsters. You and Akuta have killed two helpless old men and almost the entire crew of the Pegasus, but yet the Federations have not retaliated."

"That doesn't sound like you. They have obviously done something to your mind. You have changed. Put down the phaser and assist me. Avenge Vaal. Be loyal to your people."

"Killing Picard and his crew will not bring back those who have died. Picard is not Kirk."

"They are all Kirk, dear sister." She pointed to a button on the console before her. "This will launch a nuclear missile at that starship. It killed Scott and now it will kill the Enterprise-D crew." She reached for it, but as she did, Shavara heard the unmistakable sound of a blow gun. Shalana whirled in surprise and stared with dismay at her young daughter, then dropped to the floor. Smiling with pride at her niece, Shavara pressed her transponder.