Many thanks to my beta for editing this. As always, you are awesome.
I know I'm updating this a little sooner than I expected too, but this is a pretty awesome chapter, if I say so myself.
Please, read and enjoy!
Nia jolted as Spock snapped to attention, already configuring the source of the scream. It wasn't from anyone in the pavilion. No, it came from further away, somewhere else in the settlement. And if the flickering light seen through the trees was anything to go by, something was burning.
Another scream rent the air and settlers could be seen running in open spaces.
Nia's mouth went dry as she realized what she was viewing. What people had not attended the event were soon flooding the steel tent and the surrounding areas. The orange and yellow light that was alluring at first glance became the source of Nia's fear. She knew, knew homes were on fire.
The grip on her wrist tightened before she was suddenly released. "Stay here," Spock ordered, his tone the same as he would have used for any under his command.
Nia barely had time to nod before he was moving away quickly and heading for Kirk. The two men met up and then took off in the direction of the flames, the captain speaking urgently on his communicator. The Paladian scientist stood still for a few moments, uncertain how to handle this change of events. No training she'd ever taken had covered something like this. If she were Starfleet maybe, but she was just a civilian consultant. Not an officer.
Hearing her name being called, Nia turned to find Wena shouting at her as a panicked Layla tried to claw her way out of the doctor's arms.
"Nethi!" The pregnant woman cried. "Where is my Nethi?"
Nia approached warily and Wena snapped, "I need you to hold her. I can help, but you have to take her."
As gentle as she was firm, Nia wrapped her arms around Layla. Grasping the other woman's wrists, Nia tried to emotionally stabilize Layla while simultaneously setting her down on a bench. It worked better than expected and just before sitting, Layla slumped in Nia's arms, weeping.
The show of Paladian influences made Wena pause. She shook her head. "One day, you are going to teach me how you did that."
Nia smiled weakly. "Pretty sure you have to be a full-blooded Paladian first."
The brief mirth faded away. "I have to go. I'll try to find Nethi if I can."
As the younger woman turned away, Nia reached out to grab her sleeve. "Be careful." She warned. "We don't know what caused this."
Wena smile faintly to reassure her friend. "Don't worry. It was probably just an accident."
Nia nodded and let her go. The scientist fought back the anxiety that plucked at her and returned her attentions to Layla.
In order to calm the woman, Nia needed to be calm. Acting calm wouldn't suffice. Not when influencing someone else's emotions. Otherwise, both women would be in hysterics and further hindering those around them. To combat her own fear, Nia focused on the earlier dance and allowed the solid comfort she'd felt then take over. She pulled those delicate emotions forward and used them to distract herself.
Several minutes passed until Nia realized that most of the occupants in the steel tent were women and children. Mothers and aunts that were taking care of sons, daughters, nieces and nephews while the others were out combating the flames and any injuries that were sure to develop. If any crops were damaged, Nia would have a purpose a few days from then, but at the moment she was feeling quite helpless.
And she wasn't the only one. The fright in the air was practically tangible for a Paladian.
The women were mostly quiet, but some of the children were whimpering despite the comforting touch of their mothers.
In the distance, something exploded. The resulting sound and the bright flare of fire caused the women to begin murmuring amongst each other.
"That came from the Northeast Quarter," one woman muttered. "My home is there."
"Most homes are in the east," another woman replied, voice breaking.
Nia spoke up. "We cannot count our losses yet." She blinked back her tears and fought to hang on to that earlier dance, when she was at peace. That blast had been large enough to severly injure someone. Maybe even…
"My home is there too." Layla whispered. "Nethi left to get my tea and had not yet returned when the burning was first seen." She curled one first under her chin until she looked like a child, her head propped on Nia's lap and Nia's hand firmly wrapped around her bare upper arm. "I can usually feel him. Sometimes… Sometimes I can't. I wish this were not one of those times."
Knowing nothing she could say would fix this, Nia just gently ran her free hand over Layla's hair and cheek, trying to give her as much comfort as she could.
After what felt like hours, Nia could no longer see the flames through the trees. The flickering light had disappeared.
Just as Nia's shoulders began to slump with exhaustion, a second explosion rocked the night. Terror swamped her and as she jolted in surprise the previously dozing Layla sat upright.
One of the other women mewled quietly. "Do you think that killed someone?"
No one answered her. None of the women could voice what they were thinking.
Day was starting to break when Spock returned with Mig at his side. As expected, the Vulcan male had no expression, but Mig's face was grim.
Layla sat up anxiously. "Nethi? Where is my Nethi?" She asked the medic.
Mig didn't answer. Instead he looked to Spock for guidance.
Dread hit Nia hard as she watched the pair. With a glance at Layla, Nia braced herself for the news she knew was coming and for Layla's reaction to it. Spock began to speak and Nia's shoulders tensed, prepared for –
"Multiple individuals have been gravely injured and several did not survive the flames and consequent explosions. Both Nethi and Dr. Verde are counted amongst that number."
-And everything fell apart.
Wena? Her Wena?
Nia was expecting Nethi. Mig's hesitance had given that away. The Paladian scientist had braced herself for that, but Wena's name had hit her as an unexpected blow.
More might have been said, but neither woman heard it over Layla's gut-wrenching wails. The pregnant woman clung hard to Nia, harder than she had previously and the scientist was near deafened.
As the pregnant woman grew more and more hysterical, Nia found herself unable to calm Layla again. Mig was forced to sedate Layla and then lifted the pregnant woman from the bench.
As Layla was taken away, Nia pressed her fists to her forehead, tried to gain some control. A stronger, cooler presence replaced Layla's on the bench next to her. No hand was laid on her shoulder, no words of comfort offered. He just sat a little too close and when her vision began to spin he pressed between her shoulder blades until her head was between her knees and the clanging in her ears stopped.
Spock was uncertain what comfort to offer. There was only one who could truly be of help in this situation, and it was to Nia's great misfortune that that was one of the people no longer able to help.
Amongst Vulcans, one does not embrace nor seek any sort of physical comfort when there has been a personal tragedy. Most often, the grandest words of comfort given are, "I grieve with thee". For Vulcans, it is enough.
For Nia, that would not be. For Nia, Spock knew he was incapable of giving what she would seek. A corner of his mouth twitched, but he didn't frown. Lifting up his communicator, he quietly contacted the Enterprise and requested Uhura. She beamed down almost immediately.
Nia barely heard him, but she definitely understood Uhura's name. When the familiar female presence appeared on Nia's other side, the Paladian woman didn't know what to expect. At that point she was feeling so out of control that she couldn't be sure what would happen if anyone tried to speak with her.
Spock tried to get up to give Uhura room to sit, but Nia snatched his sleeve before he could move much. Her eyes were staring at the floor unfocused and her breathing was erratic. She was clearly not in control of herself, and had grabbed him in search of support.
The commander looked to Uhura and motioned for her to take his place.
The communications officer shook her head and knelt on the opposite side of Nia from Spock. She rubbed her hand along Nia's shoulder.
"You are certain she's gone?" Nia asked, haltingly.
Uhura shook her head. "All the evidence is pointing that way so far. We aren't sure, but there isn't much hope."
"Right." Nia nodded. "That means her body hasn't been found yet."
"No, it hasn't."
Nia squeezed Uhura's hand hard. "She might not be found, you know? If the fire was too hot, if-" Her voice choked off as a sob welled in her throat.
Spock spoke up. "The temperature of the fire was not so significantly high. Something identifiable will be found."
Nia just trembled.
With a soft look, Uhura gripped Nia's elbow. "Sweetheart, why don't we return to the Enterprise? We'll go to my room. Michaels will be there." She began to gently lift up on Nia's arm as she stood up, coaxing Nia to follow her.
Spock followed Uhura's lead, also standing up slowly. The shaken scientist also slowly stood Uhura's grip on her elbow and her own grip of Spock's sleeve not allowing her to do any other option.
In short time, Scotty beamed the trio up to the Enterprise. The engineer didn't say anything upon seeing the very grey face of the Paladian scientist being guided off of the pad. He'd already beamed down several medical staff and other individuals that could help. Michaels met the trio in the hall and attempted to take the first officer's place.
Nia wouldn't let him go. She held on to his blue sleeve until she was settled down in Uhura's room. Michaels stayed with her as Uhura and Spock left.
As the pair headed back for the bridge, the disaster down below hanging over them, Uhura spoke quietly. "She'll pull through. Wena and Nia were very close, so this will be rough on her, but she'll pull through."
"You are certain?" Spock asked.
She glanced at him and sighed. "Yeah, she's already handling this better than most would."
He didn't respond, finding himself unable to agree with Uhura's statement.
Uhura looked at him and shrewdly guessed what he was thinking. She didn't get a chance to call him on it as the pair stepped onto the bridge and duty called.
STSTST
Inspecting the still smoking rubble, Kirk shook his head. He was just waiting for the information that would confirm the churning in his gut.
He rubbed his face and scrubbed at the top of his head. This was a royal mess. Jacek was severely injured, Grego less so along with Mig, Nethi confirmed dead, and Wena… missing. Spock was leading things from the ship, as was protocol. Not that Kirk wanted him to be following it, but it was what was needed at this point in time. Especially since the captain heard that Nia was taken to the ship.
Kirk wouldn't want to go too far either.
McCoy and Mig were working hard with the other medical staff on helping those that had been injured. Mig had been burned, but once he'd put a field dressing on it, the man had insisted on continuing to help others.
Good guy. Just like several others that had well proven their worth tonight, braving the heat in spite of the risk to themselves. The Paladians didn't have an official fire squad. In reality they didn't really need one. Due to the moist environment, wildfires were near unheard of on Palad and on NiPila. Plus, with the advancements of the society there were safety measures in place to prevent accidental fires.
Groups of Paladians were trained to take care of fires and many were present the previous night, but still. It's not anything like what one would find on Earth. It was probably why so many got hurt, and why the blaze got out of control so quickly.
It was partially because of the safety procedures against accidental fires that Kirk's gut was churning. It still happened if Nia's dancing story was anything to go by, but large scale fires were very rare in a Paladian environment.
So rare that he was just waiting for his crew to find the evidence. Arson was the only explanation to this scenario. It was the only thing that made sense, especially with several significant figures getting injured in the mess.
Pike was right.
The admiral had contacted Kirk earlier to warn the younger man that there might be an informant or mole on his ship, likely amongst the settlers. With this fire, that was almost certain.
After all, they had already been able to determine that Nethi's home had been the source of the fire. It was where the first explosion had taken place also and it was the place with the most damage.
Guilt tugged at him, making him worry that he'd made the wrong decision, the wrong call. Maybe he should have pulled Spock aside sooner.
But no, he couldn't. If Kirk had done that, he might have set off the arsonist sooner. If any of the settlers had suspected something amiss, the spy could have panicked. A lot more people could have gotten hurt.
The man sighed. What happened? This was supposed to be a simple rescue mission. Now he was being forced to deal with a dirty politician who may have allies in Starfleet that are bent on harming Palad for some sort of profit that neither he nor his first officer could figure out. This mysterious mineral rolium was still unexplained. And this dirty politician was not above killing problem scientists, attempting to kill innocent civilians and those suspected of being involved with said scientist, or going after those that might be able to testify to the politician's guilt.
Yeah, a simple rescue mission alright.
Narsow was smart enough to cover his tracks, set up his fellow Paladian Council member by casting her son as a scapegoat, and to plant someone in amongst the settlers for later use. At least, Kirk fervently hoped and prayed the mole was Paladian and not a member of his crew. Otherwise, he was going to have a whole new can of worms to deal with. Not to mention that Narsow left a very bitter and familiar taste in Kirk's mouth. The captain was starting to wonder if there would ever be an end to tyrannical egomaniacs who thought they had a right to control worlds and decide who lived and died. Narsow, was one example, Nero another. More littered the past.
A red uniform approached his right side. "Captain, it was as you thought. We've found traces of accelerant and the warning alarms and prevention systems were disabled. The systems may have been hacked, but the alarms were smashed."
"And not in the explosion." Kirk concluded.
"Right, sir. Though whoever did it certainly tried to make it look like it was the explosion that did it. Whoever did this, sir, had an idea of what they were doing." The officer paused. "There's something else, sir."
Kirk frowned. "What is it, Lieutenant?"
"Dr. McCoy wants to see you, sir. He says all the patients have been stabilized and that he started checking over the bodies. He says he has something he needs to speak with you about, sir."
"Alright. Any signs of Dr. Verde?" Kirk asked.
The man hesitated. "There are remains found that Dr. McCoy is still working on identifying."
"Just McCoy?"
"Yes, Captain. He refuses to allow anyone else to work with the – uh – remains, sir."
Kirk sighed. "Of course. Thank you, Lieutenant. Keep me informed if you find anything else."
"Yes, sir." The lieutenant slipped away.
The blond man gave the rubble one last look over, and then turned on his heel towards the colony's hospital, where Bones was working. Maybe the man would have some answers by the time the captain got there.
Kirk could only hope.
STSTST
"Well Jim, at this point we've got six dead, two missing, four severely injured and under strict observation, and fourteen less injured." He gestured at the tablet in his hands as if to use it to back up his statement.
Kirk asked "What else have you got to tell me? What about the bodies? Any positive identifications?"
"Yeah, three. I'm still checking the others, so I can't tell you if Dr. Verde is one of them. So far, I've only ruled her missing." McCoy told him. When Kirk didn't respond, the doctor continued "The body we found in Nethi's house was the first I looked at. It's definitely him, Jim."
"I'll make sure Layla is appropriately informed." Kirk told him.
"Gently." McCoy stressed. "Even this far along if she freaks there could be complications with the pregnancy."
Kirk nodded. "I get that, Bones. She'll be taken care of. Is that all?"
McCoy's face darkened. "No, Jim. It isn't. You know if that was an arson fire yet?"
Surprised by the change of subject Kirk just responded "Yes, accelerant was found."
The doctor nodded. "Then that matches up with my findings. While Nethi was significantly burned, it's mainly the soft tissue that was affected. I can still determine the state of his bones. His wrist is broken, which can be explained away by failed a failed escape attempt, but that doesn't explain the fracturing of his jaw, nor his ribs. I'm sure he'd have bruising too, if it wasn't for the fire."
Thinking, Kirk was quiet for a moment. "He was in a fight." It was the only answer he could think of.
"Looks that way." McCoy shrugged. "Jim, what is going on?"
"I don't know." Kirk answered. "But I think I have an idea."
"Oh yeah? Care to enlighten me?" McCoy near growled.
"Pike contacted me. Warned me we might have a spy for Narsow hanging around. Nethi was one of the only ones who could testify against the Chancellor, though only in support of Wena's testimony and not in direct identification of Narsow. Even Jacek and Grego are bigger threats."
"Alright." McCoy was following him so far. "If there was a mole that knew about Nethi and the others, then he probably would want to eliminate the threat of their testimony."
"So this, informant if you will, goes to speak with Nethi, maybe threaten his wife and unborn child if the cook talks." Kirk said, thinking out loud.
McCoy nodded. "Maybe Nethi doesn't agree, or maybe he panics and attacks the guy. Clearly, he loses and likely got tossed around a bit."
"Narsow's man decides to send a message to the others or gets mad enough to just take care of Nethi then and there and sets the fire."
"And makes sure the man can't escape by either knocking him out or locking the door." McCoy finished for Kirk. He crossed his arms then added "And you're going to be looking for a Paladian that did this. No human would have the strength to fight a Paladian like that. Sulu may have tossed Nia around a good bit, but there's a big difference between bruises and broken bones. And Nethi wasn't a weak Paladian."
"And we are certain only a Paladian could do this?" Kirk asked. Many species were stronger than humans. One in particular was equal in strength to Paladians.
McCoy frowned. He knew where Kirk was going with this. "Well, no, but our favorite half-Vulcan is covered. He's got a solid alibi in the form of a Paladian girlfriend. And dozens of others who can place him at the party, if she's not up to defending him." He paused. "How is she doing anyways? Anyone tell her about Wena yet?"
"Spock did. He and Uhura took her up to the Enterprise. As far as I know, she's taking it as expected. No hysterics, just really quiet. Supposedly had a death grip on Spock." He shrugged. Kirk really didn't know what else to say. How well would anyone be doing at time like this?
McCoy snorted. "I'm sure he loved that." He shook his head. "Jim, I'm really hoping I don't find her body on one of those tables."
"Me too, Bones. Me too." Jim gripped the man's shoulder in sympathy.
STSTST
Why the Chancellor ever thought employing humans was a good idea, he'd never understand. Maybe if the team had even been halfway competent, he could give them some leeway, but as it was the fools failed in taking down the colony ship and them got caught trying to hijack a starship.
Complete and utter idiots. They panicked when they should have paused and thought things through. Informed their superiors of their failure and then waited for following orders. Things would have gone much smoother.
Of course, everything would have worked out if the good doctor had done what she was supposed to in the first place.
It had been shortly after the good scientist's death that it had been discovered that the man had made a copy of his work. Good fortune would show that only one person was a good candidate to have been given the data. A Doctor Wena Verde.
Narsow had the woman bought in to speak with her himself. Had threatened her and brought in Jacek and Grego too. It was well known that the trio were close and practically Wena's only family on Palad.
The informant, spy, and mole shook his head as he walked briskly down the hall of the starship Enterprise. Narsow had the power needed to execute this plan, but he was very arrogant. He didn't think his threat would be ignored and didn't bother to put any sort of guard detail.
And technically, his threat wasn't ignored. Just, instead of the data being brought to Narsow, Wena and the engineers made off with it. They thought they were safe in space. That Narsow couldn't find them there. It had been a desperate plan for desperate people with no clue what they were doing.
It had almost worked too. If it hadn't been for him joining the new group of settlers, the trio would have been completely lost. As it were, he was able to contact Narsow from the ship. He expected the Chancellor to have a reasonable plan of action, such as plan an accident en route or even after landing on NiPila.
But of course, the good Chancellor had to send his merry band of idiots. Idiots who let themselves get shot by the colony ship's meager weaponry and who left the crippled ship behind to pull and emergency landing on the closest planet. Idiots who should have ended their mission by littering the desert planet's orbit with bit of a destroyed colony ship.
The informant sighed. He punched in an access code he'd carefully watched for.
Now it was up to him to bail them out. Killing them all was too difficult a task for even him to manage. The engineers would have to be dealt with later, despite his best intentions. At least the fire was enough to get him back on board. Maybe this time the idiots could follow through, even after the informant had been forced to take care of Verde for them.
As he stepped through the open doorway the crewman stationed there startled upon seeing him. "Um, sir, you're not authorized to be here."
The mole punched the man, knocking him cold with a single blow. "Actually, I am authorized to be here. Just not by Starfleet."
He looked around, surprised. He'd expected the brig to have more security. Maybe his little fire trick had worked better than he thought.
Using the data chip he had stuck in his sleeve, the man quickly got to work. Within a few short moments, he'd convinced the computer to open the holding cells.
Nikolai stepped out and spotted him. "Where have you been?"
The man sneered at him. "Cleaning up your mess. You'll thank me for taking care of your ex-fiancé. And the meddling cook."
Nikolai calmed considerably. "Dead?"
"As doornails, to use a familiar expression."
The human rolled his eyes. "What about the others?"
"Grego and Jacek will be taken care of. There are those loyal to the Chancellor here before me. With any luck, we can also eliminate one more threat on our way out of here."
Nikolai grunted. "You are well informed. I can see why the Chancellor likes you. What about the information? You think she told the others? You think Starfleet knows about this?"
"Starfleet shouldn't be a problem, not when a powerful few are expecting to cut a pretty penny off this job. Besides, there's only one person she would tell." He gave him a significant look.
"Ah, right." Nikolai said. "That the other threat?"
"It is."
"Should be fun." Reflexively, he rubbed his jaw.
A/N: Um... yeah. That happened. Any thoughts?
Thank you ilovemedia18 for your review! I glad you found that chapter interesting. Thank you to everyone who has added this story to their favorites and/or alerts. I'm not sure if you guys realize how much I appreciate any sort of feedback.
-Spirit