Captain's log, stardate 41509.1. Either by chance or intent, we've been led to the planet Aldea, which appeared out of nowhere, hidden behind a sophisticated shielding device. The Aldeans have transported my first officer, counselor, and chief medical officer to discuss what they claim will be a beneficial exchange.
Soriana couldn't help but notice, under the calm and friendly exterior of the man in front of her, a strong undercurrent of fear and desire. The Aldeans were desperate for something, and this man Radue believed they could get it from the Enterprise by force if necessary.
"Yes, we are an ancient power, Commander," Radue explained, "but we've suffered for it. Our history is littered with the deaths of those Aldeans who wanted more and more things. Nothing was ever enough. So we've evolved a very simple way of living. For whatever is taken, something is given in return."
Yar nodded. "As long as both parties agree, that is certainly an equitable rule."
"It's brought us peace," Radue agreed. "Unfortunately, there are very few of us left to enjoy it. "
"Why?" Soriana asked with trepidation.
"That is part of what we wish to discuss. We need help from the Federation to rebuild our heritage. We need a younger generation, strong and healthy, following in the Aldean traditions."
"And you're no longer able to have children," Soriana supplied.
"That's right. Rashella was the last child born on this planet."
"And your medical community can do nothing?" Doctor Crusher asked.
"Despite our vast medical knowledge," Radue lamented, "they have failed to find any answer."
"So, then, you wish to adopt children from the Federation," Soriana guessed.
Radue nodded. "We propose a trade. One which will solve our problem and give something back to the Federation."
"What exactly," Yar said, "would be the nature of your trade?"
"We need some of your children. In payment, we will give you information that would take you centuries to acquire."
"I'm sure we can come to an equitable arrangement," Soriana agreed. "Surrogacy is a common service made available on many Federation worlds, including Earth. Many who are unable to bear children themselves, have others bear children on their behalf."
Yar added, "It may also be possible to provide you with children orphaned through accident or war, although on most Federation worlds, the number of parents willing to take on these orphans far outstrips the number of available children."
"Depending on the causes of your infertility," Doctor Crusher added, "your women may still be able to receive embryos donated by others and bear them to term. There are many possibilities."
Radue shook his head. "These are not the solutions we had in mind. Our last generation of adults is already aging; we cannot afford the loss of time necessitated in bringing up infants." He looked straight at Yar. "We want to trade for the children on board the Enterprise. They are already developed enough that we can begin passing along Aldean culture to them immediately, and losing them will have no appreciable effect on the Federation population."
Soriana and Yar exchanged a glance at this, and Soriana could feel the same panic from Yar and Crusher that she herself was feeling. Without a word being exchanged, she knew that Yar was thinking the same things she was: the Aldeans could teleport people through their shields, and saw no harm in asking parents to part with members of their own families. Could the Aldeans feel justified in taking the children if they said no to the trade? Soriana's assessment said yes.
It was Crusher who first responded. "I don't think you've considered the full impact of what you propose," she carefully explained. "Parents and children form strong emotional bonds, and separating them will cause considerable - often irreparable - damage to both the parent and the child."
"We did see this mentioned in your records," Radue replied, "but surely the harm is overstated? If the children are quickly placed with new parents that are even better suited to their personalities and talents, the children will thrive in these new environments." He beamed, seemingly oblivious to the horror his suggestion evoked in the Federation officers. "The children would be cherished, and would receive only the best. Don't parents want the best for their children? Surely if they saw how well their children were being treated, they would not object?"
Soriana met Yar's eyes, and saw the woman's agreement. She moved closer to Radue's workstation. "Could you bring up some examples of this data that you wish to provide us in exchange?" she asked, tentatively reaching out to touch the screen; it reacted favorably to her touch.
"Of course," Radue agreed. "Let me show you-"
Tasha's precise blow to the side of the neck rendered the man unconscious. Soriana immediately moved to the console and began bringing up pertinent data, while Beverly's medical tricorder swept the adjoining rooms.
"Nobody's approaching, yet," she explained, "but there are two life signs in a room closer to the center of the complex that has the sort of energy signatures I'd associate with a control room."
"The plans are here," Soriana confirmed. "They've already scanned the Enterprise and collected data on all the children on board. They're on standby to transport them here."
Yar snarled. "So the Aldeans are legitimately willing to kidnap children from their families, rather than avail themselves of a variety of options to raise their own."
"From the chatter I'm reading here," Soriana offered, "they've developed a xenophobic attitude where all non-Aldeans are the same as the space pirates they defended against centuries ago. We're outsiders, and therefore savage and inferior. They're saving these kids from the same fate."
Yar nodded. "Well, we don't have weapons, but I suspect we won't need them. Here's the plan."
*****
Radue woke up under excruciating pain, but without the breath to scream. He saw that he was in the custodian room, the panel mere inches from his face. The blonde woman, Yar, had his hands behind his back and his fingers twisted in an unexpected manner. "What is-"
He felt the fist in his gut, blowing out the little air he had yet. It came from the non-human woman, Turhal. It was she that spoke. "Your system is locked to voice authorization only," Soriana explained. "You're going to tell the system to initialize the teleportation sequences entered into the panel. That's it."
Radue frowned, inhaling sharply. "You can't expect me to-"
The crack echoed in the room as the blonde woman jerked hard on one of his fingers. He was hit in the gut at the same time, so the unbearable pain still didn't cause him to emit a scream. He felt himself lose control of his bladder.
Despite the pain, Radue managed to think that his best option was probably to accede to their demands. They were clearly attempting to escape, and even if they thought they could flee once they were back aboard their ship, the incredible range of the Aldeans' technology would make that unlikely. If his people got what they needed, even this terrible violation was worth it.
"Custodian," he coughed, "initialize the… entered sequences."
The quiet sounds of teleportation as the women vanished was instantly dwarfed by the rumbling from below, before everything went dark.
*****
"Mister Yar, what in the devil is going on?" Captain Picard asked as the involuntary away team materialized on his bridge.
"The Aldeans were hostiles, sir," Yar explained. "They intended to teleport all of the Enterprise children to the surface, and then send us away."
"Sir, I'm reading a massive shockwave on the surface, directly under what appears to be the Aldean habitat," Worf explained.
"Engineering to bridge."
"Go ahead," Picard answered.
"The system reports a substantial loss of antimatter; thirteen percent of our reserves. We have no explanation for the loss, sir, but there's no damage to the engines."
"That was our solution," Soriana volunteered.
"Explain," Picard said to Yar.
The first officer nodded. "We had no way to shut down their shields or temporarily disable them. So we beamed in sufficient antimatter to destroy their advanced systems."
"How long will it take them to rebuild?"
"I don't think they'll be able to," Soriana admitted. "Their current generation lacks the knowledge of the systems that permitted them advanced shielding and teleportation."
"Meaning that we've essentially crippled their defenses," Picard pointed out
"With all due respect, sir," Beverly Crusher spoke up, "speaking as a mother… it's no less than they deserve."