It felt like he had been out all night with his roommates from the Academy and that Gary had instigated all the way. He recalled the all-nighter and all of the drinking and girls they had encountered along the way. Thinking that he had classes within the hour, Kirk groaned and rolled over. He would have bolted up had not the sickening feeling in his stomach lurched forward. He felt like throwing up.

Contemplating calling out sick, he continued to scheme how he will tell his instructors the reason why he could not make it. His mind went over several excuses before the truth slammed itself in his face. He no longer was a cadet in San Francisco, bucking against structure and rules. He was a real admiral who had been kidnapped by an alien race and was going to witness the destruction of all he held dear.

The admiral stood up suddenly. Overcome by a wave of dizziness, he leaned against a metal wall on one side, shaking and adjusting his blurry vision and the rolling bile in his throat. He didn't know exactly where he was, but if he had to take a guess, he was on someone's ship and in the brig. The room was cold and his entranceway guarded by a sentry outside. Kirk could not see well enough to tell who was there. If he had to logically conclude, it was an armed Thyrian and one unsympathetic to his state.

Indeed, the man outside hardly paid any attention. His head turned slightly in Kirk's general direction. He took out a communicator and spoke in another language, but it was not Standard. From what Kirk could understand by the body gestures, it was to tell someone that he was awake. It was a disconcerting thought.

He rubbed his aching head and gulped down the lump in his throat, pushing himself to be more aware of his surroundings. After a few minutes, his vision cleared, but not the headache and nausea. Cursing himself for being so stupid and trying to bide his time, he checked for any holes in his prison. There were three solid walls and one doorway with a clear yellow force field and nothing more. Kirk did not even have the benefit of food or answers. He would have to wait.

It didn't take too long for a visitor. Ghanstan arrived an hour later, dismissing the guard. He stood on the other side, grinning at Kirk like predator to prey. He said nothing for the moment, placing his hands behind his back. The admiral was not fazed by the motion and kept his weaknesses to himself. He slowly walked towards the force field to face the Thyrian.

"What you have done is an act of war," Kirk declared. "The Federation will hear of this soon."

"If they can regain power," Ghanstan pointed out. "I believe their backup systems and allies will remain…disoriented…for a very long time. They soon will be surrounded. All colonies within this galaxy and the next are a little busy at the moment."

"Why?" the admiral demanded loudly. "What is the meaning of all of this?"

Ghanstan tsked. "Admiral, Admiral, Admiral…when will you learn? At this time, you are no position to negotiate or demand anything. Your beloved Earth and all that you know will be destroyed and you with it. There is nothing you can do to stop us now. You'll just be our greatest prize."

The Honored member ordered the guard to return and left. Kirk was motioned to keep away from the doorway with a weapon that was more threatening than he remembered. He obeyed, raising his hands in surrender and backing away gradually. He eventually hit a wall, slipping into a sitting position in order to gather his thoughts and to recover from the ordeal. He had to do something quickly. If Ghanstan had disabled all points of defense from this end of the galaxy to the next and already had defenses in place to keep others from coming, then there was no way to stop the Thyrians from achieving their goal. Lori had left behind information about a possible galactic war, but not how to stop it. This was only the beginning.

And one we should have seen coming years ago. Why wasn't Synprilox investigated?

Kirk didn't know the Thyrians would start their assault so soon. He also wondered why Lori did not bring this up to someone when she received the information. If Lori had come across something so important as this, she would have brought it to the immediate attention of the proper authorities. Action would have been taken and the Thyrian threat would be vanquished.

He went over it in his mind, piece by piece. Lori could have thought the threat years in the making and decided that there was enough time to counter this act of terrorism. She also would have confined in someone who specialized in securing their sectors. Alyssa most certainly was in contact with her, but she had no power to meet the challenge of defense on her own. Someone else also knew about the information. When it came down to Synprilox and Thyria, there was always selected people who were privy…and one wasn't dead or dying.

One person came to mind. The admiral thought back to his conversations with Admiral Cartwright. Sure, he was interested in Alyssa, Synprilox and the disaster the year before. But he had played too many hands and seemed all over the place. However, this keen interest meant something else. If Kirk thought about it, Cartwright showed in his own way that he had to have been the one person Lori confined in or he was a close second and was taking orders from someone higher up. He most likely was at fault.

Alyssa…

She was somewhere on this vessel. Kirk was sure of it. But the matter of rescue was a moot one. Regret washed over Kirk. What the Thyrians were going to do with her was obvious. She was a survivor of the massacres on Synprilox and was a witness to the atrocities. She was surely going to share the same fate as those before her endured.

What also made it worse were Ryder and Ali. With Alyssa's fate so obvious, the admiral's heart almost stopped thinking of the children. He imagined all sorts of situations. They too were part of this macabre, Ali more so than her brother. Ryder was enrolled in the Academy when he was ten, the youngest Starfleet had despite its rules, and had seen the early onset of attacks Synprilox faced. Ali had lived on Synprilox for most of her life until this past year. She would have as many secrets as Magda and Alyssa did. Because she was more perceptive, she possibly knew just as much as Ryder.

He put his head into his hands to ease some of the ache and to drive back the tears and shuddered. There was no way that this dread would cease. His worst nightmare as a parent had come true. Whatever he and Alyssa agreed to had come to nothing. The information of the innocent was a high price tag. All in the name of revenge was this being handled and their careful planning had come undone. Everything was going to shatter.

The day dragged without incident and he spent what seemed to be a night sleepless, worrying and planning. During that time, when Kirk wasn't focused on his personal problems, he monitored his surroundings to see any chinks in the armor. So far, he found out that the guards were changed every four hours. They always talked for a moment, possibly to check who was who and say a password, before switching positions. They also checked on him every hour or so to ensure that he was still caged.

During that time, Kirk noticed some subtle changes in the mechanics and movement of the vessel. While it seemed like smooth sailing for the most part, he felt the familiar rumblings of a battle around him. Sometimes, the ship lunged one way or another and steadied itself. Other times, he heard the rattling of weapons being fired or phasers hitting them. No major damage had been detected as far as he was aware. The Thyrians seemed to have the upper hand.

Kirk was not given food until morning, when he was beginning to feel his stomach eat itself. There was a small hole in the field that was opened by three guards, just enough to slip the nourishment through. What controlled it was a panel to the right of the doorway. Four buttons had been pressed and another four to lock up the hole.

Maybe around what was an Earth midmorning, the guards' cycle continued as normal. This time, something was odd to the admiral. The person that entered was a little younger than the typical sentries. He also hid his face well, much more so than the others. Passwords were uttered and places were exchanged. As soon as the exiting tired guard's back was turned, his replacement took out a hollowed item and put it to his lips. When he blew, a dart shot out and hit its target. The Thyrian collapsed.

The mask fell and the rescuer was revealed. Ryder rushed to the control pad and keyed in a code. This prompted the force field to open up. Kirk got up and joined him. Quickly, they ran out. Ryder let the admiral to a Transporter Room.

"Report," Kirk demanded.

Ryder was trying to rein in his emotions and spoke stiffly when they arrived. "It's the Thyrians, Admiral. They have attempted to block two galaxies and invade. Luckily, they've somewhat been pushed back, but they're still putting up a good fight. This is the last ship in the immediate quadrant that isn't in battle."

This was somewhat of a relief, Kirk reflected. He needed the whole story though. "How did you escape?"

"Tricked my guards and summoned for help. Assistance was already on its way and heard my signal. Ali and Mom were taken by a separate party. I was ordered to escort you off this vessel."

"How much time do we have before we're discovered?"

"Well, I did set the self-destruct on their bridge to five minutes. That should give us enough time to leave. It'll also damage another one of their ships."

"That's a lot of time to give. You needed time to get everyone off board?"

Ryder grinned, despite himself. "Sir, I thought I was being nice. Besides, it'll be a nice light show. Orders are orders."

Kirk understood and asked nothing else. When they reached the Transporter Room, coordinates had already been set. Ryder calibrated it once more and waved the admiral forward. Kirk climbed the platform with Ryder and waited for them to be beamed to safety.

What they beamed down to was a war zone. Kirk was startled, glancing left and right at what appeared to be Headquarters. It felt a stereotypical scene of an old dystopian novel, if he had to be honest with himself, and it was equally disturbing. Everywhere, emergency personnel moved, either helping the injured, putting out fires or evacuating civilians. Full defense had been initiated. Scores of Starfleet troops were on the move. Most of them found spots to transport themselves to. Others formed lines of defense or were moving civilians to safer locations.

"This way, Admiral!" Ryder pulled on Kirk's arm. Immediately, he guided the admiral through a nearby entranceway, to a bunker below the main building.

Kirk allowed Ryder to guide him blindly. Eventually, he released the hold on him and followed Ryder through the darkened corridors. After a few minutes, the young officer suddenly stopped. Kirk almost ran into him, but managed to stop in time. He watched as Ryder keyed in another code, gaining entry into an office space. Inside the sparsely furnished series of rooms were high-ranking officers and their families. Some had been wounded. Others were making calls.

With a sinking heart, Kirk realized that this was total war. They were fighting an enemy who knew more about them than they did about them. The Thyrians had come prepared to infiltrate and fight to the death.

Ryder ensured that the door was locked behind them. He remained by Kirk's side. The admiral had recovered from his shock by then and was slowly making progress to his first visitor. Cartwright was finalizing an order to a ship when he noticed the pair. He closed the transmission and glared at them with hardly-veiled anger. He barked at everyone to clear the room. When the three were alone, he spoke.

"You knew about this!" Cartwright accused.

Ryder mustered as much respect as he could without childishly denying it. "I had no knowledge of this attack, Sir. I was not privy to any information my mother may have had."

Cartwright did not believe him. "Lieutenant –"

"Lance, he's telling the truth," Kirk interjected. He hoped to defuse the escalation before they were known into another brig. "Nobody did."

"You're lying, Jim. You and Captain Elma knew that the Thyrians were capable of this type of destruction!"

"Even if we did, if we said anything, would anybody believe us? Would you?"

Cartwright took a deep breath and calmed himself. "No, I suppose not. The Thyrians came in peace."

"But you knew about it yourself. You knew about the possible attack." Kirk warmed up to the theme. He didn't know what he was saying and continued his rant. "You worked with Admiral Ciana. You were also part of the special task force. You used Captain Elma as your double agent as well and hid her activities through a promotion she did not want. The two of you pretended that there was suspicion of treason. You both are trying to find out the final piece of the puzzle and wanted Synprilox tamed…Sir."

"She agreed to take the fall," Cartwright protested weakly, losing his bluster. He was visibly shaking. "Captain Elma was protesting our interests. Admiral Ciana and I did not mean to make her a scapegoat, but she rose to it for the betterment of the many. She knew her duties."

"And who else's life did you destroy other than hers? Her children's? Most certainly, she had to risk her life time and again for your needs. Her son and daughter are targets of assassination!"

"She won't need to worry about it anymore, Sir," Ryder said. He was upset now. "Admiral Kirk, it's about…my…my mother. She's in Sickbay. She's on life support now."

~00~

A week of busy activities later, Kirk found himself awake in a deserted house. Alyssa had long left the bed before he woke. Dawn was starting to break and he had nothing on his schedule except a late dinner with the chancellor for some of their holiday celebrations. After his guards had already come in and out to ensure no threat, the admiral still felt quite exposed. He never had to experience such silence before.

He rose and dressed. When he exited his room, he saw some movement. Dismissing it as trivial, Kirk made his way downstairs to the kitchen. Breakfast had been left for him on a counter. Sensing a warm day, he took the tray and trekked outside, finding shade under Ryder's treehouse. He found his usual seat and ate.

An hour later, Alyssa arrived back home. It was an unusual occurrence. Kirk heard her rummage through the house for something before meeting him in the backyard and sitting in the opposite chair. He was startled to see her. Her normally short black hair was askew and frizzy. She was pale and very ill, more so than usual. She clenched her hands tightly, anxious.

Kirk reached over and held her hand. "You want to talk about it?"

"No." Alyssa shook her head. She hesitated in continuing. "No. Not right now anyway. When we have a quieter moment, we will."

This answer didn't sit well with Kirk. He thought that he managed to get her talking about anything. This new Alyssa was a little strange. He had not seen her like this before. Besides, they had a quiet moment now. Why shouldn't she say anything? What was so serious that they had to wait for another time?

"I told Magda to go on vacation," Alyssa chatted inanely. She refused to note Kirk's askew glance. "I have Ryder for the week she's gone."

"Where is he?" Kirk half-expected the five-year-old to dart out and play in his treehouse.

"Schoolwork now," Alyssa replied. "He came with me to my…my morning assignment. I only have a few more minutes before his finishes his work. Magda left me her lesson plans. It's going to be a busy week."

Kirk understood now. This was no quiet time. This week, Alyssa was fulfilling her role as a mother and it as a tough one already. Without Magda, he wondered how she would fare. He also felt a little selfish too. He always loved it when Ryder pretended to be a Starfleet officer and imagine all sorts of space adventures, but he also longed for his time alone with Alyssa. If this meant that the security officer was domestic while her nursemaid was on break, then so be it. Kirk did not like the idea, but he knew that accepting her meant a family as well.

He nodded evenly. "How about tonight?"

"I have a meeting with the chancellor within the hour until the party starts and then I'm staying for the festivities," Alyssa said sadly. "I know you have dinner with her too. Do you want to meet afterward? We can walk home together. Maybe we talk then."

"And Ryder? Is he coming with us?"

"When Magda isn't here to watch him, he comes with me. The chancellor was kind enough to set aside a room and a matron to watch him when I am on duty. If she isn't busy, she'll sit with him and lecture him about some topic. I also check in on him when I can."

"Do you know anything about what this dinner is about?"

"You're the only Starfleet brass to be present." Alyssa grinned, trying hard to suppress some bitter joke. "Other leaders who are allies with Synprilox, Federation or not, will be there as well. It's sort of a religious ceremony akin to the old holiday of Halloween or the Day of the Dead, if I had to name it. It's to celebrate the deceased."

Kirk shuddered involuntarily. "Really?"

"Synprilox isn't set on a specific religion, but they do respect and revere their ancestors," Alyssa clarified. "From what I understand, it's a masked parade that turned into a ball at the palace. Other world leaders aren't the only important people there. Community heads are invited to represent their region too. Others are to tend to the cemeteries."

"Don't you find it a little ghoulish?"

"To be honest, yes, I do. For Synprilox, it is not. It's their tradition. Besides, it's sort of a break for everyone, from factory workers to farmers. They won't complain about an additional two days off."

"On Earth, most people do not follow along with any religious or political holidays and superstitions anymore. Some major ones are observed. The Fourth of July comes to mind."

Alyssa said nothing. Remembering those special days had been oddly hurtful. Her parents always forced her to observe their religious days. Her aunt and her brother had been able to take her away from that and show her more than what her Lutheran parents were able to. Those memories almost blinded her vision with tears. She held back though. Being in her state of mind was no excuse to cry.

"Tolerance is something I'm sure they taught you in the Academy," Alyssa said. "No matter what we think of tonight, I find this an excuse to wind down too. I've been this particular holiday. It can be pretty fun if you take away the visits to the cemeteries."

Kirk found it off that Alyssa mentioned the basic rule in Starfleet. Shrugging it off due to exhaustion (he knew how hard Alyssa worked, especially lately), he continued to engage more details about this dinner later that night. All the while, as the security described years past, he wondered what sort of thing Alyssa needed to tell him. It had been easy for her to discuss everything else. Why was today so different? What was so important?

After a few minutes of this inane conversation, Alyssa excused herself. She had exceeded her time away from Ryder and already heard some crashing in the kitchen. She dashed off, her fingers lingering against Kirk's before slipping away. She promised on her way back that she'll return around lunchtime. They can have their mean together.

Kirk was curious. He hoped that whatever she had to say, it was worth the wait for whatever time she chose. He had patience. Tonight should prove interesting and it wasn't just the customs Synprilox followed. It was also the mystery he hoped to solve.