"Beautiful!" Anna finished for Circe. They had touched down behind a small cabin on the lip of a small palisade overlooking a valley. The scenery was picture-perfect. Lush greenery extended for kilometers in all directions; here and there, the trio could spot the local wildlife wander from place to place, looking for food or shade. Some were drinking down by a river that ran strong through the very heart of the area. The air was clean and pure... it would be very easy to get swallowed up by such beauty. "What is this place?" Anna asked.
Apollo smiled, drinking in the view before answering. "They call this place Garrovick Valley. It's a vast plot of land roughly sixty kilometers in diameter. A good friend of mine owned this place. When he was alive, he extended the open invitation to his friends, 'Come by when you care to, stay as long as you want.' When he died, his friend who inherited it also extended that invitation. He... doesn't get to see this place too often, but I still manage to visit... from time to time. Make sure the place is kept up, wildlife preservation laws enforced."
Circe slowly spun around. "I can see why you would say this place is safe. If this land has such large borders, it would be difficult for someone to encroach on our privacy."
A deer on the other side of the river raised its head and made eye contact with Apollo. They remained that way until it turned and walked back into the forest. "The only way to get in here is by air. Where we landed is the only clearing in the immediate area where anything can land... everything else is covered by water or flora." He shook himself from his reverie. "Come, let me show you two around." He led them toward the cabin where they all went inside.
It was almost as though they had stepped back in time. Antiquated furniture decorated the room. Actual paper books lined one wall, wrapped in plastic to protect them from the elements. There was once a microwave and freezer unit, but that had long been replaced by a small replicator unit, with a tank under the countertop supplying the necessary raw material. Woodland scenes and imitation pelts covered the walls. All in all, the place had a very homey feeling. Circe walked toward the back of the cabin. "There's only one bed, I'm afraid. One of you can take it. There are bedrolls in the storage closet."
Circe turned around, with a sly grin on her face. "I'm sure Sam won't mind if we share the bed." Upon seeing the admiral blush, which is what she wanted, she gave a throaty chuckle and continued on her tour of the cabin.
"It feels so isolated here," Anna said, hugging her arms close to her chest. "So alone..."
"That how it's supposed to feel, but trust me, we're far from isolated. There's a viewscreen there in the corner that can be tuned to the local events. And under here..." He lowered himself to one knee and rolled a portion of the bookcase out of the way, revealing a control panel. "This used to be where Jim... my friend... kept a special comm unit set for a Starfleet channel. It had burned out, though, so after I had returned to Starfleet, I took the liberty of replacing it with a standard comm unit. It's also set for a Starfleet frequency, but it can just as easily contact anyone here, too."
Circe's antennae twitched at all the modern amenities in such an antique-looking home. "How is all this run? Where does the power come from?" she asked.
Apollo smiled and pointed to the floor. "There's a geothermal generator under the cabin. More than enough to supply our needs."
"I can assume we're not defenseless, either?" Circe said, rejoining them.
"There are weapons here, too. A little older than you might expect, but they do the job."
Circe nodded. She headed for the opposite door in the cabin and walked outside. By this time, Centaurus' second sun had set, with only Proxima Beta providing a dull red glow on the horizon. Apollo wandered outside behind her. One of the habits he had picked up from Jim Kirk: as the stars showed in the sky, he immediately picked out the bright yellow gleam of Sol. In fact, there wasn't a major star in the sky that didn't hold some significance to him. A cool breeze wafted in from the river's current, but Apollo felt more chilled by the realization of his age. Needing company, he walked the short distance to the edge of the overhang where Circe stood.
Hearing his approach, she remarked, "It's even more beautiful at night." The nocturnal insects beginning their nightly song punctuated her statement.
"That it is," he agreed.
They were silent for a few moments, just taking in the night. Finally, out of the blue, Circe said, "I always dreamed I could somehow get you to a place like this."
Apollo smirked. He was about to say something witty, but then sensed that it wouldn't be appropriate. He moved around to look at her face. When she tried to turn away from him, he gently took her by the arm and turned her to face him. She looked down to avoid his gaze, but there were tears streaming down her face. The realization of it finally hit him. "Oh my God... all these years..." he whispered. "It's been more than a crush, hasn't it?"
She sniffed, but couldn't bring herself to say anything else. He looked out over the river. "Circe, I... I don't know what to say..."
"Why say anything? There's nothing either of us can do."
Apollo was a little taken aback by that. "Just what is that supposed to mean?"
She then wheeled on him fists clenched at her side, face flushed with anger. "Why did you have to bring her back? Couldn't you have just left the past in the past and satisfied yourself with someone new?" She took a few steps away, then looked back at him. In a much softer voice, she said, "Couldn't you have been satisfied with me?" Before she gave him a chance to respond, she ran past the shuttle and out of sight.
Apollo stared after her in complete shock... he hadn't realized that her feelings toward him were so strong. He supposed he should have gone after her, but he knew it wouldn't have helped. "We'll probably never know," he said to no one in particular.
~ * ~
After returning to the cabin, Apollo sat in a comfortable chair just outside the door, legs casually crossed at the ankles under him, while he stared off into the night. Anna had tried to cheer his dour mood, but she quickly discovered she'd have no luck, so she opted instead to turn in. Several hours later, he still hadn't moved an inch from his position when Circe returned. She stood at a respectable distance, listening to the night sounds of insects and other creatures that usually came out at this time. Drawing a breath, she completed her approach to the cabin.
He still hadn't moved, so she stood in an at-ease position. "Admiral, I am aware that my actions earlier were inappropriate. My behavior was unacceptable for that of a subordinate towards her commanding officer, and I'm willing to accept any disciplinary action deemed necessary."
Apollo still hadn't even so much as acknowledged her, and kept staring into space. Before the silence became too uncomfortable for her, however, he looked up at her. "Tell me, if you had a sword right now, would you be impaling yourself on it to appease me?" She gaped at him, uncertain how to take that. "Actually, I should be the one to apologize. If I had been able to tell how you felt, I could have stopped it from getting too serious." Circe looked as though if she had that sword, she must just come at him with it. He stood and closed the distance and place his hands on her shoulders... she shuddered with the contact. "Circe... I am sorry. I had no intention of hurting you at all. But you must know... the fact that I was able to bring Sam back alone should have told you where my heart lies. I would have never been able to do that if my love for her wasn't absolute."
"I understand," she said softly. He put his finger under her chin and tilted her head up to look at him. "You are still important in your own way. I value your friendship greatly." She seemed even more forlorn from that statement. Apollo sighed and removed his hand... she kept her gaze on him, he smirked. "And you're still the best damn Tactical Officer I've ever had the chance to serve with." Circe finally let out the breath she had been holding in a forced chuckle. "I bet you say that to all the girls," she quirked. He gave her a slight smile. "Let's go turn in, okay?" Placing a hand on her shoulder, he guided her through the door and gave her a gentle shove back toward the rear of the cabin. As she set up the bedroll on the floor and settled into it, Apollo sat in a chair in the living room and adjusted it into a full reclining position. In moments, all were asleep.
~ * ~
We've been following the unidentified vessel for three days now. After our little deception, the other ship continued on its original course. This action worries me... they shouldn't have kept going after they "lost" their pursuit. I highly doubt they would have led us straight to their destination while we were on their tail. The only other option that comes to mind is an impossible one. Very few people in the Federation know that the Highlander is equipped with a cloaking device, despite its use during the Dominion War. This can only mean that who we're shadowing is from either a branch of Starfleet, or a related agency. Either way, the fact they must flee from a Federation starship can only mean that they're up to no good. I intend to find out what that is, and these people will soon learn that they can't shake me so easily.
After a couple more quick course-changes with an attempt to lose them, Sam finally snapped. "That's it. I've had enough. Hail them," she said. She glance at Tactical, expecting to see Circe, and instead saw a young female lieutenant with long red hair. One of the new crewmembers, she thought, chiding herself for forgetting that Circe was back on Centaurus with Apollo. Jaden, I think her name is.
The lieutenant nodded when she made the hail. "Unidentified ship, this is the USS Highlander. I think this chase has gone on long enough. Drop out of warp and come to a full stop or I will open fire upon you."
There was no response. Sam looked to Jaden for information. "They're receiving us, Captain," Jaden said, "they just apparently don't have much to say."
"We'll see about that," Sam grumbled. "Lock photon torpedoes onto them."
Jaden's eyes widened. "Captain, we'll have to drop our cloak in order to arm weapons."
Sam stared at Jaden for a moment before answering, "Fine. Decloak. Since we're doing that, we'll go to full Red Alert. But I want torpedoes locked onto him." The Lieutenant nodded and complied with her followed orders. They let a moment or two go by, allowing the other ship to chew on the fact that they have a weapon's lock on them. A Vulcan at the Conn position commented, "Perhaps they don't believe you are willing to fire upon another Federation ship."
"Oh really..." Sam grinned evilly. "Fire."
Two bright pinpoints of light shot out from either side of the Highlander's main deflector. Not having that far to travel, they almost immediately slammed into the rear of the ship. It's shields flared brightly as it's subspace envelope dissolved, taking it out of warp. The Highlander was right behind it.
Sam sat back and smiled. She looked to make sure the channel was still open. Upon receiving confirmation, she said, "Now... come to a full stop and prepare to be boarded, or we will fire on you again. This time we'll use quantum torpedoes."
They waited a full minute before Jaden reported, "They've stopped, and their shields are dropping."
"Put a tractor beam on them to keep them from getting away. Lieutenant, call up a four-man security team and have them meet us in the transporter room." She stormed into the turbolift with Jaden in tow.
~ * ~
They made an impressive sight when they beamed aboard the other ship. The security members all fanned out and had their hand phasers drawn. Sam was a little more dangerous; she held a phaser rifle and a glare that would melt dilithium. "My, aren't we prepared." The statement came from a rugged-looking man with blond hair, a square jaw, and cold blue eyes. All of them were wearing black leather uniforms.
Sam wasted no time. She strode right up to the man, planted the rifle muzzle under his chin, and said, "Look mister, I have PMS and a very large phaser. Give me one good reason why I don't vaporize you from the neck up."
To his credit, the man didn't even flinch. In fact, he gave Sam a humorless smile. "If you put that weapon down, I'll explain."
Sam glared at him for a moment longer. When she saw he wasn't going to do or say a thing unless she complied, she slowly lowered the rifle. "My name is Sloan, and I'm on a mission of which the security of the Federation depends on its success."
"A mission... you don't look like Starfleet."
He studied her, trying to decide just how much he can tell her. Finally, whether he figured he could trust her or he simply felt she wouldn't let him go any further, he said, "We're part of a group of Intelligence nearly as old as the Federation. Our exact name is nothing you need to concern yourself with. However, if you must refer to us, you can call us..."
Sam's eyes widened. "Section 31."
Now it was Sloan's turn to look surprised. "You've heard of us."
"Vaguely. Little snippets here and there. An odd mention or two in reports. Some in Starfleet claim Section 31 is a myth. The Council flatly denies such a creature exists, which usually means the opposite." Sam grew decidedly suspicious. "Just why were you fleeing from Centaurus? And more importantly, why were you running from us?"
He looked a little hesitant to answer until Sam practically shoved the rifle up his nose again. He raised his hands and slowly, ever so slowly, pushed the barrel away. "Why don't we sit down and talk about this. You'll get all the information you need as long as you don't try to permanently clear my sinuses."
Again she lowered her weapon. As he moved toward a conference room, she tapped her badge. "Racer to Highlander. We're going to be here a few minutes. Hold your position until we return." Ending the transmission, she gestured, and the team followed Sloan into the room. As they entered, they noticed someone was in there waiting for them, and Sam's face paled.