Palisade Manor
Mountain Home, Idaho
Earth
─•~:~•─
"You seem distracted, Kayla. Is there a particular concern that you wish to discuss?" Kailyex asked of her student.
Kayla was distracted. Earlier in the day, Evelyn had let her and Comrose watch the launch of the Red Ball Express on the house's QC monitor.
Her science tutor had told Kayla that she should not only watch the launch but draft a report about how important it was. From what she could learn, Kayla thought that Red Ball Express was as important as warp drive, or maybe even more.
If the launch worked, ships would be able to go further and faster than they ever had before. She and Comrose could take a trip on Avalon and ride all the way to the Andromeda Galaxy in three days. Her friend the Border Collie would be super impressed with all the unfamiliar places they could walk.
But before Kayla could start her report, a Romulan ship blew up the Red Ball Express. Computer Studies had taught her that the Romulans called the ship a D'Deridex Warbird. Science Studies gave her some idea that the ship inside the RBX – as Kayla called it in her notes – couldn't raise her shields, or she wouldn't be able to launch.
And History Studies with Miss Kailyex had taught Kayla that Romulans and Vulcans used to live together.
It wasn't a very good day to begin with for Kayla. Miss Rain always seemed sad now, and even though she went with Kayla every time she took Comrose for her nightly walk, Miss Rain never smiled. And her girlfriend Miss Zelina hadn't visited Kayla's house for a long time either.
She still got to go to Avalon once a week for Computer Studies, and the crew were still nice to Kayla, but Miss Zelina wasn't around very much. When Kayla asked Mr. Fizbil, the XO of Avalon, what was wrong with Miss Zelina, he had said that he didn't have a clue.
"Miss Kailyex, I don't understand something. Why do the Romulans hate us so much? I thought that after the Federation recognized the Republic, we were friends with them. Or was the textbook wrong?" Kayla asked, pointing at the chapter heading in her current events book.
The Vulcan tutor with short, blue hair sighed, "That is... a puzzling question to answer. And some of the answers are beyond your level of understanding, or even my own. I do not believe that all Romulans hate all people of the Federation. Only certain individuals within their military are responsible for the attack you witnessed this morning. It is illogical to suggest that these individuals think or act on behalf of all Romulans. I am certain that there are Romulan children who feel the same as you."
"But you always say that hatred isn't logical. Aren't Romulans just like Vulcans? Shouldn't they think logically?"
"I must compliment you, Kayla. Your questions today are very meaningful and difficult to formulate appropriate answers for. You have obviously been reading Marcus Aurelias' studies on the philosophy of Stoicism." replied Kailyex as she placed the named book beside Kayla's history textbook.
Kayla nodded, "I did read it, but you didn't answer my question yet."
"The shared history of the Vulcan and Romulan people is a long story, one that is tragic and difficult to explain to off-worlders like yourself. Many thousands of years ago, we were indeed one race of people. In that era, Vulcans were a war-like and violent people, and we waged wars upon one another just as Humanity did in the past."
"The wars eventually reached the level of atomic weapon exchanges, and Vulcan was nearly destroyed. However, Surak taught my people the wisdom of logic, and as a people we were able to set aside our differences to rebuild our world," Kailyex explained.
She continued, "Not all Vulcans agreed with Surak. There were some among us who felt that logic was not the solution to our troubles, but instead praised strength and military skill. After some disagreement, Surak allowed those who disagreed with him to leave Vulcan and seek a way of life apart from us. They were called 'Those That March Beneath The Raptor's Wing,' or in their own language, the Rihannsu."
"Over the course of centuries, they grew into their own society, with their own language, philosophies and ways of thinking that are incompatible with the Vulcan way of logic. We call their departure Surak's Schism, while the Romulans refer to it as The Sundering. It was an exceedingly challenging time for all Vulcans, and it is still a heavy thought for us to this day. The very existence of the event was thought to be legend for nearly two thousand years until Spock encountered Keras, one hundred and fifty years after the Earth-Romulan War."
"That's really sad. You guys are family. You shouldn't fight, you should find a way to work together. Vulcans are really smart about logic and science. And Romulans are really good at building things. Why can't you just work together?" Kayla asked in her innocent way.
"Sadly, it is not as simple as you suggest Kayla. However, you may posses a certain wisdom that generations of Vulcan scholars lacked. Your idea has some merit, and thus is the result of the Reunification Movement that began under Spock some thirty years ago."
"Sadly?" Kayla asked in confusion, "I thought Vulcans couldn't get sad?"
Her tutor shook her head, "It is a common misconception that Vulcans do not experience emotion. That is not true. We are a very emotional people, perhaps even more so than either Humans or Romulans. But the Vulcan way is to place logic before emotion, and not to allow emotion to influence our thinking or our understanding of the universe."
"It is one of many things that Vulcans and Romulans do not agree on. But, with time, and wisdom from people such as yourself, we can learn to put aside these differences."
"Do you want the Romulans to come back home?" Kayla asked, propping her head on her hands.
"I am a supporter of the Reunification Movement. It is my own judgment that our people should not be separated. We are genetically and physically identical. Although Romulans do not posses our ability to mind-meld, they have compatible telepathic abilities to do so with training."
"When I am not tutoring you in the history of the Federation, I often volunteer to tutor Romulan children on Mol Rhihann. Those children often ask comparable questions of Earth, and on occasion I have difficulty in providing answers. And so, I now have a question to ask of you, Kayla."
"You do?" Kayla replied in shock, "What is it?"
"With Mistress Rain's permission of course, would you care to accompany me on a journey to Mol Rhihann one day? I would like to introduce you to some of my students there, and I believe you may be able to answer their questions about Earth that I cannot effectively."
"Can Comrose come too? I want her to see other planets!" said Kayla, excited at the idea of new adventures.
Kailyex nodded, "Yes, I would find it most agreeable to have Comrose join us. There are many places on Mol Rhihann she could explore, and it would bring great delight to the Romulan children to meet a dog as intelligent as Comrose."
Comrose suddenly peaked her head up at the sound of being mentioned.
She trotted over to see her master, and Kayla leaned down to pat her head, "Well, how about that, girl? Do you wanna visit New Romulus?"
She barked once to signal her agreement, but suddenly turned her head as a strange, unfamiliar scent entered her nose.
Comrose's instincts told her that new scents should not be trusted, and she growled at the door to the library.
"What is it-" Kayla asked, but her words were cut off by a loud bang from the front door.
Kailyex reacted logically and quickly. When she wasn't teaching Human or Romulan Children, she served as a reserve officer in the Vulcan Security Services.
The Vulcan tutor moved quickly to the door to shield her principle and assess the situation. However, she was unarmed, and the weapons storage of Palisade Manor was upstairs beside Kayla's bedroom. They would have to move quickly if they wanted to reach safety in time.
She opened the library door and peaked into the hallway, placing her shoulder against the door as cover. Three armed targets were visible, wearing black tactical gear, face masks, and wielding Phaser Compression Rifles. These weren't Marines, and their uniforms did not display the legally required insignia of Fed-Sec either.
Perhaps enemies of Mistress Rain, she thought to herself.
And where was Evelyn?
Kailyex looked down at Kayla. The human girl was concerned, but to her surprise she was not panicked. The other tutors were training her well.
"What's going on Miss Kailyex?!" whispered Kayla, as she shielded her friend Comrose and moved underneath the sturdy wooden table of the library.
"There are intruders in your home Kayla," Kailyex whispered back, "I can see at least three hostiles; however, I have no way of knowing if there are more. You will need to follow my instructions precisely. Can you do that?"
The little human girl nodded, "Yes, I'm ready. I'm not afraid of monsters anymore"
"Good, do not allow fear to cloud your judgment. Empty your mind of it. I will exit the library in a few moments and provide a distraction. Move at your best speed into your bedroom. Do not stop and do not look back for any reason. Once you have you reached your bedroom, lock the door, and take cover in your walk-in closet."
"Use the comm terminal in your room to summon Mistress Rain, or Camp Nath if you cannot reach her directly. If you enter the code 2-1-8-8 it will alert the FMC's standing reaction force of a situation here, and they will deploy as rapidly as they can. After that, remain in your closet and keep out of sight. Do not open the door for anyone apart from Mistress Rain. Do you understand Kayla?" asked Kailyex
"I do, but what about Comrose?" Kayla whispered back, holding her friend's head in her arms.
"She will not leave your side, and she will be able to serve another purpose. Please send her to me." said Kailyex, kneeling.
Kayla released Comrose and watched as the Border Collie trotted over to the Vulcan Tutor. Comrose was still growling at the door, but Kailyex calmed her by placing her right hand over her head. Kailyex then closed her eyes and lowered her head, which Comrose did as well.
My mind to your mind. Your thoughts to my thoughts. You will remember everything you have seen here, Comrose. You must be able to give a description of these attackers to Mistress Rain. I am giving you the ability to reorient your thoughts to better communicate with humans and other species. Simply touch your nose to her hand, and this meld will translate into Rain's mind. You must remember Comrose.
A few seconds later, Kailyex opened her eyes and stood back up. Comrose no longer growled, but walked back beside Kayla and laid down, waiting for her master to move again, and remembering Kaielyx's instructions in her own mind.
The Vulcan tutor threw open the door and charged at the closest target to her. The man tried to raise his weapon, but Kailyex was able to sidestep him and disable him with a nerve pinch.
As he fell to the floor, she quickly scooped up his weapon and fired at the second target, standing across from her and preparing to enter the large dining room to the south of the library.
The orange phaser bolt slammed home in the middle of his back and cut through the man's tactical clothing. The weapons had been set to kill, but it was irrelevant to Kailyex, even if it was surprising. Satisfied that her target was no longer an effective combatant, she raised her rifle and advanced slowly toward the open passage to the dining room.
Where is the third target? She thought in her mind, allowing her hearing and senses to try to discover him.
The answer came by way of a phaser bolt to her side. The third target had quickly shifted out of her visual range to her right and found a perfect firing angle. The bolt sent sheering waves of intense pain through Kailyex but had not yet killed her.
She was still combat effective, and her principle required protection.
She braced herself against a wall and fired a dozen covering shots towards the direction of her attacker. Her purpose was not to kill, but to suppress the enemy to allow the principle to advance. The path to the stairs, and then to Kayla's room was clear. Kayla would have to move quickly.
"Go! Now!" Kailyex shouted.
She watched with satisfaction as the little human girl and her canine companion moved quickly across the foyer and on to the stairs. Kayla moved as fast as she could, exactly as Kailyex had instructed her to do. Though it was illogical and probably the result of her heavy bleeding, she felt a small sense of pride in her pupil.
Kayla would make a fine Marine when the day finally arrived.
But Kaielyx's day was over. Six more hostiles breached in from the front door, and each unloaded a full salvo of Phaser bolts into her body.
Even her Vulcan physiology wasn't enough to withstand seven phaser rifles, and Kailyex died of the floor of Palisade Manor with one final thought in her mind.
Remember
Kayla heard the phaser shots from downstairs. She'd heard weapons all the time. Miss Rain liked to practice shooting in the backyard and had promised Kayla that she would one day teach her daughter how to shoot as well.
Kayla had heard weapons before too, on her old home of Tranbir Nine. Her real parents died there almost three years ago. Daddy was a Provost Marshal trying to protect the colony, while Mommy was a Starfleet Officer who tried to understand what was happening. Miss Rain had told Kayla that both of her parents died fighting, and that she should be proud of their bravery.
Kayla was brave too. She finally reached her bedroom and ran in quickly. Comrose jumped up on her bed and growled at the door, while Kayla slammed it as hard as she could and threw all six locks into place. She knew from Science Studies that the door was made out of Tritanium, which was the second hardest metal known to Federation science.
It would take a long time for these enemies to shoot her door open.
Kayla remembered her second order. She grabbed Comrose by her collar and dragged both of them into her closet. The closet was big enough for her to walk inside, and on racks on either side of her were all the clothes that Miss Rain had bought her.
She threw aside the pile of jackets on the shelf she could reach and saw the built-in comm terminal on the wall.
Miss Kailyex forgot that someone could make dual channel calls with a QC Terminal. She quickly entered the code 2-1-8-8 into the terminal and recorded the message that would be broadcast to both Miss Rain and Camp Shirthu Nath. Miss Rain was probably in space with the rest of the Marines, but there would be friends of hers at Camp Nath who might be able to beat her to Idaho.
"If you can hear me, my name is Kayla Kaimeao. My house is Palisade Manor in Mountain Home, Idaho. Someone is attacking my house and I need help. I think Miss Kailyex is dead, and I don't know where my Governess, Miss Evelyn, is either. Try to get here as fast as you can. If you come by shuttles, you need to fly over Montana or Alberta. Hurry!" she screamed.
Kayla hit the transmission switch, and the message was sent out moments later.
With her two orders complete, Kayla made herself as small as she could and hid in the corner of the walk-in closet. Comrose went to her own hiding place under the bed and pulled a sheet down from the bed to make it less obvious.
Comrose was the smartest dog in the world, after all.
Kayla decided to put the Magic Cap on. Maybe it didn't work, and maybe the monsters would still find her. But she wasn't as scared as she had been on Tranbir Nine.
And Miss Rain would be proud of her for not being scared.
Red three, team lead of Red Team, pounded on the bedroom door, but the door wouldn't budge.
He raised his rifle and fired a shot at the keyhole, and for his efforts was nearly incinerated when the bolt bounced off the metal.
"Who the hell puts tritanium doors in a mansion?!" He asked to no one in particular.
Red two responded, "Sir, did you forget whose house this is? I'm surprised it's just tritanium doors"
Three wasn't in the mood to be lectured and shoved two back down the hall, "Well make yourself useful and get some charges, we've got a timetable to keep!"
Turning to the rest of Red Team, stacked in the hallway, and covering zones with their rifles, three continued to shout orders, "The rest of you, keep sweeping the house. Intel, weapons, anything you can find. Then bring-"
Three was cut off by the bright blue beam of an assault phaser, and his head disappeared with the rest of his orders.
Evelyn gripped the Mk V Assault Phaser firmly and fired a dozen bursts at her enemies. Rain had instructed her to be armed at all times, although she was to keep the weapon invisible to Kayla's eyes.
In a different life, Evelyn had been a Fed-Sec agent, one who specialized in kidnappings. Everything she had seen and heard this morning matched up with hundreds of cases she had closed, and part of her was experiencing a living nightmare.
Ten years ago, Special Agent Evelyn Chiba had been assigned to the protection detail for Jarresh Inyo's daughter, Valyza. Against her advice, Valyza had gone to Serris-2 in a sign of teenage rebellion against her father's strict rules.
Naturally, as a Federation Security Agent, Evelyn wasn't allowed to join her principle on the non-aligned world, and Valyza was quickly kidnapped by Orion Pirates looking to leverage the life of the Federation President's daughter for a considerable sum of Gold-Pressed Latinum. Serris-2 refused to allow Starfleet into the system, and Inyo was forced to issue a bounty to mercenaries to rescue his daughter.
Black Star Emergency Contract Services, based on Elysium less than a sector away had been the first group to accept the bounty. Evelyn promptly took a shuttle to the heavily armed world and immediately volunteered to join the mercenary rescue force.
Rain Kaimeao asked her why a respected Fed-Sec officer wanted to give up her life and pension for a single mission. Evelyn replied that Valyza was her principle, and an officer never abandoned her principle. The rescue was successful, and Evelyn took fifty bars out of the 5000 GPL bounty he paid to Black Star, enough for her to start a new life anywhere she wanted to.
Evelyn was promptly fired from Fed-Sec, but quickly found new employment with Black Star, taking over management of Rain's personal estate on Earth. And when Rain chose to adopt Kayla as her daughter and turn the estate over to her, Evelyn had insisted that she be allowed to watch over the girl as her Governess. Evelyn always had a place for children in her heart, even if the benign Theta virus in her body would not allow her to have children of her own.
The attackers retreated down the hall and took cover in Rain's bedroom. Evelyn was unlikely to defeat them on her own, but she was hoping to buy enough time for the FMC RRF to arrive. She advanced down the hallway, weapon up, and stopped just short of Kayla's door.
One of the attackers had the presence of mind to toss a plasma grenade down the hallway, and Evelyn was barely able to roll out of the way before the green flames scorched her dress, burning her legs in the process. The plasma burns hurt, but Evelyn was still combat effective. An attacker peeked his balaclava covered head around the corner and was met by yet another blue phaser beam fired by Evelyn.
The attacking group charged out of the bedroom and fired back towards Evelyn, trying to crawl her way back into cover. She managed to hit and kill two more out of the group of five, but one of the men managed to land a beam towards her left side. The graze was enough to burn Evelyn's ribs and lacerate her side. Bleeding heavily and still unable to stand, she knew she was no longer combat effective. She had to survive now, if only to be able to tell Rain what had happened at Kayla's home.
Bracing herself painfully against the bathtub, she hit a switch on her wrist-comm, and an emergency transporter engaged which would beam her to Camp Nath. Once there, the combat medics could attend to her injuries, and hopefully Rain would be there to meet Evelyn. As the blue transporter beam formed around her and the world went dark, Evelyn managed a few words to no one in particular.
"We'll be back for you Kayla. The monsters wont win."
Red Six charged up the stairs of the mansion. What was supposed to be a simple snatch-and-grab was turning into a nightmare. A Vulcan Teacher and a Governess had just killed four of his highly trained extraction agents. Red Three was dead, and he was now in charge, even though he had only a year's worth of field experience.
He rigged up the plasma cutter and started sawing down the tritanium bedroom door of the target. Three had called for charges, but Six overruled the order. Charges could potentially kill the target inside the room, and their orders were to take the target alive. After a few moments, the heavy door was cut from the hinges and fell flat on the carpet of the bedroom. Six moved in with his rifle up, and quickly cleared the visible part of the room.
The target wasn't on the bed as he expected. She had to be in the closet. He moved slowly and had his assumptions confirmed, seeing the girl crouching in the corner.
"Alright kid, just take it easy and I won't hurt you. Come here and-" he started to say.
Kayla threw the heaviest object she could lift – an orange bowling ball – at the man's head and staggered him. She got up and ran out of the closet, but he seized her roughly and slammed her to the ground, trying to bring her left arm behind her back.
"Fucking kid, hold still!" he screamed, as he reached into his tactical pack for restraints. Kayla was able to shift to her left and kicked him square under the jaw. Six felt a tooth get knocked out his lower left molar.
Out of options, he finally reached his fist back and drilled the target with a left cross, finally knocking out the stubborn little girl. He quickly threw the restrain cuffs on her wrists and was joined by Red Five.
"You fucking punched her out?! Jesus Six, she's a little girl" said Five as he hoisted the target over his shoulder.
Six rose and pushed Five out of his way, "Shut up! Let's get the fuck out of here already"
Out of the twelve-man force that had assaulted Palisade Manor, eight boarded the shuttle parked in the back yard with their target to extract to the RV point. What was supposed to be a ten-minute operation had turned into an hour-long circus. Despite the setbacks, the mission had been a success. Six could only hope that Gold appreciated the effort his men had gone to on this mission.
