The Romulan Courier
By Sirap
Tom slowly pulled himself out of unconsciousness. He could feel the slight shuddering beneath him and he knew he was still on a ship, going warp. His head was pounding, and he could feel the dried blood caked on his neck.
The room he was in was small, he guessed it was a storage closet but the shelves were empty.
He wondered what it was that Moira had taken and why. Whatever it was, it was like he had said before he knew it was for the right reasons. Moira may have been wild when they were younger even more so than himself but when it came down to it, she never really hurt anyone. If Moira had seen something, something that would bring about bad consequences, he knew that she would interfere, his other sister, Kathleen would have reported what she'd seen. But Moira, like Tom, would have taken matters into her own hands.
Resting back against the wall, he sighed, he couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. He briefly considered escape but decided this wasn't the right time, he'd wait for the opportunity to present itself, and then he would bolt.
* * * *
Moira quickly replicated the parts she needed for her plan, placing them together she put them in the now empty, black leatherette.
Oakland Shipyard was located on Earth, near San Francisco. It wasn't really the best place to have a clandestine meeting with a Romulan, even if the place was practically vacant this time of year. If someone were there, it'd be a good chance they were Starfleet. And right now, they were as dangerous to Moira as the Romulans. If they knew what was in her procession they'd stop at nothing to get it from her. They'd no doubt reduce their ethics, until they were even worse than the Romulans.
No, it wasn't safe to tell anyone about what she'd found.
There was only one person she trusted enough.
And he was being used against her.
Sighing she set a course for Earth. There was a time she would have went to Kathleen but she'd learned from experience that given the chance, Kathleen would betray her.
Moira wasn't naive, she knew why her sister hated her. She was envious of her life and of her relationship with their little brother. What Kathleen never knew was that they were just as envious of her, because of the relationship Kathleen had with their father.
Tom and Moira had been rebellious, Kathleen had been daddy's little girl. If Moira were to ask her sister for help she would surly involve their father, and that would involve Starfleet.
That was the last thing she wanted.
She'd just need to do this on her own.
* * * *
T'Kiera landed her ship in the shipyard. Using makeup she hide the inherited green tinge to her skin and perfected her stony countenance. In the robes she'd changed into she looked Vulcan enough. Nobody here would look twice.
The ship was another matter, with its obvious Romulan design it stood out among the uniform Federation ships, but she'd taken care of that too. Landing in the maintenance dock the ship blended in with the wreaked and torn ships. Hiding a phaser in the folds of her robes, she checked one last time to make sure her prisoner was still locked up and stepped out onto the cool metal floor of the docking port. As she had suspected, there weren't many people around. A few engineers working on a particularly battered ship and a few uniforms but no crowds.
T'Kiera had never told her rival where to meet in the vast shipyard. She didn't want to lose the upper hand.
Seeing a small retired Starfleet ship land, T'Kiera hid against a wall. The figure that dropped down was unmistakably Moira Paris, lithe and athletic, and she was holding the bag.
* * * *
The ship had landed. Tom listened at the door for any movement inside the ship but heard none. This was his chance. He was in a storage closet so there was no locking mechanism inside. Turning to the metal shelves behind him he pried one from the wall. Tom jammed the metal board into the crack between the wall and door and tried to get it open. The door flew outwards and Tom flew with it, landing on his stomach and renewing the throbbing in his head.
Pulling himself off the floor, he made his way off the ship. He instantly recognized the place, Oakland Shipyard. Hearing voices he crept along the length of the ship and peered out across the station.
He could see T'Kiera approaching Moira.
* * * *
"You've brought it."
"I have what you want, now where's my brother?"
T'Kiera smiled, "It's not so simple, Ms. Paris. I'm afraid you've made quite a few enemies. You never should have killed the Romulan courier. You don't even have any idea who he was, do you?"
"Should I?"
"He was the son of the Empress."
"I'm sorry I killed him, then," Moira lied. "But he gave me no choice."
"No choice?" T'Kiera growled. "You had a choice! The choice to walk away. You never should have interfered. Now, give the package to me!"
"No."
"Excuse me?"
Moira pulled out a phaser, "I can't risk letting you Romulans have this. The consequences could be catastrophic."
T'Kiera pulled out her phaser as well, aiming it at Moira just as Moira's was aimed at her. A stalemate.
* * * *
Tom groaned as T'Kiera pulled out a phaser as well. He had to think of something. But what? He was unarmed. He could always create a distraction but a Tal Shiar agent would be trained not to react. In doing that, he'd be helping T'Kiera.
Cursing silently, he stepped out from behind the ship into the open. Both Moira and T'Kiera saw him, but neithers gaze had strayed from the others.
"What's going on here?" he asked. If all else fails, do something stupid.
Story of his life.
"Tom Paris, good of you to join us," T'Kiera purred, still staring unflinchingly at Moira.
"Moira, just giver her what she wants. Who knows, I'm in an optimistic mood. She may even let us live."
"Are you crazy, Tom?" Moira shouted. Her grip on the phaser tightening in desperation.
Tom hoped he was right in his assumption. He was guessing Moira was holding a fake in her hands. His plan wouldn't work if he wasn't right.
"Give it to her, Moira!" he shouted back, trying to catch her eye, make her understand what he had in mind.
Moira couldn't turn but she was beginning to catch on. They had always thought alike. He knew she hadn't brought the original. Only T'Kiera didn't. T'Kiera wouldn't risk allowing it to become damaged. Moira knew the bundle of make shift parts in her bag were worthless.
"Fine!" Moira yelled, feigning anger. "Take it!"
Moira launched the bag and T'Kiera cried out reaching out, desperate to keep it from landing.
Tom ran up from behind her, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her back. T'Kiera's eyes widened in horror as the bag crashed to the floor, small shiny parts spilling across the concrete.
"No!" she cried, falling to her knees, Tom still gripping her wrists. He took the Romulan phaser from her hand and she didn't fight him. Moira allowed herself a small smile and began to approach her brother. He looked up and smiled back at her.
Moira realized too late, what was happing.
T'Kiera used Tom's grip on her wrists to pull him to the ground. Elbowing him in the side she grabbed back her phaser and spun behind him, pressing the weapon into his neck. T'Kiera's eyes locked with Moira's and Moira's heart stopped.
This time T'Kiera wasn't planning to negotiate. This time, she was out for revenge.
The phaser blast echoed through her head. The analytical part of her brain remembering what she'd learned about Romulan phasers. Even on the lowest setting, they will kill the victim instantly.
Tom fell to the floor in a heap, T'Kiera's hands and robes were covered in Tom's blood.
T'Kiera had reaimed her phaser at Moira without hesitating but Moira had already fired her own weapon without even having realized it.
People began to run over, kneeling beside the fallen T'Kiera and Tom.
Moira's phaser fell from her hand and she walked over to them, her eyes not straying from Tom's inert form.
One of the people kneeling over Tom, a man in a green Starfleet uniform was holding a tricorder over him.
Moira heard the monotone buzz. She knew what it meant.
The man looked up, "Brain death has occurred. He's gone."
Moira fell to her knees. No, not Tom.
She'd just gotten him back.
And now he was dead. Tom was dead.
To be continued. I know what you're thinking, but stay tuned for my next parts, you never know what could happen. Oh yea, and please REVIEW!
By Sirap
Tom slowly pulled himself out of unconsciousness. He could feel the slight shuddering beneath him and he knew he was still on a ship, going warp. His head was pounding, and he could feel the dried blood caked on his neck.
The room he was in was small, he guessed it was a storage closet but the shelves were empty.
He wondered what it was that Moira had taken and why. Whatever it was, it was like he had said before he knew it was for the right reasons. Moira may have been wild when they were younger even more so than himself but when it came down to it, she never really hurt anyone. If Moira had seen something, something that would bring about bad consequences, he knew that she would interfere, his other sister, Kathleen would have reported what she'd seen. But Moira, like Tom, would have taken matters into her own hands.
Resting back against the wall, he sighed, he couldn't seem to stay out of trouble. He briefly considered escape but decided this wasn't the right time, he'd wait for the opportunity to present itself, and then he would bolt.
* * * *
Moira quickly replicated the parts she needed for her plan, placing them together she put them in the now empty, black leatherette.
Oakland Shipyard was located on Earth, near San Francisco. It wasn't really the best place to have a clandestine meeting with a Romulan, even if the place was practically vacant this time of year. If someone were there, it'd be a good chance they were Starfleet. And right now, they were as dangerous to Moira as the Romulans. If they knew what was in her procession they'd stop at nothing to get it from her. They'd no doubt reduce their ethics, until they were even worse than the Romulans.
No, it wasn't safe to tell anyone about what she'd found.
There was only one person she trusted enough.
And he was being used against her.
Sighing she set a course for Earth. There was a time she would have went to Kathleen but she'd learned from experience that given the chance, Kathleen would betray her.
Moira wasn't naive, she knew why her sister hated her. She was envious of her life and of her relationship with their little brother. What Kathleen never knew was that they were just as envious of her, because of the relationship Kathleen had with their father.
Tom and Moira had been rebellious, Kathleen had been daddy's little girl. If Moira were to ask her sister for help she would surly involve their father, and that would involve Starfleet.
That was the last thing she wanted.
She'd just need to do this on her own.
* * * *
T'Kiera landed her ship in the shipyard. Using makeup she hide the inherited green tinge to her skin and perfected her stony countenance. In the robes she'd changed into she looked Vulcan enough. Nobody here would look twice.
The ship was another matter, with its obvious Romulan design it stood out among the uniform Federation ships, but she'd taken care of that too. Landing in the maintenance dock the ship blended in with the wreaked and torn ships. Hiding a phaser in the folds of her robes, she checked one last time to make sure her prisoner was still locked up and stepped out onto the cool metal floor of the docking port. As she had suspected, there weren't many people around. A few engineers working on a particularly battered ship and a few uniforms but no crowds.
T'Kiera had never told her rival where to meet in the vast shipyard. She didn't want to lose the upper hand.
Seeing a small retired Starfleet ship land, T'Kiera hid against a wall. The figure that dropped down was unmistakably Moira Paris, lithe and athletic, and she was holding the bag.
* * * *
The ship had landed. Tom listened at the door for any movement inside the ship but heard none. This was his chance. He was in a storage closet so there was no locking mechanism inside. Turning to the metal shelves behind him he pried one from the wall. Tom jammed the metal board into the crack between the wall and door and tried to get it open. The door flew outwards and Tom flew with it, landing on his stomach and renewing the throbbing in his head.
Pulling himself off the floor, he made his way off the ship. He instantly recognized the place, Oakland Shipyard. Hearing voices he crept along the length of the ship and peered out across the station.
He could see T'Kiera approaching Moira.
* * * *
"You've brought it."
"I have what you want, now where's my brother?"
T'Kiera smiled, "It's not so simple, Ms. Paris. I'm afraid you've made quite a few enemies. You never should have killed the Romulan courier. You don't even have any idea who he was, do you?"
"Should I?"
"He was the son of the Empress."
"I'm sorry I killed him, then," Moira lied. "But he gave me no choice."
"No choice?" T'Kiera growled. "You had a choice! The choice to walk away. You never should have interfered. Now, give the package to me!"
"No."
"Excuse me?"
Moira pulled out a phaser, "I can't risk letting you Romulans have this. The consequences could be catastrophic."
T'Kiera pulled out her phaser as well, aiming it at Moira just as Moira's was aimed at her. A stalemate.
* * * *
Tom groaned as T'Kiera pulled out a phaser as well. He had to think of something. But what? He was unarmed. He could always create a distraction but a Tal Shiar agent would be trained not to react. In doing that, he'd be helping T'Kiera.
Cursing silently, he stepped out from behind the ship into the open. Both Moira and T'Kiera saw him, but neithers gaze had strayed from the others.
"What's going on here?" he asked. If all else fails, do something stupid.
Story of his life.
"Tom Paris, good of you to join us," T'Kiera purred, still staring unflinchingly at Moira.
"Moira, just giver her what she wants. Who knows, I'm in an optimistic mood. She may even let us live."
"Are you crazy, Tom?" Moira shouted. Her grip on the phaser tightening in desperation.
Tom hoped he was right in his assumption. He was guessing Moira was holding a fake in her hands. His plan wouldn't work if he wasn't right.
"Give it to her, Moira!" he shouted back, trying to catch her eye, make her understand what he had in mind.
Moira couldn't turn but she was beginning to catch on. They had always thought alike. He knew she hadn't brought the original. Only T'Kiera didn't. T'Kiera wouldn't risk allowing it to become damaged. Moira knew the bundle of make shift parts in her bag were worthless.
"Fine!" Moira yelled, feigning anger. "Take it!"
Moira launched the bag and T'Kiera cried out reaching out, desperate to keep it from landing.
Tom ran up from behind her, grabbing her arms and pulling them behind her back. T'Kiera's eyes widened in horror as the bag crashed to the floor, small shiny parts spilling across the concrete.
"No!" she cried, falling to her knees, Tom still gripping her wrists. He took the Romulan phaser from her hand and she didn't fight him. Moira allowed herself a small smile and began to approach her brother. He looked up and smiled back at her.
Moira realized too late, what was happing.
T'Kiera used Tom's grip on her wrists to pull him to the ground. Elbowing him in the side she grabbed back her phaser and spun behind him, pressing the weapon into his neck. T'Kiera's eyes locked with Moira's and Moira's heart stopped.
This time T'Kiera wasn't planning to negotiate. This time, she was out for revenge.
The phaser blast echoed through her head. The analytical part of her brain remembering what she'd learned about Romulan phasers. Even on the lowest setting, they will kill the victim instantly.
Tom fell to the floor in a heap, T'Kiera's hands and robes were covered in Tom's blood.
T'Kiera had reaimed her phaser at Moira without hesitating but Moira had already fired her own weapon without even having realized it.
People began to run over, kneeling beside the fallen T'Kiera and Tom.
Moira's phaser fell from her hand and she walked over to them, her eyes not straying from Tom's inert form.
One of the people kneeling over Tom, a man in a green Starfleet uniform was holding a tricorder over him.
Moira heard the monotone buzz. She knew what it meant.
The man looked up, "Brain death has occurred. He's gone."
Moira fell to her knees. No, not Tom.
She'd just gotten him back.
And now he was dead. Tom was dead.
To be continued. I know what you're thinking, but stay tuned for my next parts, you never know what could happen. Oh yea, and please REVIEW!
