Two Sides
Chapter 4
"Captain." Janeway rose from her command chair to stand
next to Harry's console. "Most of the ship's systems are back
online, I've been able to scan for other explosive devices. It
appears that all have detonated and been accounted for."
Janeway relaxed slightly, patting Kim on the shoulder. "Good
work, Harry. Have you scanned for intruders?" Harry shook
his head. "I'll do that now." Janeway waited while the ship
carried out the command. Seconds later, a small panel lit up.
"Intruder detected on deck ten." The captain turned. "Tuvok,
set up forcefields on deck ten, then send a security
detachment on ahead. You're with me." She strode quickly to
the turbolift. Nodding to Chakotay. "Commander, you have
the bridge."
Just as the turbolift doors were sliding shut, Kirk pushed his
way into the lift. "Care if I join you?" Janeway frowned slightly,
shaking her head wryly. "I'm starting to realize it's pointless to
say no." Then she crossed her arms. "Just don't forget who's
Captain of this ship." Kirk nodded, saluting sharply. "Aye,
aye, Captain."
"...And then I went on my first away mission to an actual planet.
It was quite an exhilarating experience." McCoy looked up
from the young Bolian woman he was tending to glare at the
Doctor. "You sure it's my personality rolling around in that
matrix of yours?" The Doctor crossed his arms proudly. "Of
course, Doctor. In fact, my own personality would be rather
dull without it." McCoy shuddered. "You don't say."
Janeway stood next to Tuvok and Kirk at the junction of two
corridors. On the other side of the intersection, the second
security team waited, phasers drawn. Glancing at the captain,
Tuvok nodded to his team, then rushed around the corner,
only to stop dead in his tracks. The intruder wasn't there.
Janeway slapped her combadge. "Janeway to bridge."
Chakotay answered quickly. "We're on it Captain. Somehow
he bypassed the forcefields, and is now headed towards
sickbay." Janeway nodded to Tuvok. "We're on our way.
Janeway to sickbay." The Doctor responded brightly.
"Sickbay here."
"Doctor, I want you to be on the alert. There is an intruder
headed your way. Do what you can to keep him there." In
the sickbay, the Doctor quickly shooed the last remaining
patient from the room. "Will do, Captain, sickbay out."
McCoy tried to act natural as he lie on the biobed. "I still don't
see why I have to be the one to act sick." The Doctor adjusted
the blanket around his chin. "Because I was programmed to
be a doctor, not a patient. Now lie still." Just as he finished
speaking, the sickbay doors slid open, admitting a hooded
figure. "Hello, how can I help you?" Without speaking, the
intruder lifted a small weapon and aimed it at the Doctor.
"I assure you, that won't have any effect on me." Slowly, the
Doctor backed away until he passed the biobed holding McCoy.
As soon as the intruder was close enough, McCoy reached
out and injected him in the leg with the hypospray hidden in
his hand. Without a sound, the intruder dropped to the deck.
Folding his arms, the Doctor frowned at the still form. "Well,
that was sure worth all this effort." McCoy smiled at his dry
tone. "Ah ha, there I am!"
Seconds later, Janeway and the two security teams entered.
"Place him on a biobed with restraints. Then let's find out who
he is." Once the prisoner was secured, Tuvok removed the
hood from his face. Janeway gasped, while Tuvok lifted an
eyebrow. "Fascinating." Kirk stepped forward, then swore
aloud. "I don't believe it!"
Never did he dream he would see that face again. Even
though it had been several years since he had last seen it,
he still found himself struck by the odd coloration of the
otherwise normal, human-like features. Janeway turned to
him questioningly. "I know this man, I've dealt with him before."
At her nod, Kirk pressed his lips together grimly. "His name is
Lokai. And if you don't get him off your ship, you may lose it,
and possibly your life."
"When Lokai first boarded the Enterprise, he told us he
needed sanctuary from the man who was pursuing him.
He told us he was a slave, and wanted us to grant him asylum.
We tried to help him, only to learn later, when his pursuer
arrived, that they were of the same race. The only difference
between them was that Lokai was black on left side of his face,
and his pursuer, Bele, was black on the right." Janeway
stiffened. "Bele, that's the name of the First administrator,
the man we intended to meet with before the explosions."
Kirk looked grim. "No doubt, he is still in pursuit of Lokai,
and will stop at nothing to capture him once more."
The Captain nodded to the Doctor. "Can he be revived?"
Kirk held up his hand. "I want to caution you, both Lokai and
Bele possess powerful mental abilities. I've seen them take
over control of my ship with a thought, as well as produce
personal shields and electrical fields strong enough to kill."
There was a hiss as the doors to sickbay slid open. Seconds
later, Seven of Nine and Spock entered. "Seven, I was just
about to contact you." Janeway gestured to the unconscious
alien on the biobed. "Have you ever seen a species like this
before. Seven nodded. "Species 219, one of the first species
the Borg ever encountered."
"Strange, they were thought to be extinct." Kirk looked
confused. "Bele told us that their war destroyed their world."
Tuvok crossed his arms. "Perhaps they mistook a Borg
invasion for something they caused." Janeway held up her
hand. "This is interesting speculation gentlemen, but I'd like
to hear what Lokai himself has to say, and why he tried to
disable my ship. Seven, can you modify the biobed
restraints to resist Lokai's electrical field?" Seven examined
the controls. "I believe I can adapt the field with a modulating
frequency, similar to those used against the Borg."
Janeway nodded. "Do it." Minutes later, Seven glanced up.
"You may wake him. However, I shall continue to monitor his
exertions in case the field weakens." Stepping forward, the
Doctor administered the stimulant. Seconds later, Lokai's
eyes snapped open. Immediately he began struggling.
"Release me, he's coming!" Janeway leaned over him.
"Who's coming, Bele?" Lokai looked startled. "You know him.
Then you know he intends to kill me!" Behind her, Janeway
heard Kirk's sharp laugh. "You are a liar, Lokai! I don't think
you can be killed." Lokai gasped as Kirk stepped into view.
"You! But, I heard you were..." Janeway silenced him with an
upraised hand.
"That's not why we're here. You attacked my ship, I want to
know why." Seven tapped furiously as the forcefield
shimmered, then glanced up, nodding that she had it under
control. "I needed your ship to escape, but I didn't disable it,
that was Bele. He was the one who planted the explosives."
Crossing her arms, Janeway glared at him. "I never told you
how the ship was damaged. How did you know about the
explosives?" Lokai lurched in his restraints, causing the field
to shimmer once more. "You didn't have to, I was here for the
experience!" Janeway stepped away as her combadge beeped.
"This is Janeway."
"Captain, First administrator Bele wished to speak with you."
Janeway rubbed her forehead wearily. "Acknowledged
Chakotay, patch it through to the sickbay monitor." Moments
later, she was once more face to hooded face with
Administrator Bele. "Ahh, Captain. I was worried when you
didn't transport down. Was there a problem?" Cringing
inwardly at the sugary concern, Janeway applied her own false
smile. "Why Administrator, why would you assume there was
anything wrong? I simply decided it would be more
advantageous for you to transport here. In fact, I'd love to
give you a tour of my ship right now."
Administrator Bele cleared his throat. "I, will have to discuss it
with the department heads. In the mean time, feel free to
reconsider my request. I'd be honored to have you as my
guest." With the connection broken, Janeway returned to the
group. Off to the side, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were holding
a private conversation. "It seems the First administrator is
unwilling to join us. I wonder why?" Lokai began struggling
again, causing the forcefield to shimmer violently. "Captain,
the field will not hold for much longer." Janeway nodded.
"I don't relish the idea of sending him back to that planet.
But we can't risk keeping him here either." Kirk stepped forward.
"Captain Janeway, I think I have a solution."
Two Sides
Chapter 5
"Are you certain he'll come?" Janeway smiled. "I think this
was his idea all along. Q, enough games! Show yourself!"
A flash of light preceded the entity as he appeared on the
bridge, clothed as a twenty-fourth century captain this time.
"Why Kathy, are you saying you don't like games?" Janeway
shook her head.
"No, I just don't like your games." Q dropped huffily into the
command chair. "Kathryn, I'm hurt. And after all I've done for
you." Rising to his feet, Q spread his arms grandly.
"However, I'm willing to forgive. After all, you performed
magnificently, just as I knew you would!" Janeway stalked
up to him, fury behind her eyes. "Because of you, many of
my crew are dead!" Q held up his hands. "I told you, this
was a game. None of your pieces were permanently
damaged." With another flash, all of the formerly dead
crewmembers returned, all sharing the same astonished looks.
"Q, about my extra crewmembers..."
"Ahh yes, the three musketeers. Not to worry Kathy, I'll
return them immediately." Q prepared to snap his fingers
when Janeway held up her hand. "Wait, Q. I have two
conditions first."
As the flash dissipated, Kirk shook his head. "Quite the
way to travel." Spock seemed unruffled, while McCoy
crossed his arms in irritation. "And I thought
transporters were deadly." Beside them, Lokai stood,
frozen in the same position he had been in before Q
whisked them away.
Kirk glanced around the bridge. His crew was equally
frozen, hands paused in mid motion. "Spock, if you'd be
so kind as to lend a hand?"
"Indeed Captain. However, I believe two hands would be
more effective." Not taking the time to remark, Kirk grasped
Lokai by the feet, while Spock took his shoulders. Together,
with McCoy guiding them, they worked their way to the
transporter room. "I don't see... why Q couldn't... just beam
Lokai down... himself." Spock, not even needing to catch his
breath, responded blandly. "I have noticed that Q has a
malevolent sense of humor. He probably thought of this as a
joke." Finally reaching their destination, the two men
deposited the stiff form on the transporter pad, then
stepped away. Kirk walked around the transporter console,
pushing Ensign Thomas' fingers aside as he activated the
board. Seconds later, Lokai disappeared in a haze of
sparkles. "Let's leave a warning beacon here. The last thing
we need are two Lokai's racing about the universe."
Once back on the bridge, Spock released a beacon,
programming it to warn of danger on the planet below.
As soon as he finished his task, there was a familiar flash
of light, and Q once more adorned the bridge. "Greetings
all! It is my sad duty to inform you that this is the last time
you will ever look upon my greatness." McCoy smiled grimly.
"Here, here." Ignoring the comment, Q raised his hands.
"But before I go, I have one final gift to bestow upon you."
Once more, the bridge was washed in light. When it faded,
Kirk glanced up to see his bridge crew shaking their heads
and rubbing their eyes. "Spock, did you see what caused
that light?" Spock shook his head.
"Negative Captain, there is nothing on sensors." Kirk rubbed
the back of his neck as he dropped into his command chair.
"What does your scan reveal of the planet?" Before Spock
could answer, a loud pinging filled the bridge. "Captain, the
planet has a warning beacon orbiting it. I suggest we back
away." Kirk nodded. "Make a note of its location in the log.
We'll warn Starfleet to keep clear." Spock returned to his
station. "Aye, aye captain."
On the planet's surface, one voice cried out in rage.
But there was no one left to hear.
- End
Chapter 4
"Captain." Janeway rose from her command chair to stand
next to Harry's console. "Most of the ship's systems are back
online, I've been able to scan for other explosive devices. It
appears that all have detonated and been accounted for."
Janeway relaxed slightly, patting Kim on the shoulder. "Good
work, Harry. Have you scanned for intruders?" Harry shook
his head. "I'll do that now." Janeway waited while the ship
carried out the command. Seconds later, a small panel lit up.
"Intruder detected on deck ten." The captain turned. "Tuvok,
set up forcefields on deck ten, then send a security
detachment on ahead. You're with me." She strode quickly to
the turbolift. Nodding to Chakotay. "Commander, you have
the bridge."
Just as the turbolift doors were sliding shut, Kirk pushed his
way into the lift. "Care if I join you?" Janeway frowned slightly,
shaking her head wryly. "I'm starting to realize it's pointless to
say no." Then she crossed her arms. "Just don't forget who's
Captain of this ship." Kirk nodded, saluting sharply. "Aye,
aye, Captain."
"...And then I went on my first away mission to an actual planet.
It was quite an exhilarating experience." McCoy looked up
from the young Bolian woman he was tending to glare at the
Doctor. "You sure it's my personality rolling around in that
matrix of yours?" The Doctor crossed his arms proudly. "Of
course, Doctor. In fact, my own personality would be rather
dull without it." McCoy shuddered. "You don't say."
Janeway stood next to Tuvok and Kirk at the junction of two
corridors. On the other side of the intersection, the second
security team waited, phasers drawn. Glancing at the captain,
Tuvok nodded to his team, then rushed around the corner,
only to stop dead in his tracks. The intruder wasn't there.
Janeway slapped her combadge. "Janeway to bridge."
Chakotay answered quickly. "We're on it Captain. Somehow
he bypassed the forcefields, and is now headed towards
sickbay." Janeway nodded to Tuvok. "We're on our way.
Janeway to sickbay." The Doctor responded brightly.
"Sickbay here."
"Doctor, I want you to be on the alert. There is an intruder
headed your way. Do what you can to keep him there." In
the sickbay, the Doctor quickly shooed the last remaining
patient from the room. "Will do, Captain, sickbay out."
McCoy tried to act natural as he lie on the biobed. "I still don't
see why I have to be the one to act sick." The Doctor adjusted
the blanket around his chin. "Because I was programmed to
be a doctor, not a patient. Now lie still." Just as he finished
speaking, the sickbay doors slid open, admitting a hooded
figure. "Hello, how can I help you?" Without speaking, the
intruder lifted a small weapon and aimed it at the Doctor.
"I assure you, that won't have any effect on me." Slowly, the
Doctor backed away until he passed the biobed holding McCoy.
As soon as the intruder was close enough, McCoy reached
out and injected him in the leg with the hypospray hidden in
his hand. Without a sound, the intruder dropped to the deck.
Folding his arms, the Doctor frowned at the still form. "Well,
that was sure worth all this effort." McCoy smiled at his dry
tone. "Ah ha, there I am!"
Seconds later, Janeway and the two security teams entered.
"Place him on a biobed with restraints. Then let's find out who
he is." Once the prisoner was secured, Tuvok removed the
hood from his face. Janeway gasped, while Tuvok lifted an
eyebrow. "Fascinating." Kirk stepped forward, then swore
aloud. "I don't believe it!"
Never did he dream he would see that face again. Even
though it had been several years since he had last seen it,
he still found himself struck by the odd coloration of the
otherwise normal, human-like features. Janeway turned to
him questioningly. "I know this man, I've dealt with him before."
At her nod, Kirk pressed his lips together grimly. "His name is
Lokai. And if you don't get him off your ship, you may lose it,
and possibly your life."
"When Lokai first boarded the Enterprise, he told us he
needed sanctuary from the man who was pursuing him.
He told us he was a slave, and wanted us to grant him asylum.
We tried to help him, only to learn later, when his pursuer
arrived, that they were of the same race. The only difference
between them was that Lokai was black on left side of his face,
and his pursuer, Bele, was black on the right." Janeway
stiffened. "Bele, that's the name of the First administrator,
the man we intended to meet with before the explosions."
Kirk looked grim. "No doubt, he is still in pursuit of Lokai,
and will stop at nothing to capture him once more."
The Captain nodded to the Doctor. "Can he be revived?"
Kirk held up his hand. "I want to caution you, both Lokai and
Bele possess powerful mental abilities. I've seen them take
over control of my ship with a thought, as well as produce
personal shields and electrical fields strong enough to kill."
There was a hiss as the doors to sickbay slid open. Seconds
later, Seven of Nine and Spock entered. "Seven, I was just
about to contact you." Janeway gestured to the unconscious
alien on the biobed. "Have you ever seen a species like this
before. Seven nodded. "Species 219, one of the first species
the Borg ever encountered."
"Strange, they were thought to be extinct." Kirk looked
confused. "Bele told us that their war destroyed their world."
Tuvok crossed his arms. "Perhaps they mistook a Borg
invasion for something they caused." Janeway held up her
hand. "This is interesting speculation gentlemen, but I'd like
to hear what Lokai himself has to say, and why he tried to
disable my ship. Seven, can you modify the biobed
restraints to resist Lokai's electrical field?" Seven examined
the controls. "I believe I can adapt the field with a modulating
frequency, similar to those used against the Borg."
Janeway nodded. "Do it." Minutes later, Seven glanced up.
"You may wake him. However, I shall continue to monitor his
exertions in case the field weakens." Stepping forward, the
Doctor administered the stimulant. Seconds later, Lokai's
eyes snapped open. Immediately he began struggling.
"Release me, he's coming!" Janeway leaned over him.
"Who's coming, Bele?" Lokai looked startled. "You know him.
Then you know he intends to kill me!" Behind her, Janeway
heard Kirk's sharp laugh. "You are a liar, Lokai! I don't think
you can be killed." Lokai gasped as Kirk stepped into view.
"You! But, I heard you were..." Janeway silenced him with an
upraised hand.
"That's not why we're here. You attacked my ship, I want to
know why." Seven tapped furiously as the forcefield
shimmered, then glanced up, nodding that she had it under
control. "I needed your ship to escape, but I didn't disable it,
that was Bele. He was the one who planted the explosives."
Crossing her arms, Janeway glared at him. "I never told you
how the ship was damaged. How did you know about the
explosives?" Lokai lurched in his restraints, causing the field
to shimmer once more. "You didn't have to, I was here for the
experience!" Janeway stepped away as her combadge beeped.
"This is Janeway."
"Captain, First administrator Bele wished to speak with you."
Janeway rubbed her forehead wearily. "Acknowledged
Chakotay, patch it through to the sickbay monitor." Moments
later, she was once more face to hooded face with
Administrator Bele. "Ahh, Captain. I was worried when you
didn't transport down. Was there a problem?" Cringing
inwardly at the sugary concern, Janeway applied her own false
smile. "Why Administrator, why would you assume there was
anything wrong? I simply decided it would be more
advantageous for you to transport here. In fact, I'd love to
give you a tour of my ship right now."
Administrator Bele cleared his throat. "I, will have to discuss it
with the department heads. In the mean time, feel free to
reconsider my request. I'd be honored to have you as my
guest." With the connection broken, Janeway returned to the
group. Off to the side, Kirk, Spock, and McCoy were holding
a private conversation. "It seems the First administrator is
unwilling to join us. I wonder why?" Lokai began struggling
again, causing the forcefield to shimmer violently. "Captain,
the field will not hold for much longer." Janeway nodded.
"I don't relish the idea of sending him back to that planet.
But we can't risk keeping him here either." Kirk stepped forward.
"Captain Janeway, I think I have a solution."
Two Sides
Chapter 5
"Are you certain he'll come?" Janeway smiled. "I think this
was his idea all along. Q, enough games! Show yourself!"
A flash of light preceded the entity as he appeared on the
bridge, clothed as a twenty-fourth century captain this time.
"Why Kathy, are you saying you don't like games?" Janeway
shook her head.
"No, I just don't like your games." Q dropped huffily into the
command chair. "Kathryn, I'm hurt. And after all I've done for
you." Rising to his feet, Q spread his arms grandly.
"However, I'm willing to forgive. After all, you performed
magnificently, just as I knew you would!" Janeway stalked
up to him, fury behind her eyes. "Because of you, many of
my crew are dead!" Q held up his hands. "I told you, this
was a game. None of your pieces were permanently
damaged." With another flash, all of the formerly dead
crewmembers returned, all sharing the same astonished looks.
"Q, about my extra crewmembers..."
"Ahh yes, the three musketeers. Not to worry Kathy, I'll
return them immediately." Q prepared to snap his fingers
when Janeway held up her hand. "Wait, Q. I have two
conditions first."
As the flash dissipated, Kirk shook his head. "Quite the
way to travel." Spock seemed unruffled, while McCoy
crossed his arms in irritation. "And I thought
transporters were deadly." Beside them, Lokai stood,
frozen in the same position he had been in before Q
whisked them away.
Kirk glanced around the bridge. His crew was equally
frozen, hands paused in mid motion. "Spock, if you'd be
so kind as to lend a hand?"
"Indeed Captain. However, I believe two hands would be
more effective." Not taking the time to remark, Kirk grasped
Lokai by the feet, while Spock took his shoulders. Together,
with McCoy guiding them, they worked their way to the
transporter room. "I don't see... why Q couldn't... just beam
Lokai down... himself." Spock, not even needing to catch his
breath, responded blandly. "I have noticed that Q has a
malevolent sense of humor. He probably thought of this as a
joke." Finally reaching their destination, the two men
deposited the stiff form on the transporter pad, then
stepped away. Kirk walked around the transporter console,
pushing Ensign Thomas' fingers aside as he activated the
board. Seconds later, Lokai disappeared in a haze of
sparkles. "Let's leave a warning beacon here. The last thing
we need are two Lokai's racing about the universe."
Once back on the bridge, Spock released a beacon,
programming it to warn of danger on the planet below.
As soon as he finished his task, there was a familiar flash
of light, and Q once more adorned the bridge. "Greetings
all! It is my sad duty to inform you that this is the last time
you will ever look upon my greatness." McCoy smiled grimly.
"Here, here." Ignoring the comment, Q raised his hands.
"But before I go, I have one final gift to bestow upon you."
Once more, the bridge was washed in light. When it faded,
Kirk glanced up to see his bridge crew shaking their heads
and rubbing their eyes. "Spock, did you see what caused
that light?" Spock shook his head.
"Negative Captain, there is nothing on sensors." Kirk rubbed
the back of his neck as he dropped into his command chair.
"What does your scan reveal of the planet?" Before Spock
could answer, a loud pinging filled the bridge. "Captain, the
planet has a warning beacon orbiting it. I suggest we back
away." Kirk nodded. "Make a note of its location in the log.
We'll warn Starfleet to keep clear." Spock returned to his
station. "Aye, aye captain."
On the planet's surface, one voice cried out in rage.
But there was no one left to hear.
- End