-Chapter Two - Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold-
The nightmare that often plagued his dreams was back in full force, dredging the pain and loss and hate back to the surface as if they had just happened.
-ICS Oberon, enroute to Sigma Draconis, 2365 AD-
The massive cargo ship Oberon was dragged out of warp by the effects of a Warpfield Inhibitor. Young Ulysses couldn't tell that that was the reason, merely that the ship had left FTL speeds. The quiet, deep, pulse like throbbing of the merchant ships warp core had all but stopped. But that wasn't right. Dad had said that they were going direct to Sigma Draconis. It should have taken considerably longer at the Oberon's plodding Warp 6 to get there from Capella, but for some reason they had dropped out of warp early.
Then the alarms began to wail, followed by previously unlighted bands along the wall flashing the crimson of Red Alert. The small crew of the Oberon began to frantically run towards their duty stations. The Oberon was as large as some starbases, but her crew numbered only 88. Ulysses scurried towards the place his parents had drilled into him to go during just such an emergency.
-ICS Oberon, Deck 3 Section 7-
"Perhaps it's only a routine inspection." Captain Grant Vanguard told his wife hesitantly, worry etching his face. His cool gray eyes were twin pits of desperation as he grasped at anything that could stave off the inevitable. He ran a hand absently through his blond hair.
"You know as well as I do why they are here, and it is for no routine inspection." Selon Vanguard replied with a shake of her head. It caused her cascade of brown curls to toss slightly, and her soft brown eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"But we could hide both of you." Grant began to plead.
"They will not stop until they have me. That is why I must stay. Uly must survive. It is me they want, and if they don't find me, they will be extra thorough in searching the ship. That can't happen, for then they will find both of us. If I stay, they will be satisfied and may well leave the rest of the ship alone. At least this way he has a chance!" Her voice cracked, but she brought her torrent of emotions back under control. "If you tried to save both of us, we would all die. It has to be this way love."
His little legs pumping furiously, 5 year old Ulysses Vanguard rounded the bend to see his mother and father standing right where they had been when they had practiced together.
"You see Papa and Mamma, I came just like we practiced!" Ulysses said, tugging at the hem of his mother's shirt. Both parents fell to their knees and embraced their son.
"Yes you did. You are a very good boy Uly." His father said, eyes brimming with tears as he fiercely gripped his wife and son in a tight embrace.
Selon's tears finally began to fall as she quietly spoke to her son. "Always remember that your Mother and Father love you more than anything. We shall be with you always."
Not completely understanding the true gravity of the situation, Ulysses merely nodded into his mother's shoulder as his small arms wrapped around his parent's necks. He picked up on the tension and sadness of the moment as only a child can. He didn't have to know the specifics, the how's, the why's. All he knew was that his parents were crying and that made him want to cry to.
"You have a powerful destiny awaiting you Uly. I will help and guide you as best I can, but the choices are yours to make. When the time comes, you shall decide which path you take." With a final squeeze Selon released her son and shooed him into the hidden, sensor proofed compartment. It was just big enough for two adults to fit into. "Now remember how we practiced? You have to keep very still and very quiet. Can you do that for Momma?"
"Yes. But aren't you coming in here with me like you did the other times?" Ulysses said, his own eyes glistening with moisture. Selon's face pinched, and fresh tears followed the glistening tracts of the ones that came before.
"Not today Uly. Today you must hide here just like we practiced together." She paused a second as if steeling herself for what she must do. "I love you Uly. Never forget that." She leaned into the compartment and kissed him on the forehead. Then she swung the concealed door shut and locked it. Time seemed to pass slowly, minutes turning to hours, hours turning into days. It hadn't been like that when his mother had been here with him. Then the time had seemed to fly by. Now, with only the cold comfort of the small rooms four walls instead of his mother's tender embrace, it slowed to a terrifying crawl.
-ICS Oberon, Deck 3 Section 7, outside the hidden compartment-
Selon and Grant Vanguard clung to each other, sobbing into one another's shoulders.
"But if you used your powers, you could stop all this from happening!" Grant said between sobs, trying desperately to find another way for the coming events to play out.
"That is not the path to be taken. If I do that, we all will die. It must be this way. As painful as it will be for Uly, it is better than the death or worse that would await him if I chose the other path."
"I never claimed to understand this ability of yours to peer into the possible futures, all I have done is come to believe in it." With a shuddering sigh, he continued. "If you say that the other choices are worse for Uly, then we must do what we must." He leaned foreword and they kissed passionately. They wanted to make the moment last forever, but knew that it could not. After a precious few seconds, he broke off the embrace and walked over to the wall mounted com.
"Grant to William." he said, his voice raw with emotion and his eyes bloodshot. The raspy voice of the Oberon's first officer came over the com.
"William here. What are your orders Captain?"
"You will heave to and drop shields."
"But sir, your wife is still."
"I KNOW damn you! Follow your orders!" Grant snapped as his eyes drifted back to his doomed wife. All the emotion's he was feeling boiled over and filled his voice, but he forced it to soften, not wanting to hurt his friend as the last thing he did. "Sorry, wasn't angry at you, just at the entire damn universe." He gave another shuddering sigh. "No matter what, look after Uly for us."
"I. I swear to you Skipper, on my soul, I'll look after him." William Petersmith replied, his own voice growing heavy with emotion as his CO and best friend told him, however obliquely, that he was going to die. The entire crew of the Oberon was more like a family than anything else. They all knew just what Selon Vanguard was, and they didn't care. They all had no love for the Terran Empire. The crew were all fiercely devoted to their captain and each other, and if Grant wanted to thumb his nose at Imperial edicts, that was just fine by them.
"Good man. It's." Grant's voice cracked, which he covered up with a cough. "It's been a pleasure serving with all of you. May fate be kind to you. Vanguard out."
Hand in hand, their expressions schooled into neutrality despite their inner hurricane of emotions, Grant and Selon turned and walked towards the turbolift. They made it half way down the hall when the whine of a transporter came from behind them. Turning, they saw a complete squad of power armored Section 31 operatives. They all carried the shoulder flashes of Bureau of Purity. Bu Purity had been established by Section 31 to keep Vulcan and Human genetic stock as pure as possible, eliminating all half- breed children they came across. When the edict went out to hunt down and kill all El Aurian's in the Empire, they were only too happy to oblige.
"Well well, the El Aurian and the ships Captain together. Why am I not surprised." The evident leader of the squad said.
"What do you want!" Grant said, his fear giving way to rage.
"My dear Captain, you know exactly what I want. The Council has ordered that all El Aurians be killed, so it shall be done. It's as simple as that. And the punishment for harboring them is also death. But since I'm in a generous mood, I'll only execute you along with her. The rest of your crew shall be spared to tell others of your fate. It will prevent further such actions on the part of others."
"Why are you doing this!" Grant pleaded. "She has done nothing wrong!" His face was defiant, but Selon's was almost serene. She could see the path now very clearly. Ulysses would live. That was enough.
"I have my orders." It was said as if that made what he was about to do all right. His mechanical sounding voice emanating from his suits external speakers didn't betray any emotion at all. That was the worst part. This man seemed to feel nothing as he raised his phaser rifle and fired two quick shots. Both Grant and Selon Vanguard disappeared as their bodies disintegrated. After a short inspection of the rest of the ship and her remaining crew, the team left satisfied that there were no other enemies of the state hiding on the ship. They had gotten the only one they knew about, and uncovering no others, they had completed their mission. Before he left, the squad commander addressed seething yet impotent bridge crew.
"I'll let you go now, because I'm sure that there are a million little things to do before you get back on your way, but ensure that I never have to visit this vessel again. If I do, I will kill every last one of you." Then the leader keyed his comm. "Squad leader to 332, one to beam out. The transporter wined, causing the squad leader to fade out of existence. A glob of spit sent his way by William Petersmith merely passed through his dissolving body to land on the deck behind it.
-ICS Oberon, Deck 3 Section 7, 30 minutes later-
It was a softly crying William who opened the hidden door to the small room.
"Uncle Willie, where's Momma, where's Poppa?" Ulysses demanded as he scrambled out of the small room.
"They're gone Uly." William forced himself to get out. The kid needed to know the truth.
It was a simple sentence, but its meaning was hidden. Not even William could bring himself to say that they were actually dead, not now when their memory was still so fresh. But Ulysses was somehow able to piece together what it really meant. In one brief instant, sheltered young Ulysses learned just how horrible the universe could be. He burst into tears, clinging tightly to the man that he knew as Uncle Willie even as Uncle Willie cried and clung to him. His entire universe was shattered, never to be the same again.
-Penthouse, Ritz Hotel, Moscow, 2387-
Ulysses awoke from the nightmare with hot tears trailing down his cheeks. He snarled half in fury, half in pain, the sound a wounded animal makes. Yet he was that helpless boy no longer. He had finally uncovered the man responsible for his parent's murder, only to have his chance to avenge their deaths slip away like a handful of sand through open fingers.
"Why did you stop me!?!" He growled at T'var who sat with typical Vulcan serenity in a chair at the foot of his bed. He was both angry with her and himself. With her because she had stopped him from achieving his near life long dream, one he had sworn to accomplish. With himself because he hadn't figured out just who the culprit was sooner. To think I actually thought that the new Emperor might be different than the rest of the scum. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't had a part in trying to take out 2nd Fleet. Knowing what I know now, it's a distinct possibility.
"Because if I didn't you would have tried to kill the new Emperor of the Terran Empire. Your attempt would not have succeeded, and even if it had, another would merely take his place, changing nothing."
"You don't understand! That bastard MURDERED my parents! How can you sit there and tell me killing him is not justified?!"
"I never said that it wasn't. But now that you know he was the one who did, we must plan accordingly. As much as I deplore killing, just as Spock did, there are certain instances when it is unavoidable. The time is not yet right for doing what you seek, for there is much yet to prepare. In time you shall have your revenge, just as in time we shall set the Empire free from all people like Jack Chambers. But today is not that day."
As she spoke, a calming wind seemed to blow through his soul. 'Trust T'var Uly. Now is not the time.' He heard his mother's voice say in his head.
The anger inside of him fought against the calming breeze, but in the end it was once again in its cage. Peace flooded through him, then the warm presence was gone again. Ulysses sighed.
"You're right of course. But one day, I WILL kill that son of a bitch!" Ulysses swore, his fists balling the covers on the bed, his knuckles turning white.
"I expected nothing less. Even I might be driven to such an end if he had killed my parents. What we must do in the mean time is expand the resistance. We are greater than even Section suspects, but we must become more powerful still before we strike." T'var said. "Now too more current matters, I was forced to nerve pinch you in order to keep you from attacking the Emperor. I said that getting your medal and meeting the emperor proved too much for you and you fainted. You might even be able to be excused from the ball unless you feel that you can keep your thirst for retribution in check."
"I can keep in on a short leash. Now that I'm thinking again, I can see what my rage obscured. Now is indeed not the time, for not only do I want to get rid of that.man," Ulysses spat the title like a foul piece of food, "from the face of the universe, I want to do the same with all those like him. I don't want anyone in the universe to go through what I was forced to. No body should have to experience that, yet far to many in this sorry excuse for a galaxy have to. If the only way I can do that is to bide my time until the time is right, that's what I'll do. Revenge is a dish best served cold. And when I finally am able to serve it, it will be very cold indeed!"
The nightmare that often plagued his dreams was back in full force, dredging the pain and loss and hate back to the surface as if they had just happened.
-ICS Oberon, enroute to Sigma Draconis, 2365 AD-
The massive cargo ship Oberon was dragged out of warp by the effects of a Warpfield Inhibitor. Young Ulysses couldn't tell that that was the reason, merely that the ship had left FTL speeds. The quiet, deep, pulse like throbbing of the merchant ships warp core had all but stopped. But that wasn't right. Dad had said that they were going direct to Sigma Draconis. It should have taken considerably longer at the Oberon's plodding Warp 6 to get there from Capella, but for some reason they had dropped out of warp early.
Then the alarms began to wail, followed by previously unlighted bands along the wall flashing the crimson of Red Alert. The small crew of the Oberon began to frantically run towards their duty stations. The Oberon was as large as some starbases, but her crew numbered only 88. Ulysses scurried towards the place his parents had drilled into him to go during just such an emergency.
-ICS Oberon, Deck 3 Section 7-
"Perhaps it's only a routine inspection." Captain Grant Vanguard told his wife hesitantly, worry etching his face. His cool gray eyes were twin pits of desperation as he grasped at anything that could stave off the inevitable. He ran a hand absently through his blond hair.
"You know as well as I do why they are here, and it is for no routine inspection." Selon Vanguard replied with a shake of her head. It caused her cascade of brown curls to toss slightly, and her soft brown eyes were filled with unshed tears.
"But we could hide both of you." Grant began to plead.
"They will not stop until they have me. That is why I must stay. Uly must survive. It is me they want, and if they don't find me, they will be extra thorough in searching the ship. That can't happen, for then they will find both of us. If I stay, they will be satisfied and may well leave the rest of the ship alone. At least this way he has a chance!" Her voice cracked, but she brought her torrent of emotions back under control. "If you tried to save both of us, we would all die. It has to be this way love."
His little legs pumping furiously, 5 year old Ulysses Vanguard rounded the bend to see his mother and father standing right where they had been when they had practiced together.
"You see Papa and Mamma, I came just like we practiced!" Ulysses said, tugging at the hem of his mother's shirt. Both parents fell to their knees and embraced their son.
"Yes you did. You are a very good boy Uly." His father said, eyes brimming with tears as he fiercely gripped his wife and son in a tight embrace.
Selon's tears finally began to fall as she quietly spoke to her son. "Always remember that your Mother and Father love you more than anything. We shall be with you always."
Not completely understanding the true gravity of the situation, Ulysses merely nodded into his mother's shoulder as his small arms wrapped around his parent's necks. He picked up on the tension and sadness of the moment as only a child can. He didn't have to know the specifics, the how's, the why's. All he knew was that his parents were crying and that made him want to cry to.
"You have a powerful destiny awaiting you Uly. I will help and guide you as best I can, but the choices are yours to make. When the time comes, you shall decide which path you take." With a final squeeze Selon released her son and shooed him into the hidden, sensor proofed compartment. It was just big enough for two adults to fit into. "Now remember how we practiced? You have to keep very still and very quiet. Can you do that for Momma?"
"Yes. But aren't you coming in here with me like you did the other times?" Ulysses said, his own eyes glistening with moisture. Selon's face pinched, and fresh tears followed the glistening tracts of the ones that came before.
"Not today Uly. Today you must hide here just like we practiced together." She paused a second as if steeling herself for what she must do. "I love you Uly. Never forget that." She leaned into the compartment and kissed him on the forehead. Then she swung the concealed door shut and locked it. Time seemed to pass slowly, minutes turning to hours, hours turning into days. It hadn't been like that when his mother had been here with him. Then the time had seemed to fly by. Now, with only the cold comfort of the small rooms four walls instead of his mother's tender embrace, it slowed to a terrifying crawl.
-ICS Oberon, Deck 3 Section 7, outside the hidden compartment-
Selon and Grant Vanguard clung to each other, sobbing into one another's shoulders.
"But if you used your powers, you could stop all this from happening!" Grant said between sobs, trying desperately to find another way for the coming events to play out.
"That is not the path to be taken. If I do that, we all will die. It must be this way. As painful as it will be for Uly, it is better than the death or worse that would await him if I chose the other path."
"I never claimed to understand this ability of yours to peer into the possible futures, all I have done is come to believe in it." With a shuddering sigh, he continued. "If you say that the other choices are worse for Uly, then we must do what we must." He leaned foreword and they kissed passionately. They wanted to make the moment last forever, but knew that it could not. After a precious few seconds, he broke off the embrace and walked over to the wall mounted com.
"Grant to William." he said, his voice raw with emotion and his eyes bloodshot. The raspy voice of the Oberon's first officer came over the com.
"William here. What are your orders Captain?"
"You will heave to and drop shields."
"But sir, your wife is still."
"I KNOW damn you! Follow your orders!" Grant snapped as his eyes drifted back to his doomed wife. All the emotion's he was feeling boiled over and filled his voice, but he forced it to soften, not wanting to hurt his friend as the last thing he did. "Sorry, wasn't angry at you, just at the entire damn universe." He gave another shuddering sigh. "No matter what, look after Uly for us."
"I. I swear to you Skipper, on my soul, I'll look after him." William Petersmith replied, his own voice growing heavy with emotion as his CO and best friend told him, however obliquely, that he was going to die. The entire crew of the Oberon was more like a family than anything else. They all knew just what Selon Vanguard was, and they didn't care. They all had no love for the Terran Empire. The crew were all fiercely devoted to their captain and each other, and if Grant wanted to thumb his nose at Imperial edicts, that was just fine by them.
"Good man. It's." Grant's voice cracked, which he covered up with a cough. "It's been a pleasure serving with all of you. May fate be kind to you. Vanguard out."
Hand in hand, their expressions schooled into neutrality despite their inner hurricane of emotions, Grant and Selon turned and walked towards the turbolift. They made it half way down the hall when the whine of a transporter came from behind them. Turning, they saw a complete squad of power armored Section 31 operatives. They all carried the shoulder flashes of Bureau of Purity. Bu Purity had been established by Section 31 to keep Vulcan and Human genetic stock as pure as possible, eliminating all half- breed children they came across. When the edict went out to hunt down and kill all El Aurian's in the Empire, they were only too happy to oblige.
"Well well, the El Aurian and the ships Captain together. Why am I not surprised." The evident leader of the squad said.
"What do you want!" Grant said, his fear giving way to rage.
"My dear Captain, you know exactly what I want. The Council has ordered that all El Aurians be killed, so it shall be done. It's as simple as that. And the punishment for harboring them is also death. But since I'm in a generous mood, I'll only execute you along with her. The rest of your crew shall be spared to tell others of your fate. It will prevent further such actions on the part of others."
"Why are you doing this!" Grant pleaded. "She has done nothing wrong!" His face was defiant, but Selon's was almost serene. She could see the path now very clearly. Ulysses would live. That was enough.
"I have my orders." It was said as if that made what he was about to do all right. His mechanical sounding voice emanating from his suits external speakers didn't betray any emotion at all. That was the worst part. This man seemed to feel nothing as he raised his phaser rifle and fired two quick shots. Both Grant and Selon Vanguard disappeared as their bodies disintegrated. After a short inspection of the rest of the ship and her remaining crew, the team left satisfied that there were no other enemies of the state hiding on the ship. They had gotten the only one they knew about, and uncovering no others, they had completed their mission. Before he left, the squad commander addressed seething yet impotent bridge crew.
"I'll let you go now, because I'm sure that there are a million little things to do before you get back on your way, but ensure that I never have to visit this vessel again. If I do, I will kill every last one of you." Then the leader keyed his comm. "Squad leader to 332, one to beam out. The transporter wined, causing the squad leader to fade out of existence. A glob of spit sent his way by William Petersmith merely passed through his dissolving body to land on the deck behind it.
-ICS Oberon, Deck 3 Section 7, 30 minutes later-
It was a softly crying William who opened the hidden door to the small room.
"Uncle Willie, where's Momma, where's Poppa?" Ulysses demanded as he scrambled out of the small room.
"They're gone Uly." William forced himself to get out. The kid needed to know the truth.
It was a simple sentence, but its meaning was hidden. Not even William could bring himself to say that they were actually dead, not now when their memory was still so fresh. But Ulysses was somehow able to piece together what it really meant. In one brief instant, sheltered young Ulysses learned just how horrible the universe could be. He burst into tears, clinging tightly to the man that he knew as Uncle Willie even as Uncle Willie cried and clung to him. His entire universe was shattered, never to be the same again.
-Penthouse, Ritz Hotel, Moscow, 2387-
Ulysses awoke from the nightmare with hot tears trailing down his cheeks. He snarled half in fury, half in pain, the sound a wounded animal makes. Yet he was that helpless boy no longer. He had finally uncovered the man responsible for his parent's murder, only to have his chance to avenge their deaths slip away like a handful of sand through open fingers.
"Why did you stop me!?!" He growled at T'var who sat with typical Vulcan serenity in a chair at the foot of his bed. He was both angry with her and himself. With her because she had stopped him from achieving his near life long dream, one he had sworn to accomplish. With himself because he hadn't figured out just who the culprit was sooner. To think I actually thought that the new Emperor might be different than the rest of the scum. Why, I wouldn't be surprised if he hadn't had a part in trying to take out 2nd Fleet. Knowing what I know now, it's a distinct possibility.
"Because if I didn't you would have tried to kill the new Emperor of the Terran Empire. Your attempt would not have succeeded, and even if it had, another would merely take his place, changing nothing."
"You don't understand! That bastard MURDERED my parents! How can you sit there and tell me killing him is not justified?!"
"I never said that it wasn't. But now that you know he was the one who did, we must plan accordingly. As much as I deplore killing, just as Spock did, there are certain instances when it is unavoidable. The time is not yet right for doing what you seek, for there is much yet to prepare. In time you shall have your revenge, just as in time we shall set the Empire free from all people like Jack Chambers. But today is not that day."
As she spoke, a calming wind seemed to blow through his soul. 'Trust T'var Uly. Now is not the time.' He heard his mother's voice say in his head.
The anger inside of him fought against the calming breeze, but in the end it was once again in its cage. Peace flooded through him, then the warm presence was gone again. Ulysses sighed.
"You're right of course. But one day, I WILL kill that son of a bitch!" Ulysses swore, his fists balling the covers on the bed, his knuckles turning white.
"I expected nothing less. Even I might be driven to such an end if he had killed my parents. What we must do in the mean time is expand the resistance. We are greater than even Section suspects, but we must become more powerful still before we strike." T'var said. "Now too more current matters, I was forced to nerve pinch you in order to keep you from attacking the Emperor. I said that getting your medal and meeting the emperor proved too much for you and you fainted. You might even be able to be excused from the ball unless you feel that you can keep your thirst for retribution in check."
"I can keep in on a short leash. Now that I'm thinking again, I can see what my rage obscured. Now is indeed not the time, for not only do I want to get rid of that.man," Ulysses spat the title like a foul piece of food, "from the face of the universe, I want to do the same with all those like him. I don't want anyone in the universe to go through what I was forced to. No body should have to experience that, yet far to many in this sorry excuse for a galaxy have to. If the only way I can do that is to bide my time until the time is right, that's what I'll do. Revenge is a dish best served cold. And when I finally am able to serve it, it will be very cold indeed!"