"Elaine, is the signal being jammed?" Commander Kirk asked from the captain's chair.
She shook her head. "No. Near as I can figure, there's just nothing on the other end. It's like they were turned off."
"Or broken," Kirk added. "And you can't raise anyone from the Cardassian government either?"
"No, Sir. They're getting our signal, though. They're just not answering."
Stephen rubbed his face. "Okay... keep trying. Someone HAS to be home."
"Commander," Tyler interrupted, "we've reached the Cardassian home system."
Kirk nodded. "Break us out of warp. Full impulse to Cardassia Prime."
"Aye, aye, Sir." With a flash of white light on the forward viewscreen, the stars stopped their normal streaking movements and appeared to stand still.
"Richards, are you getting anything or anyone at all?"
Kenyon looked up from his sensor console and shook his head. "Zip. Not a single contact. Long range sensors are still picking up people, though. It's not like they're not there."
"They're just not talking," Kirk added. He considered the viewscreen through narrowed eyes, as though he'd be able to spot something with his eyes that the sensors couldn't see. "This place has turned into a very unfriendly neighborhood. Kenyon... as soon as we're in range, I want you to scan the daylights out of Cardassia Prime. Get everything you can... every square centimeter, especially around the capital city."
"I can do that, Sir." Commander Richards replied. He cocked his head. "What do you think is down there?"
Kirk shook his head. "I'm just playing a hunch." Silently, he said a prayer.
After another fifteen minutes had passed, an almost infinite amount of time when no one knows what to expect, they rounded Cardassia III for a final approach to Cardassia Prime. "We'll reach Cardassia Prime in four minutes, Sir." Ensign Bristol announced. "Standard orbit?"
Kirk nodded. "This is really peculiar. It's like the lights are on, but nobody's home."
"Oh, there are lots of people home," Kenyon corrected. "There's a lot of activity going on around the government building. None of it has a human biosign, though. There's something else..." his voice tapered off as he continued pressing buttons on his console. Richards then stood up and turned to face Kirk with a raised eyebrow. "There's a shield around the government building. If our people are in there, or far enough underground, I won't be able to see them."
Kirk's eyes narrowed. Slowly, he moved his vision from Richards to the viewscreen. "Enough games." He announced quietly. "T'Nia, lock on the government building as soon as it's in range. Davies, open me a channel to the Cardassian government."
"Aye, Sir... but I've already tried that." She started pressing buttons to establish the link. "They aren't responding."
His voice lowered. "I don't need them to respond. I just need them to listen."
"Channel open, Sir." She said, her voice wavering a bit with nervousness.
Stephen took a deep breath. "This is Commander Stephen Kirk of the Starfleet dreadnaught Warlord. We've lost communications with our peace delegation and need to speak with them now. We have reason to believe they are being held against their will..."
"We're getting a reply, Sir." Lieutenant Davies interrupted. The image of a familiar Cardassian official filled the forward viewscreen. It was Ross Tegril. In the space of just a few hours, he looked like he had aged years.
"Commander Kirk, where is your captain?" Tegril asked accusingly.
For an instant, Stephen was at a loss of what to say. "He's... not feeling well." That was a good lie... after all, it was mostly true. "I am currently in command until he's feeling better. Where is our peace delegation?"
Taken slightly aback at the annoucement, Ross did his best to recover. Obviously, he didn't want to be having this conversation. "Um... as we have already stated, we no longer wish to join the Federation. Please leave our space at once."
"Where is our peace delegation?" Kirk repeated, a little more angry than before.
Ross appeared to look at someone off-screen. He then turned back to face Kirk. "They are...ah... being detained. They will be returned once we..."
"I want to see them now." Kirk ordered. Inside, his heart was racing. He knew this could easily spark yet another war... a war neither side was ready to start... or were they?
There was another pause before Tegril spoke again. "That is impossible. You must leave now. They will be returned unharmed once you comply..."
"I suspect they're being held in the government building. How about I just blast that shield to oblivion and take a look for myself?" His palms were beginning to sweat. Stephen couldn't believe he had just said that. That wasn't very diplomatic, was it... he admitted to himself.
"Commander..." Richards interrupted nervously, looking up from his sensor console. "We have company."