Qua

Fifteen Years Ago

Pike reread the message Leland had handed to him muttering, "damn it," after a third scrutiny. He dropped the paper in a glass of water; the ink bled turning the liquid a murky blue.

"It's not yet confirmed, merely rumored," Leland pointed out in a disguised recommendation.

After tossing out the dirtied water and grinding the remnants of the disintegrating paper into the ground with the heel of his boot, Pike shook his head at his second-in-command. "Mission rules. Waiting for evidence we've been identified is too risky, the situation here is a powder keg. Activate the emergency evacuation signal. Round up the rest of the team and meet us at the rendezvous point. Isak and I will escort Anja there."

"You can't," Leland protested in a gruff tone. His voice softened, "I mean, I agree with you, I sympathize with her, I want her to be safe, but you can't remove an Indigenous being from a pre-warp society. It violates General Order One."

The reply was terse. "When Starfleet deems Federation security interests trump our noninterference rules, when this calculation and its resulting actions become acceptable, become defensible, become normalized, they have to accept the consequences. We can't leave her here without protection." Pike checked the charge on his weapon then strapped on an ankle holster stowing a smaller phaser in it.

Leland shook his head and argued, "Every ideal cannot be upheld all the time, not in an imperfect and dangerous galaxy. That's your Achilles heel. Besides, our mission here was to restore balance after House Kor armed the largest nations of Qua's western hemisphere. Which is different than interfering with a developing society."

"Now who's naive?" Pike asked crossly. "Passing out weapons to beings barely out of their agrarian era is the polar opposite of a benevolent helping hand."

"Yet necessary so the eastern city-states can defend against invaders openly aided by the Klingons," Leland retorted.

Pike sighed. "A fair point. But arguing legalities is futile, my decision is made. I'm offering her political asylum. By working as our interpreter Anja was integral to the success of our mission. And if discovered, she faces, at the very least, punishment by her own family for contact with foreigners. If captured by a more insular eastern government or by western agents, she'll be questioned, vigorously, and perhaps executed. Certainly imprisoned in miserable conditions and assaulted, passed around from guard to guard."

"And if you are caught our involvement becomes open knowledge. The people in this hemisphere will demand ties to the Federation be severed. And then they will be at the mercy of those the Klingons are arming," Leland reminded.

"Or put another way, Starfleet's influence over this part of Qua will evaporate," Pike shot back.

"Yes." A pause. Leland ran a hand through his hair. "Our duty is protecting civilians. I much don't care whether they are officially part of the Federation or not, I stand between the innocent and monsters. That is what I was born to do. Klingons are beasts. And the reality of winning a fight is the safety of a group outweighs the safety of the individual. Anja knew the risks when she agreed to help us. She accepted them. Don't throw away the good done by her bravery on a boy scout flight of fancy."

Isak verified all of their equipment and weapons were accounted for, piling those remaining into a backpack. While working he kept track of the conversation at the opposite end of the tent. Their team's commander and his second were like yin and yang, opposites with a healthy respect for the other. Together Pike and Leland were formidable. Yet their conflicting views of 'the big things' as Isak termed beliefs, hopes, fears, and principles, edged them a little further apart with each passing year.

"Anja is nineteen. Still a teenager," Pike answered.

"Not by her culture's standards," Leland pointed out refusing to back down.

The two men stood toe to toe holding the other's gaze. Leland looked away. "Damn it. I'm supposed to be the cowboy and you the voice of reason. Why the hell have you switched roles?"

"You're rubbing off on me?"

Leland snorted. "Can I change your mind?"

Pike shook his head. "No. You have your orders. Isak and I will break camp and mop up. See you in six hours. Keep an eye on Zach, this is his first emergency exfil."

Leland nodded and gathered his gear.

Pike called as the other man was exiting the tent, "And ..."

Leland turned.

"I did hear you. And I'll keep your recommendations in mind."

"Fair enough. Safe travel and good hunting," Leland said then left.

"What do you think?" Pike asked Isak.

Isak tossed him the backpack. "That we don't have much time. I'll strike the tent and destroy anything we can't carry. You sweep the site."

ooooo

Pike returned to the rock formation outside of Anja's village. It was the gateway to a vast desert. He ducked under an outcropping and whispered to Isak, "She's gone. Her oldest brother turned her in to the local authorities for disgracing the family."

"Bastard."

"They've taken her to the capital city. From the little information I could scrounge, she's being held in the cathedral there."

Isak rubbed his chin. "How … odd. And clever. There's no way to retrieve her without collateral damage."

Pike nodded. "I'd wager more than the provincial government bureaucrats are now involved. Proof of Federation activities on this planet feeds propaganda efforts of those eastern governments sympathetic to the Klingons. Tactical analysis?"

"The path to the capital city is a three-hour trek through open desert made longer as we have to erase our footsteps. There's no cover. Eighty to twenty says we'd be detected. Should we make it there and manage a successful rescue, there's little time left to reach the rendezvous site. And I am glossing over the return trip through the desert," Isak answered.

"I concur." Pike crawled out and away from the outcropping, then leaned against a rock closing his eyes against the harsh sunlight. "I hate cramped spaces. Feels like there is no room for thinking."

They sat in silence each reviewing increasingly intricate scenarios for reaching and extracting Anja, each plan hazardous and likely to end in failure. Isak vocalized three, Pike considered each then rejected them.

"We don't leave anyone behind Chris," Isak said. He added in a gentler tone, "You have time before a final decision is required."

"Time isn't going to change the facts. And it might be needed if we encounter a problem between here and the exfil site. I have to consider the team; they cannot fall into Klingon hands." Pike's voice cracked, "I have to consider the bigger picture. Anja alone isn't enough to confirm our presence. And Leland is right, Federation weapons restore the power equilibrium here. Otherwise thousands will suffer. Villages will be burned to the ground. I detest this, but it's reality."

"I will follow wherever you point," Isak said.

"Someday that's liable to land you in hot water," Pike warned.

"I always appreciate a good steam bath."

Pike stood. "Come. Let's meet our team and go home. There's nothing more we can do here."

ooooo

Two years after Pike's mission, the galactic security calculations changed for the Klingon Houses and the Federation, and both withdrew military support from Qua. A year later civil war began there fracturing nations into regional territories.

For Pike there was no closure, Anja, the young girl who acted as their interpreter, her fate remained unknown. He prayed she'd found safety. He feared she languished in prison suffering malnutrition and mistreatment. He and Isak rarely spoke of the day Chris chose to leave someone behind.

The Captain overseeing the after-action review agreed with then Lieutenant Pike's decisions. As he became a more seasoned and skilled commander, Chris knew he got it wrong that day.