Zala and Zyri, nine year old twin daughters of Jack and Lorza, have been abducted by the Order of Kodar, a group of Kasari religious extremists. Their current location is unknown….
Zala awakens on a bed, in a dimly lit room. Once the girl is fully alert, she stands up, and looks at her surroundings.
This room… looks kind of like our quarters on the Dynasty, just smaller. Am I on a ship? Where am I? Zala thinks.
"Mom? Dad? Zyri?" Zala asks.
"Ugh… you don't… have to yell. I'm right here." A young female voice says from a nearby couch.
"Zyri!" Zala says.
Zyri slowly gets up from the couch, with Zala's help.
"You good?" Zala asks.
"Yeah. So, that's what getting stunned feels like. Can't say I'm a fan." Zyri says.
"Same here. I feel like I've been asleep for a week." Zala says.
"There's no telling how long we were out." Zyri says.
"That was a Kasari grenade that knocked us out. Mom and Aunt Vezzi went down too." Zala says.
"Are mom and dad here?" Zyri asks.
"No. Just us. Wherever we are. From the looks of things, I think we might be on a ship." Zala answers.
"We can find out." Zyri says. She approaches the room's entrance, and the door stays closed. She tries pressing the keypad next to the door. Still, nothing happens.
"Must be locked from the outside." Zala says.
"There's no power to the door panel." Zyri says.
"Could be a security lockout. Mom and dad used to do that to our quarters when we were little." Zala says.
"Yeah, and that's why I learned how to bypass these things. I'll just rip this panel off and start working on the control chips." Zyri says.
Before Zyri can start, the door opens. Zyri quickly backs away as three kasari men enter. One of them is Grand Emtoc Zarayn, leader of the Order of Kodar.
"The room is locked from the outside. Only the proper security code will override it, so tampering with the control panel is a waste of time." Zarayn says.
"That's cute. Can we go now?" Zala asks.
"You… will be allowed to leave once you have been properly educated in the ways of our people and devote yourselves to Kodar, the one true god." Zarayn answers.
"Fat chance of that, jerkface!" Zala says.
"I see your mother has taught you her disrespectful ways. It appears we will also have to teach the both of you how to behave like proper kasari children. There will be an extensive education regimen, as well as religious ceremonies. The food replicator is available to you. There is also sufficient reading material to keep you occupied. Outside of your education, you will be kept in this room until you have earned our trust." Zarayn says.
"Our parents are gonna come for us, and my mom is gonna kick your ass!" Zala says.
"A child dares to speak to the Grand Emtoc with such disrespect! You will learn…" One of the other men says. Zarayn raises a hand, and the man stops speaking.
"Stand down, Tazir. These children do not know our ways. We must be tolerant." Zarayn says.
"Yes, Grand Emtoc." Tazir says.
"Zala, Zyri, I will return to collect you in three hours. Good day." Zarayn says. He turns away from the girls, and leaves the room, with the other two men following him.
"Great! What now?" Zala asks.
"I have an idea." Zyri answers. She walks to the nearby food replicator.
"I think that's a Starfleet replicator…." Zala says, once she gets a good look at the wall mounted device.
"Yeah, and according to whackjob, it works. Computer, two strawberry sundaes." Zyri says. Two bowls of ice cream materialize within seconds.
"Hell of time for a snack, don't you think?" Zala asks.
"Come on, Z… " Zyri says.
"Oh, what the hell? Can't pass up good ice cream, can I?" Zala asks.
Zyri takes the two dishes out of the replicator, and offers one to her sister. Zala accepts, and the two girls eat their sundaes. Once done, Zyri returns to the replicator.
"Are you… getting something else?" Zala asks. Zyri kneels in front of the replicator, and removes the front panel.
"Nope. I'm reprogramming this thing. I'm going to make the computer think this is an engineering station. That should give me access to some of the systems." Zyri says.
"Are you sure you know what you're doing? I remember that one time last year… " Zala says.
"That was last year. I've learned a lot more since then." Zyri says.
"I hope so, because the last time you tried fooling around with the computer, we ended up with holographic Borg all over the ship!" Zala says.
"I accidentally put three isolinear chips in the wrong order. That's why that happened. I know enough now that it won't happen again." Zyri says.
"All we were trying to do was bypass dad's security lockout so we could run the phaser training course on our own. But, instead, we ended up invaded by holographic Borg!" Zala says. Zyri stands up, and turns to face her sister.
"Whose idea was it to run the phaser training without permission? Yours! I thought you were crazy, but I went along with it because I thought it might be fun!" Zyri says, a hint of anger in her voice.
"I said I was sorry!" Zala says.
"We were banned from the holodecks for a month!" Zyri shouts.
"Yeah, I know. I was there." Zala says. Zyri stands in silence for a moment.
"Sorry, Zala. I didn't mean to snap." Zyri says. Zala smiles, then hugs her sister.
"It's okay, Zyri. You're angry and scared. Me too. Maybe you can use that brain of yours to help us out." Zala says.
"Oh. I know one thing I can try!" Zyri says.
"What do you have in mind?" Zala asks. Zyri turns to face the replicator.
"Computer, show Master Systems Display." Zyri says.
"Working." The computer says in a feminine monotone.
"Okay… that's definitely a Starfleet computer." Zala says.
"I don't know about the rest of this place, but I know the replicator's old Starfleet tech. Probably 20 to 30 years old I'd say." Zyri says.
"How do you know that?" Zala asks.
"This panel layout hasn't been used since about a decade before the Dominion War." Zyri answers.
"You think we might be on an old Starfleet ship or base?" Zala asks.
"We'll find out soon enough." Zyri answers.
The display screen on the replicator changes, and now shows the top view of a starship.
"We're on a ship?" Zala asks.
"Yeah. Excelsior-class by the looks of it. Computer, display ship's service record." Zyri answers.
"Working." the computer says.
After a moment, the image of the ship disappears, and a text entry appears in its place. Zyri reads the text.
"USS… Belgrade. NCC-31285. Decommissioned… thirteen years ago, and... stolen from the Qualor II Surplus Depot eight months ago." Zyri says.
"So, we're on a stolen, outdated Starfleet ship. What good does that do us?" Zala asks.
"The computer's older and simpler. I'll be able to control things easier than I would on a newer ship like the Dynasty. Still, I won't be able to take over any critical systems, but I think I can do some damage." Zyri answers.
"Damn. You're dangerous with a computer." Zala says.
"Still think my books are dumb?" Zyri asks.
"Maybe… I was wrong." Zala answers. Zyri smiles at her sister.
"You want to help me with this?" Zyri asks.
"Help you? With that? You're the tech nerd! Not me!" Zala says.
"Come on, Z! I just need your help moving a few chips! I'll even tell you which ones." Zyri says.
"Okay…" Zala says after a moment's hesitation. She walks to the replicator, and kneels next to Zyri, who points to a chip near the bottom of the panel.
"Take that one out and move it two rows up." Zyri says.
"Right." Zala says. She takes the chip out of its port, and moves it to where her sister instructs.
"Good. Now, put this one in its place." Zyri says, offering a chip to Zala. Zala accepts the chip, and sticks it into the empty port.
"We can't open the door with this, can we?" Zala asks.
"Nope. I can't hack a high enough clearance for that. I can get us a level 1 clearance. That allows us control of the replicators, and… that's really all we need." Zyri answers.
"All we need? What are you thinking?" Zala asks.
"Remember Uncle Rick's wedding?" Zyri asks. Zala laughs.
"Yeah! When you programmed the bartender's replicator to spray barbecue sauce!" Zala says.
"Time for the sequel." Zyri says.
"How does that help us? We're the only ones in this room!" Zala says.
"I know, but if there are other replicators in this place, then… maybe I can network them, and make them all replicate the same thing at the same time." Zyri says.
"So, that means… " Zala says. Zala says nothing for a moment as she continues to move control chips.
"Party time. Okay… I think that'll do it. Time to test this out." Zyri says.
"Okay. Good luck." Zala says.
"Computer, network all replicators for remote commands from this terminal." Zyri says.
"Unable to comply. Level Two access code is required." The computer says.
"Shit!" Zala says.
"Zala!" Zyri says.
"What?" Zala asks.
"Watch your language!" Zyri answers.
"Mom and dad aren't here. I can say whatever the hell I want!" Zala says.
"Okay. Fine. You've got me there." Zyri says.
"Can you… make yourself an access code and trick the computer into accepting it?" Zala asks.
"I don't know. Maybe. Yeah, I think so. But… it'll... take some time." Zyri answers.
"You know just as much about these computers as any ensign. You've got this." Zala says.
"Thanks." Zyri says.