Chapter Twenty-Four

Silarra materialized aboard her small, cloaked ship and strode straight for the cockpit, dropping her holo-guise as she went. A message light blinked on the control panel, indicating a series of computer status updates.

The Suliban groaned and stretched before flopping her tired frame into the pilot's seat to peruse the updates.

"Encryption completed," she noted, tapping at the controls. "Firewall enabled. No tracers, no spybugs detected. No 'known' ones, anyway…"

She snorted.

"But, what's this…? Dammit!"

A second light indicated a recorded message and she knew - she knew - the Boss-man's goons had hacked her comm system again while she'd been observing planetside, despite all her scans and precautions.

Silarra grimaced, cold trepidation mingling with bristling irritation at the washed-out creep's continued interference in her operations.

"Impatient, micro-managing bastard…" she muttered, but she didn't dare ignore it. Scowling darkly, she activated her viewscreen to play the message he'd left her.

The sudden brightness of the Boss-man's colorless, painfully back-lit form made her flinch and squint, the bristling feeling in her neck and spine growing stronger as he began to speak…

"Silarra, my dear chameleon," he said in that soft, menacing whisper of his. "Another day is nearly done, and not a word from you? Well, I am not so inconsiderate. I'm giving you one more day Silarra. One more planetary turn to play those Federation fools with your hollow guises. If you can't deliver what I want by the end of that time, I'm sending someone who can. And as you well know, in this business it doesn't pay to come in second place."

The image snapped out, leaving the cockpit in relative dimness.

Silarra clenched her fists, releasing a terrible roar as she slammed them down on the console.

"How the hell does he expect me to grab that stupid energy thing in only a day?" she snarled.

She'd barely begun cultivating the damned android, charging up his feelings for that cold Klingon scientist. And, if the brain-numbing hours she'd just spent recording the other scientists and Starfleet officers babbling tech-speak in the control room was any indication of their slow-ass progress, they had at least half a week's tedious work of deciphering symbols and tracking energy fluctuations ahead before they'd even consider approaching that energy source again…

A frequency alert signaled that one of the Starfleet officers had activated a comm badge. Silarra immediately tuned in to overhear the doctor, Crusher, and the android already speaking through the crackle of atmospheric static.

"...I'm sorry to interrupt your date…" she heard the doctor say. "…we've run into a complication…"

A slow smile spread over the Suliban's textured face as she listened to the exchange; her spirits rising as a bolder, more daring plan began to take shape in her mind.

She'd intended to observe and provoke, to keep the love-struck android unbalanced long enough for the scientists themselves to lead her to her goal.

But, Starfleet's mechanical man worked faster than she'd given him credit for. A few preliminary nudges, and already he'd snagged a date with that chilling glare in Klingon form. That was to say nothing of the distraction afforded by the sickly human Skin. And now, she heard him hinting to the doctor of a major discovery he and that Klingon woman had stumbled upon while in the ruined city…

Silarra laughed and stood, aiming to grab a quick meal and a nap before heading back to work. With events below apparently heating up all on their own, she might just be able to meet the Boss-man's ridiculous deadline after all…and negotiate a fat bonus into the bargain!

Data threw a punch so powerful, the impact would have severely damaged the runabout's inner hull had he not pulled his fist back at the last moment. Instead, he opened his hand and leaned forward, pressing his palm, then his forehead, against the cool duranium alloy.

He had made it back to the compound in what had to be record time after contacting Picard and the other scientists to join Kurak at the ruined city. While Picard, Nat and Freja rode on horseback, Tu'Pari took the speeder, handing the vehicle over to Data with the understanding the Vulcan would ride Sagebrush back to the compound once they'd investigated Data and Kurak's discovery.

Data had arrived in the sickbay at a run, his words running over themselves with worry. Dr. Crusher had done her best to calm him down, to explain the apparent cause of Mikey's unexpected relapse. And now...

"I'm so sorry, Data," Crusher said, hesitant to move closer to her enraged friend. "This isn't the news any of us wanted to hear. But, it's not as bad as it might sound right now."

"Not as bad…?"

Data slowly turned his head, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Not as bad?" he said again. "You tell me Mikey's genes have been adversely affected by exposure to biochemical weapons. You tell me the nature and extent of the damage indicates these bioweapons were specifically engineered to target human DNA replication - that, despite the surgery, Mikey's life-threatening tumors will continue to occur and reoccur, ad infinitum, unless all corrupted code can be identified and purged, and then—"

"The point is, Data," Crusher broke in, "we now know the underlying cause of Mikey's illness. I've contacted my colleagues at Luna Exo-Oncology and Mars General with the scan results, and they seem very optimistic about the procedure and Mikey's prognosis. Mikey's family have already provided genetic samples, and—"

"No, Doctor," Data said, shaking his head. "That is not the point. That is not nearly the point."

Crusher sighed.

"Data, I don't—"

Data straightened and met her gaze with his somber, amber stare.

"The weapons that injured Mikey and killed his immediate family were deployed by Cardassian soldiers," he said, and Crusher tightened her lips. "If your diagnosis proves correct, it can only mean these were bioweapons, purposefully designed to eradicate human colonists from Cardassian territory under the guise of radiation exposure while leaving the land safe for Cardassians and other species to inhabit."

"But that's…" Crusher gasped, and trailed off, too shaken to complete the thought.

"A deliberate act of genocide," Data finished for her. "Perpetrated against colonists who, unlike the Native American tribe on Dorvan V, never officially revoked their Federation citizenship or acknowledged the treaty ceding their colony to Cardassian jurisdiction."

"My god…" Crusher whispered.

"If Mikey had not been rescued from that Skin Dump…if he had not received immediate care from a top-tier diagnostic physician… This crime may well have gone unnoticed and unknown. Perhaps forever."

"But, Mikey's genetic scans provide hard proof of their activities along the border," the doctor realized. "And, now that we do know…"

Crusher sighed through her nose.

"We have to tell the captain," she said. "He'll have to contact Admiral Nechayev, and inform the Federation Council."

"Doctor," he said, "you intend to transport Mikey to the primary Luna hospital in New Berlin, do you not?"

"I told you, Data, it's his only chance."

"Then, I would recommend waiting to contact anyone about this until you reach deep space. Transmissions from this planet suffer from atmospheric interference. There is a possibility even a secure channel could be intercepted."

Crusher regarded him.

"You think whoever sent those raiders to attack this compound could still still out there?"

"It would be foolish to discount the possibility," Data said, his pale features pinched and tight as he began to twist his hands and fidget his feet.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Doctor. I feel…I need to move - I need to walk."

"That's understandable, Data," she said. "This is a lot to take in. Just, do me a favor and stay close to the compound, all right?"

He nodded.

"I will inform the captain and the others of this development in person," he said, and cast his eyes to the shimmering energy field encapsulating the biobed where Mikey's small body lay prone and unnaturally still.

"You are certain Mikey's condition will remain stable?"

"Thanks to your adjustable stasis field, he should make it to New Berlin just fine," she assured him gently.

Data nodded again, then took in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Thank you, Beverly," he said. "I will return…to say good-bye…"

To Be Continued...

References Include - TNG: Journey's End; The Wounded.

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