Chapter seven

Debating

Pavel blinked slowly, he was surrounded by darkness. He still felt groggy from the Klingons' last attack. Then that feeling came again, he had forgotten something, something important. He tried to stand but something was holding his wrists at a certain level, which only allowed him to kneel. Turning his neck slowly, he looked around him. He was in shackles which were drilled into the wall. His head pounding, he cried out for Piotr.

The ghost from his imagination melted through the wall and came to him. "How are you?" There was concern in his voice. That worried Pavel. His brother only ever sounded concerned when something was really bad. A shiver ran through Pavel as the ghost put a hand against his brow.

Looking up into his brothers face Pavel could see a small silver tear run down Piotr's cheek. "What's wrong?" Pavel asked. He hated to see people crying. A brief smile cracked on Piotr's face.

"You are wrong." He said softly. He smiled gently down at his younger brother. Pavel was frowning. "You underestimate how much you mean to others. Your friends have come down looking for you. Some wait for permission from the government, and three have beamed down to find you secretly."

This got Pavel's attention. "Piotr, they can't, they mustn't find me!" he said, the urgency in his voice undeniable. "If the Klingons do anything to them, I, they mustn't…" he faded off and Piotr understood.

"Look, Koloth sent Klavdia and Karina. They will keep them occupied for now. If they come near to this place, he will move you. Ok?" Piotr offered. His younger brother looked up at him, frowning.

"Move me? Where? How?" he asked.

Piotr smiled wickedly and started to walk away. "Pavel, I am a ghost and I can manipulate Koloth. I can stop people from seeing things and I can make people see things." He reached the other side of the room and pointed down. "Look!" he said, turning his body so his brother could see.

"Piotr, there's nothing the- oh my god! But, but how? You must have had Koloth working on that for at least six months before they turned up on the ship!"

Pavel stared at the huge hole that had been drilled into the side of the room. Just from looking it was obvious it went miles deeper underground. "How far does that go?" Pavel asked. A small idea had started to form in his mind.

"Do you remember the old wooden house he built, on the top of that hill? It leads to a trap door in the floor of that building, the very same he built for us." Pavel nodded. His plan would work. He could get the three out of harm's way. This was a battle they couldn't possibly help with. His brother suddenly seemed concerned.

"Why does it matter?" he asked darkly. "Pav, why does it matter? What are you thinking?"

Pavel looked up towards the ceiling. There had been movement, and voices. That could only mean one thing. They were coming. Piotr looked up and back at his brother. "Take my friends through there. I'll stay here. To do a runner on the Klingons will just make them more determined to kill me." Piotr looked like he couldn't believe what Pavel had just said.

"Oh and how am I to get them through here without them seeing you? What do you think I am? A magician?"

Pavel smiled cunningly. "No." he said. "I think you're a ghost!" Piotr rolled his eyes at the way Pavel used his own statement against him as he merged into the background. The sound of the Klingons became suddenly louder. They both came into view as they crashed down the metal stairs. The sight of them brough Pavel back to reality and he knew that he'd imagined talking to his brother.

"Well well well, look what we still have here. Haven't you died yet?" his half-brother teased. As Koloth spoke his father, Rakaia, silenced him.

"You need to stop being so strong and healthy. That way you'll die quicker. You would already be dead if that blasted Vulcan hadn't come and found you." Chekov swallowed uneasily. "Anyway, back to business and facts," Koloth continued, "the fact is you are not dead and that needs to change."

"Very well put, my son!" Rakaia praised. "You will make a good army general yet!" Koloth looked pleased by that.

Pavel started struggling when they tried to stab at him with another, smaller needle. From the look of it, it would only knock him out for around ten minutes, enough time to arrange and prepare a brutal death for him.

After minutes of dodging, Pavel felt the needle stab into his neck but strangely, he didn't black out. He suddenly felt drowsy and couldn't focus on anything. A disorientation drug, Pavel thought as his mind slipped away. After that, he stopped processing what he could see.

Jim struggled to keep his calm. Sitting on the bridge he was getting really frustrated. There had been no word from from the landing party since they had informed them about the body and the girls. There was still a silence from Russia. This just wasn't fair. Surely it didn't take five days to gain access to a country! "Captain, what are your orders?" the new navigator, a Mr Oakley, asked. (the Andorian had been transferred to a different ship because he couldn't co-operate with anyone.)

Jim had been distracted. "What?" he asked, irritated by the interruption.

"What are your ord-"

"I heard that bit, what's the situation?" Jim asked. He knew he was potentially jeopardising his rank by giving away that he wasn't focused but he needed to know what was happening.

"Captain," Spock started "The Russian government have not been able to clear our entrance with the authorities. They peacefully request we leave orbit." Jim took this bit of information in and a huge internal battle erupted. He had to restrain himself from beaming down and punching the "Russian Authorities".

"Tell them we, peacefully wish to remain here for a couple of days, to see if we can locate him with our scanners." Jim told Spock who did as he was told. The main viewing screen suddenly burst into different colours before settling down to show a groups of people, five in suits, five in army uniform. They were leaning over a huge table that was in the middle of a low-ceiling room, they were all arguing loudly. The table was covered in maps, computers and other screens showing data.

"Captain," a female Russian voice boomed up to him. The arguing behind her instantly died down. "As you can see, things are tense down here. The Authorities aren't too keen on your beaming down here. The government are all trying to argue that it will be alright. It would be easier if you stopped orbiting Russia. Please, can you not see it's for the best?"

"No I'm sorry, I can't leave orbit. My crewman is still down there. I cannot leave without him." Jim would play stubborn, if that's what they wanted.

"Please captain," the woman pleaded. "We have just come out of a war with the Klingons on the losing side! To upset them now by allowing you to beam down would be asking for them to go nuclear! The nuclear missiles from the early 21st century are still stowed in Russia. If they were set off they would consequentially blow up the whole world. Is one man really worth all that much?"

Jim knew it was a desperate plea. But the news about the war confused him. He could remember a few months ago on the ship. Chekov had seemed really glum, not his usual cheery self. He had asked if something was wrong and what had Chekov said? Trouble at home, captain, it's probably nothing. How could he be so stupid? He had known there was a war in Russia. He had found out that morning. Why hadn't he put two and two together? Trouble at home my arse! Jim thought angrily as he remembered how glum the Russian had been for months on end. It made sense; he was worried about the war and impending doom.

Jim knew he had to make a decision. He also knew he was not leaving without his navigator. "I'm not asking to beam down am I?" Jim told the lady. "I'm asking permission to scan the country for him. In that process, no-one will leave the ship. Is there a problem with that?" He asked. He rose, staring at the woman who looked torn apart. She turned around to the men behind her and shrugged.

"Captain, you do not seem to understand the dilemma." One of the men in uniform came forwards. As he came closer, it became obvious he was klingon. "I am soon to become the leader of Russia and I am not prepared to let you look for your man."

Jim was close to exploding inside. How could that Klingon pig be so selfish? This was ridiculous.

"Well, as an army leader, surely you know what it's like to lose men. Can't you understand that we won't leave until we have found him?" He was pleading now but he didn't care, he was determined to get permission.

"Actually, I've got a question for you." Jim rolled his eyes before settling them on the screen again. "If this person is so important, why the hell did you send him here anyway?"

Jim was taken aback. It was a good question. He didn't know whether to tell the truth or not. "Well?" the klingon asked.

"I didn't send him anywhere." Jim answered defiantly.

"Oh, he came down of his own accord did he?" He asked smugly.

"No!" Jim said, releasing the fury that had been building up inside him. "No! He was taken. By a klingon ambassador that had been on my ship!"

Now it was the Klingon's turn to look taken aback. He strode off and came back holding a list of some sort. "Was this person Ambassador Drogaff?" He asked. The Klingon's tone became less civilised when he said the name.

"Yes! Yes it was." Jim confirmed. The Klingon's frown now looked permanent. "Why? Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately I do. He has caused us a lot of trouble over the years what with his charges and everything." The klingon was starting to sound more human.

"I dare say he's about to cause us more trouble sir." A younger human solider spoke up from the table. He had some camouflage smudges in his face but they didn't hide a huge scar that ran from the centre of his forehead to his jaw, touching his eye in the middle. It made the man look intimidating but the look of worry on his face revealed that he was a lot younger than he looked.

"Who are you?" Jim asked him. He didn't know why, but his face looked familiar.

"I am going to be your guide while you're down here." He looked up at his commander who gave him a warning look. "My name is Alexei."