10

The Vulcanorion Connection

Chapter Seven: The Message

"We will transmit no message from the criminals, Soval!" Sirtek insisted through Valk's communication monitor, "If we negotiate with these vile creatures, others of their ilk will think they can get away with similar kinds of acts."

Soval exchanged glances with Admiral Forrest, who had been brought into the group's "control room" to make a statement of his own. He was to reinforce Soval's statement, and, provided that Valk was satisfied with both statements, he had appeared willing to set the youngest hostages, Maxine and Sethir, free.

"Sirtek," Soval replied in an even tone, "I need to inform you that your son, Talcon, has been injured. He was tortured for a prolonged period of time, and he requires medical treatment. I have agreed to issue a statement stating the specific aims of these people. They wish to protest this creation of yours—the so-called 'Destroyer Gene'. Valk will set two of the children free, if I am successful in communicating their message to the Vulcan, Andorian, and Earth governments."

"We already know their message," Sirtek protested, "It is doubtful that they will set the youngsters free. Before you arrived to be their willing mouthpiece, they were speaking about replacing the child hostages with another two adults—I believe your wife, T'Nak, is one of the volunteer replacements. She is like most Shir'Kayas—she follows only her emotion, and seeks the release of her son Sorral. The other is Admiral Forrest's wife, Mariel Woods. She seeks the same for her children, and the larger issues do not matter to either of them. I, on the other hand, am unmoved by emotional arguments. I will not be manipulated into negotiation simply because my son is one of the hostages. Talcon is a trained Security Officer. He failed to prevent this ridiculous travesty to begin with, and he knows it is his duty to remain until the rest are free. He will give up his life for them, if necessary."

"Talcon has shown great courage and willingness to sacrifice himself, Sirtek," Soval told the Envoy to Mars, "But he has sacrificed enough of his blood. Let me make this statement, and Valk has agreed to set the younger children free. It will do no good for T'Nak and Mariel to offer themselves to these thieves, for Valk has refused to set either my son or Forrest's free. He thinks it will make him appear weak before the others in his gang. Still, the children will need someone to accompany them, and because Talcon needs medical care, Forrest and I are willing to let him go ahead of our own sons. I have attempted to teach him self-healing techniques, but it will not be enough. None of us can attend to him, for our arms and feet are bound while in our holding cell."

"Soval," Sirtek said to him sternly, "If you make a statement for these rogues, I will refuse to send it to Vulcan."

"That will not matter, Sirtek," Soval replied, "For I am the Vulcan Ambassador to Earth, not you. I will decide whether or not it gets sent to the High Command. Please put Admiral Washington on."

Sirtek glowered at Soval, but did as he was asked.

The image of a middle-aged, dark-skinned woman appeared on the screen. Admiral Karen Washington had a grim expression on her face.

"Ambassador Soval," she greeted him, "and Max. How are you and the others coping?"

"We are undamaged, Admiral," Soval answered, "But one young man is injured, and the Admiral's daughter is not coping well emotionally. She needs to be removed from this situation at once. I will let you converse with Admiral Forrest."

"Admiral Washington, Ma'am," Forrest said to her, his expression equally as grim as hers, "I'd like to ask that you transmit the message that Soval and I are going to give to the Earth, Andorian, and Vulcan governments. What they choose to do about those messages will be up to them, but our main goal at the moment is to get the kids out of here. Preferably, I'd like to get all six of the young people out, but Valk seems to feel that if he did that, there would be a mutiny among his group. So our focus is on Maxine and Sethir. Soval is right, though. Please don't let our wives swap themselves for the kids—it won't do any good in terms of setting the other kids free. It'll only mean that there'll be more of us in this mess, and we don't want that. If we can convince Talcon to accompany the two youngest children to safety, it would be the best thing at present."

"You must replace the missing hostages, Valk!" Zallyn, the Vulcandorian, cried from the back of the room, "or we will free Th'Orran and take over the operation ourselves!"

"As you can see, Admiral," Soval interjected, "our position here is very tenuous. Let us delay no more. I am willing to make my statement, now."

Washington nodded, and indicated that they were ready to receive the statement.

Soval sat down and collected his thoughts. He had not had any opportunity to write his thoughts down, as he normally preferred to do before issuing a statement, and so he would simply have to speak spontaneously.

"This is Soval, Vulcan Ambassador to Earth," he began, "I am currently under the custody of a group of Vulcan-Andorian-Orions who have taken myself, my colleagues, and our families hostage. The leader of this group, Valk of Vulcan, has asked me to make a statement on behalf of his group, stating their beliefs and what they hope to accomplish in committing this crime. I wish to state categorically that my words should in no way be considered an endorsement of their atrocious conduct. Although the issue that they seek to redress is worthy of profound consideration, the method that they have chosen to communicate it is both reckless and morally reprehensible..."

"Get on with it, Soval!" Valk hissed, "Or the children stay where they are!"

"Their message is simply this," Soval continued, "They wish to settle their families on a world which is safe. At present, Mars represents to them their best hope for a better life. That hope is threatened, however, by two major problems: Firstly, the Orion Drug Trade, which has lured many vulnerable people such as the Vulcanorions and Orion-Andorians into it, and which we must stop from obtaining a foothold on Mars. This particular extremist group is not interested in furthering the goals of the Orion Drug Trade, for it represents a direct threat to their people as well as ours. Stopping the Orion Drug Trade from securing a foothold on Mars is therefore a goal which we have in common with Valk and his group. Secondly, and most importantly for Valk and his group is to protest the creation of a so-called "Destroyer Gene" which is designed to implant a disease into the Orion population which will disable or abort all Hybrid Orion fetuses, if successful. While I understand that some among you may find this 'solution' appealing, it also has the potential to become a serious moral lapse on the part of any government which endorses its use. I speak to this issue not only because it is of concern to Valk and his group, but also because it needs to be weighed with serious consideration of its consequences. This 'Destroyer Gene' solution to the Orion-Hybrid infiltration is by now being considered by the Earth, Andorian and Vulcan governments. I urge extreme caution when considering this course of action..."

Soval noted that Valk was gesturing to him angrily, and he knew that he was expected to make a strong statement that would advocate closing the window on any opportunity to negatively affect the reproductive activities of the Orion-Hybrid people.

"From Valk's point of view, this course of action is completely unacceptable. We need to think very carefully about the individual rights of the Orion-Hybrid people and weigh it with the collective rights of the host populations. We need to remember that they are like any other group of people in desiring the right to reproduce. The vast majority of Orion-Hybrid people is not interested in working on behalf of the Orion government, but rather wishes citizenship on Mars and possibly Earth, when they have each proven themselves worthy of the responsibilities that this citizenship would endow upon them. It is this latter course of action that I would highly recommend to each of your governments. Marginalizing the Orion-Hybrid population through genetic manipulation will only exacerbate the problems, and it almost certainly will not solve them. Hybrid conception and birth will still occur. Embracing the Hybrids and providing them with opportunities to improve their lives, however, will ensure that they remain loyal to the host population rather than to the Orion Syndicate, which seeks only to use and enslave them. In spite of the malevolent intentions of Valk and his group, their cause is worthy of your deepest contemplation..."

"All right, Soval, that's enough," Valk ordered him gruffly, pointing a phaser pistol at his head, "Zallyn, cut off communications. Is that what you call a statement on our behalf, Soval? You were waffling, and your words were weak. In them, we all heard the possibility of permitting Sirtek's monstrous genocide against our people. We are not "Hybrids"! We are our own people, and I should have known better than to ask a diplomat to speak for us. You have not gone nearly far enough in your so-called 'statement' for me to justify releasing your children. I will permit the transmission to go through, but you have not fulfilled your end of the bargain..."

"Valk, do you want me to be a mindless echo, intent only on securing our own release from you, or do you want a real dialogue with these governments for your people?" Soval asked him, "I cannot demand that they make themselves vulnerable to people whom they fear will alter their populations' genetic make-up! As I have told you, you yourselves have already hastened the consideration of Sirtek's creation by taking hostages as opposed to opening up a rational dialogue..."

"Rationality will get us nowhere!" Valk raged, "Do you think that because I have Vulcan DNA that I will automatically be wooed by logic's false promises to our people? The only thing that will come of a dialogue with planetary governments is exactly what you have delivered in your words—empty promises of a new cooperation between our peoples."

Soval exchanged glances with Admiral Forrest. Perhaps the Admiral would fare better in delivering his statement. Soval knew that he had failed to win freedom for the two children in his address, but he knew also that his words to the governments had not been false. If they were liberated, he would continue to argue against marginalization on behalf of the Orion-Hybrids, for he had lived the consequences of the Vulcan government's failure in this area during his childhood in the Shir'Kaya district. The difficulty lay in convincing Valk of his resolve. Valk, it seemed, was too busy worrying about maintaining his status as Leader to think of the larger implications of his actions. Nonetheless, Soval knew that it was important that Valk retain his position within the group so that they had a chance of securing release for at least some of the hostages.

"Valk," Forrest said to their captor, "Soval is trained as a diplomat. I'm a Starfleet Admiral...give me a chance to make the statement, and I believe that I can be a little more blunt."

Valk was peering at Zallyn, as if expecting the big man to knife him in the back at any moment. Finally, he nodded, and the communication link was re-opened.

"Keep it short and to the point," Valk whispered, "no waffling."

Forrest nodded his agreement, and sat down.

"Valk," he whispered back, "no going back on your own promise. I want the kids out of here."

Valk gestured his own agreement, and Forrest began to speak.

"This is Admiral Maxwell Forrest. I am speaking on behalf of Valk and his group. I demand that you immediately outlaw the "Destroyer Gene" or I'll kick all your asses when I get out of here."

Soval looked at Forrest quizzically, but Valk obviously approved of the "message".

"Release the two children immediately," Valk ordered his men, "Have the injured one, Talcon, accompany them to safety."

"What are you doing, Valk?" Zallyn asked incredulously, "We must keep Sirtek-the-Destroyer's son! If you do this, we may as well release all of the hostages, and shoot ourselves!"

"Do not defy me, Zallyn!" Valk commanded him, pointing his phaser pistol at him, "or I will turn you into a hostage."

Valk opened a link to the warehouse where the hostages were being held.

"Kelsad!" he cried out, "Belay the order concerning Talcon. We will keep him. Tell the Vulcan doctor to treat his wounds so that he will not die. You are to accompany the two youngest children to safety. Do not give either of them to the authorities, however, until two additional hostages have been given over to you. I am going to open a channel and demand that both the wives of Soval and Forrest be brought into our custody in exchange for the children."

"That was not the deal, Valk!" Forrest exclaimed, "You gave us your word..."

"I gave you my word that I would release the children," Valk shouted back, "It is now time for you to go back to your imprisonment."

A couple of Valk's burly men hustled the two hostages back to their prison, re-cuffing their feet and hands when they arrived. Soval noted that Kelsad was preparing the two children to leave. When Maxine saw her father return, however, she burst into tears.

"I'm not going to leave you, Daddy!" she cried, "Tell them to take Mark instead."

"Yes, Maxine, you are going to go," Forrest told his daughter sternly, "and that is an order, young lady. I will not tolerate any disobedience."

"You're not in a position to give orders, Daddy," Maxine replied, wiping her tears away, "You're all tied up! Mark, I want you to go. That's an order, Mister!"

"Maxine," Mark shouted angrily, "You get your sweet little ass out of here, now! Ambassador Soval and Dad have been working their guts out to get you and Sethir freed. We don't have time for this—you want to help me and Dad and everybody else here? You have to leave, and you have to leave now!"

"Oh, shut up, Mark," Maxine cried, "You're not my boss."

"Maxine," Sethir whispered her, "if we go, there is a better chance of the others being freed. It is our only opportunity to help them!"

"Sethir's right, Honey," Forrest soothed his daughter, his tone soft now, "Go with Kelsad. He is the boyfriend of Jovan—Sethir's older sister. He'll bring you both to safety."

"You will be honorable enough to do at least that, Kelsad?" Dr. Fer'at asked the gun-toting Vulcandorion, "Do this for Jovan, if not for me and my son. She will never forgive you if you harm her younger brother."

"Of course I will honor my duty!" Kelsad retorted to the Vulcan psychiatrist, "I will deliver Sethir and Maxine to safety, but Jovan will never forgive me for what I have done to you, nonetheless. She will not understand that I am doing this for our child."

Fer'at looked at Kelsad in a manner which suggested that he would like to perform a violent act upon him.

"Fer'at!" Soval interjected, "Concentrate on Talcon's wounds. They will unbind you so that you can at least stop the bleeding. That is your task at present. Sethir, yours is to keep Maxine as calm as possible under the circumstances. You are Vulcan—and you are strong. Maxine, you must go...let the authorities deal with the rest."

"But Valk told his men that Mum and T'Nak have to come if we are released!" Maxine protested, "What kind of honor-to-duty is that, Kelsad? You'll have to put a gun to our heads in order to convince them to give over the two mothers."

"No," Kelsad answered gently, as he gestured to one of the men to untie Fer'at, Sethir, and Maxine, "We will all adhere to our promises, Maxine. The transfer will be peaceful, as your father and Ambassador Soval have both made statements in support of our aims. Now please—let us go before Valk changes his mind."

Maxine turned to leave reluctantly.

"I love you, Maxine," Forrest called to her, "You're doing the right thing. Have courage, Honey."

"I love you, Daddy...and you too, Mark. You both promise me that you're going to survive this."

"We promise," Forrest assured her, before Mark had a chance to say anything.

Kelsad then hustled the two children out of the building, and Fer'at turned his attention to Talcon's wounds.

"Do you possess any First Aid material in this building?" Fer'at asked one of the guards, who simply stared back at him blankly. Fer'at uttered an ancient Vulcan swear word under his breath, and took off his jacket, ripping it into bandage-sized pieces. He applied pressure on the wounds, wrapping them as well as he could.

"Can you untie Olivine Fossa's hands, at the very least, so that she can assist me?" Fer'at asked the guard, who reluctantly complied with the request.

"Don't try anything," the guard told Olivine in an onerous fashion.

Olivine shifted her still-bound feet over, and the rest of her body followed along after her hands had been untied. She held the make-shift bandage in place as Fer'at gestured to Sorral and went over to tear strips off of his jacket.

"I have no doubt that you will not miss this particular piece of formal attire, Sorral," Fer'at said to him, "When we are freed, you can replace it with your 'Earth Rocks' music-shirt."

"You can strip me naked if you want, Doc—if it will help Talcon. He sure looks white as a ghost. I hope it's not too late for him."

"It will not be necessary for me to rip all of your clothing off, Sorral," Fer'at reassured him, "I only have one more wound to dress. It will work as a temporary measure, but we need medical supplies. I would have preferred to clean the wounds more efficiently before applying the dressings."

As Fer'at busied himself with the needs of his patient, Soval surveyed the remaining hostages. Sorral and Mark continued to remain calm, to his relief. Olivine Fossa, who had been very agitated about Talcon's condition, was now able to channel her anxious energies into aiding him as opposed to shouting at Th'Orran the hostage-taker-turned-prisoner. Th'Orran was silent right now, but Soval knew that he could use his talent for upsetting people at any moment, simply by using words to taunt them.

The two most recent hostages, Andorian Ambassador Ka'Jar Ch'Zhek and Minister Nathan Samuels, had kept quiet as the dramas raged on in front of them. Soval was grateful for this, as it had allowed himself and Forrest to take charge of the group rather than squabbling with the two politicians. Ka'Jar stared back at Soval.

"Yes, Soval, we have been behaving ourselves," the small Andorian told him, as if he knew what the Vulcan Ambassador was thinking, "and we do not wish to interfere with your leadership, or that of Forrest. However, there is only so much you can do when your feet and hands are tied and you are under armed guard. Now that the children are gone, I expect that we may begin to see some action from the joint Security Teams."

"Not until the kids have been safely handed over, Ambassador Ka'Jar," Forrest interjected, "and even then, they'll need to be careful. You and Minister Samuels are very high-level hostages..."

"And what about the rest of you, Admiral?" Ka'Jar interrupted gently, "Are your lives not worth just as much as ours? If we are not all 'high-level' hostages, then none of us are...and the building will need to be stormed immediately. These fools must not be allowed to hold power over us any longer, or it will undoubtedly go to their heads."

"I agree with you, Ambassador Ka'Jar," Samuels concurred, "This needs to stop, before these idiots take any more hostages."

As they were speaking, a familiar figure loomed eerily over them. Th'Orran, to their utmost shock, was now free of his shackles and holding a weapon. Beside him stood Zallyn, the other Vulcan-Andorian.

"My poor, dear compatriot Ka'Jar," Th'Orran greeted the Andorian Ambassador, "We can meet properly this time. I, the superior male, am now un-shackled, and you, the inferior one, are at last in chains before me. You can no longer use your governmental powers to push me around..."

"Th'Orran," Soval called, distracting him from his intended bully-target, "Where is Valk?"

"Valk?" Th'Orran threw back his head and laughed maniacally, "Oh, yes, Soval—Valk! Your very own Vulcan compatriot, whom you have been courting ever since you and your friends first arrived as our hostages. I'm afraid that your weak and sniveling little ally has just been killed...and I, Th'Orran, have now reclaimed my command. I have left word with Kelsad that there is to be no 'peaceful transfer' of the children, as it will undoubtedly end in Kelsad's capture and in your dear wives escaping scot-free. No, Kelsad will instead hold the young ones hostage—until such time as your wives, in addition to the wives of both Fer'at and Sirtek—agree to enter into our custody."