Chapter 13

Discovery

The away team found two Klingons behind the rock face. One was dead from injuries sustained, the other was just reaching consciousness. After running a scan Dr. Crusher learned the extent of his injuries. He had a dislocated right patella, and a concussion from a heavy blow to the head. He was also very angry over the death of his brother. Edwards wasn't taking his eyes off of him for a second.

After the Klingons were beamed back aboard the Enterprise, the away team took to examining the room. The technology was clearly Romulan in origin, although its purpose in the cavern could not be determined without further investigation.

The exuberance from their discovery was short lived however. Bru'Dan showed up with several guards telling them to leave immediately and to stay out of Vesuvian affairs. He would discover the purpose behind the apparent Romulan espionage without their interference.

Out of his jurisdiction, Riker reluctantly had the away team beam back up to the ship. All they had to show for it was what little tricorder data they had brought back with them.

Crusher's analysis showed that the amount of human blood discovered suggested that not only was the DNA a positive match with Alec's, but that his wound was also not life threatening. It appeared he had given worse than he had taken.

Before they were vacated from the room, Edwards used his tricorder to upload whatever file Alec had accessed. It was in Romulan, but he hoped the computer could translate enough to clue them in to why Alec had left for such a dangerous region of space.

After an hour of going over the security roster he checked on the progress of the translation. Although a good portion had been decoded, there was still one section the computer was still working on. Most of what was contained within was uninteresting and immaterial, however there was one section that raised a yellow alert in his head. Instead of waiting for the few minutes the computer required to complete the process, he decided to share what he had with the senior staff.

"What did you find, Mr. Edwards?" asked Picard. The purpose of the room could ultimately lead to the full intentions of the Romulans. Whatever they were up to did not strike him as good for the rest of the quadrant.

"There's still one section the computer is working on and I programmed it to send the file here when it's done, but there was one interesting piece in the file so far: A termination order." He picked up a padd that lay next to his hand and activated it. "It reads as follows: 'Ty'brel located on Farius Prime. The secrets he holds must never be divulged. Eliminate immediately.' The order was untraceable."

"Ty'brel?" said Riker. "Sha'Gra's predecessor."

"Looks like he found out something that he wasn't supposed to." said Edwards

"Commander Wilson must be under the impression that whatever information Ty'brel holds will prove his innocence." said Data.

"Farius Prime isn't exactly a friendly place." said Riker. "I'm surprised Ty'brel has survived this long. Although it was smart of him to go there. If you don't want your enemies to find you, go where they're unwilling to look. It's just poor luck that he was found. Alec's his only hope."

Picard was relieved to learn his friend Ty'brel was still alive and took greater relief knowing that Alec was on his way to save him. "Since it has been demonstrated that communications are being monitored this won't be included in my report to Admiral Nechayev. Commander Wilson doesn't need any further hindrances such as another bounty hunter. With the measures he has taken to conceal himself I think it is safe to assume that the element of surprise is on his side."

Enthusiastic beeping emanated from the wall monitor behind Picard followed by an announcement from the computer. "Translation complete."

"On screen, complete." said Edwards as he left his chair for the monitor. As he read the file the pit of his stomach tightened and his heart began to race. "Captain, we may have a problem."

Picard sat at attention. "What does it say, Lieutenant?"

Edwards replied a mere moment before a second prodding from Picard. "'Initial testing has been completed. Prototype has been deployed. It will reach the Neutral Zone in two days."

"Prototype for what?" asked Riker, who, like everyone else, now took the meeting in a far more serious manner.

"It doesn't go into further detail." said Edwards grimly, but the next thing he read brightened his spirits. "But, it does have coordinates."

"Good," mused Riker. "Because there's a lot of Neutral Zone."

"Even if they're cloaked," commented Troi. "Without the proper access codes they won't get past the gravitic sensor nets." She felt the rise in tension within the room that came with the thought of a possible Romulan invasion.

"Unless they've developed better cloaking technology." offered Riker.

"It is possible that is the prototype of which the report speaks." added Data.

"It's an ongoing game of chess." said Picard. "We develop better sensors, they develop better cloaks. With no sign of checkmate."

Edwards deactivated his monitor and returned to his chair. "We can't let the Romulans try."

"I'm open to suggestions." said Picard.

"We could send the Emissary or the Falcon to the Neutral Zone to intercept it." said Riker. "I suggest the Falcon. She's faster and more well armed."

"But if this cloak let's them pass through the gravitic sensor net, normal sensors won't detect it either." Troi was not trying to be pessimistic, she was just facing the facts.

"We can't just sit here and let the Romulans cross into our territory." said Riker, looking over at her. He always tried to maintain professionalism while on duty. When they were both on duty, she was his subordinate, not his Imzadi. "First, one ship, and before we know it, a thousand. I'd rather not give them a chance to decloak a fleet in orbit of Earth."

"Captain Anderson is a resourceful leader," began Data. "And his crew capable. Perhaps they will formulate something en route."

Picard could not think of any solution that was better than what his first officer had suggested. And there was a plus side to ordering the Falcon to the Neutral Zone: Now it was his turn to tell some starship captain that there were no other ships nearby, which seemed like something he'd heard more times than he could count.

"Make it so."

Bru'Dan was less than impressed. When the Starfleet officer had gone rogue he did not expect him to come all the way back here, let alone find the hidden Romulan command post. He cursed them for not concealing it better. Finding the room was bad enough, but a tracking of his course and a rundown of the Romulan computer revealed the Starfleet renegade was aware of Ty'brel's location. He was no doubt on his way there now to save him. If he was successful, he would ruin everything they had worked on for the past three years. That was unacceptable.

His angered stemmed from his inability to seize power. That had been the original plan. Once Sha'Gra was out of the way, he would assume control of the government, but he had been unsuccesful. The public did not want the military in charge.

Standing in the Romulan command post, he looked at the computer that had been confirmed as the one the renegade had used to gain access to the information. He cursed the Romulans once more for not wiping the active memory. True, they had no way of knowing the renegade would find his way back here, but mistakes like this could be devastating which made ignorance an invalid excuse. He himself was guilty of ignorance however. This would not even be an issue had he retained custody of the rogue. He simply wanted to play the role of a humanitarian. With a clenched fist he smashed the display.

As he was pulling bloody shards out of his hand he heard the distinct sound of a transporter behind him. Now in his presence was the female Romulan with which he had been corresponding with since before the end of Dominion War. She had the cold, calculating stare and arrogant composure that was normal for members of her race and she wore the uniform of an officer of the Romulan Guard.

But her physical appearance was unlike that of a typical Romulan. Missing was the protrusion that ran above the eyeline, which made him suspect she was not a pureblood. She possessed the pointed ears which were the trademark for the Romulan race who were themselves an ancient offshoot of the Vulcans. The feature which distinguished her the most was her hair. Every Romulan he had come across, whether they were male or female, had close cut hairstyles. Whereas hers was noticeably longer. And unlike the black hair which Romulans were known to have, hers was light yellow. What humans referred to as 'blond.'

He knew very little about her, only that her name was Sela, and she had an unwavering hate for Captain Picard and the Federation. "Mistress, I am not pleased."

"The events of the past day have been unfortunate, Bru'Dan."

"Unfortunate?! That Starfleet officer could ruin everything if he gets to Ty'brel before your elimination force. And now his people have discovered your command post. If they discover what we are up to, all is lost. You promised me the destruction of the Federation."

"And you shall have it. Even if Picard discovers what is happening, it is too far along for him to be able to stop us. With initial tests complete we will soon move to wide scale usage. When this is over, and I have taken my place as empress of the Alpha Quadrant, your name will be forever remembered as one of those that changed the face of the galaxy."

The chance to be a figurehead in not only the history of his but all known worlds appealed to him more than he thought possible. He would be a fool not to take it. "The one responsible for this debacle must be dealt with."

"I agree." said Sela. If Bru'Dan had not been aware of her nature he would have been calmed by her soft voice, but it was instead unnerving. She held her right arm out across her chest and with her left touched a device on her wrist. "Now."

Another figure materialized in the room. It was a Romulan male, on his knees and hands bound behind his back. His eyes were swollen shut and he was bleeding green from his mouth. He appeared to have been beaten severely. There was only one possibility as to who he was. He was the one who didn't purge the active memory before leaving the command post. Punishment had already been handed out,

"So, Ranak." said Sela as she approached the bruised and bleeding man. "Have you learned from your mistake?"

A low groan sounded from his mouth before he spoke. "Yesssssssssss." he slurred.

Sela moved closer. "And you'll never do anything like that again?"

His body swayed slightly as he knelt there. The man was barely conscious. But the side to side shaking of his head showed that he understood.

"Good." Sela turned back and stood next to Bru'Dan. She reached to her side and pulled her disruptor from its holster, handing it to the Vesuvian guard. "Kill him."

Bru'Dan looked wide eyed at the weapon being offered to him. He had never taken a person's life before. He'd thought about it, he'd even made a few threats in his day, but he had never gone through with any of them.

He took the weapon from her. It was heavier than it looked. The Romulan disruptor was one of the most feared particle weapons known. It was supposed to be incredibly painful. However, how could anyone know personally? The person that it was used on would be vaporized leaving nobody alive to describe it. Although, how could it be anything but painful? The high energy beam strikes its victim, causing a chain reaction throughout the entire body in which every cell exploded until there was nothing. It sounded painful to him.

The fact that he could not see into the eyes of Ranak made it easier to point the weapon at him. But he could not bring himself to fire.

"Do it." said Sela. "He's suffering."

His hand was straining. He thought it would be easier than this. "Does he really deserve to die for what he did?"

"Your society would benefit greatly if you instituted capitol punishment. There's a reason this is the only mistake that has occurred in three years. If people fear the final consequence of a mistake they are less likely to make one."

Bru'Dan understood what she was saying, he just didn't agree with it. "There has to be another way."

Sela sighed. Maybe she was wrong about Bru'Dan. She took the disruptor from his grip and pointed it at Ranak. It all happened so quickly that Bru'Dan was unprepared. A green beam struck Ranak in the chest. Where the beam hit was an expanding nothingness that in a split second enveloped his entire body until he was gone. There was nothing. Just empty air. Ranak made no sound.

For a moment Bru'Dan thought it was an illusion, that Ranak had never really been there in the first place. A lingering odor made him realize that it happened. It was the smell of burnt flesh.

Sela holstered her weapon and stepped in front of Bru'Dan. "If you aren't prepared to do whatever is necessary than you aren't ready to lead your world."

"If your officer hadn't made this mistake we wouldn't even be in this situation."

"Be careful where you place blame Bru'Dan." Sela's voice took a tone of which he had never heard. Ever since he first crossed paths with her, he believed she had showed him the Romulan equivalent of hospitality. She showed no such regard now. "Let us consider that if you had been successful in capturing Ty'brel three years ago this wouldn't be an issue. And it was you that chose to release the Starfleet officer. Luckily for you we have a backup plan in the event you were unable to take control of your government."

"What about the bounty hunter you brought into this? She has failed so far."

"Have faith in Tasmith. She will not fail again."

"How can you be so sure?"

"She has a genetic obligation to help destroy the Federation. Her bloodline owes a debt that must be repaid. It will not allow her to fail. I have told you this before. You're fortunate that we supplied you the homing beacon with which she is tracking him. According to Starfleet signals that we have intercepted, she escaped from Deep Space Nine. She is following him as we speak." She activated her wrist communicator once more. "This is Sela. Set a course for Farius Prime. Go to warp as soon as we're aboard."

"Why are you taking me?"

"Consider this your chance to redeem yourself. I want to meet this Starfleet officer who has caused us so much trouble."

"Alec," said Rene. "I know this thing can't go any faster, but if I stay cooped up in here any longer I'm going to scream."

"There are some pressure suits in the back." said Alec. "You can take a walk if you want. Just stay close to the hull. It gets a little bumpy outside the warp field."

They were a day away from Farius Prime and the amount of time spent on the Travioli was having a cumulative effect on Rene. She had gotten considerably irritable during the past two days. Nobody liked spending so much time in a cramped space so he chose to grin and bear it.

"Don't mess with me." she said. "I don't care if you took out four Klingons. I'll-"

"Actually, it was five, but-"

"Oh, shut up." Rene was tired, and cranky. She wasn't mad at Alec, she was mad at the situation. She was mad at those that drove Alec on this endeavor. It was hard for her to imagine the compulsion that was fueling him. He loved her as much as she loved him, maybe even more. To make him leave her it would have to be an urge so incredibly strong that it would overpower anything else. And she had only herself to blame for being there. It wasn't like he dragged her along, she chose to stowaway. "I'm sorry, Alec. I just want this to be over."

"Me too. How about we go to Risa when it's over."

"Gee, me and you on a paradise planet full of scantily clad women. Can't see anything wrong with that." The tone of her voice was dry as sand.

"I knew you'd see it my way."

"Try again."

He had the perfect idea. It was somewhere she had always wanted to go, but missions rarely brought a starship back to Earth so they hadn't had a chance to visit the tallest waterfall on the planet. "Angel Falls."

"Are you serious?"

"Am I ever not?"

"Oh, please." she said as she played along. The time to joke had passed. She wanted to discuss something that hadn't been brought up since they left Deep Space Nine. "Staying on the subject of being serious, how serious were you when you talked about taking another posting?"

"Do the words 'Rene Anne Miller, will you marry me?' give you a hint?"

The doubt was gone. But even though it was something they both wanted, she was still having second thoughts. Recent events might dictate otherwise but they had a great life aboard the Enterprise. One that she wasn't so sure she was really ready to give up. School was still a few years off for James and Sonia so an immediate decision wasn't necessary but it would spare them time in the future by discussing it now.

"Where would we go?" She wouldn't mind going back to Earth. They'd be a push of a button away from visiting her parents wherever on the planet they wound up. And she knew James and Sonia wouldn't mind seeing them more often. Her parents would finally stop berating Alec about living a dangerous life.

"I've given that some thought. I know that you, and your parents, wouldn't mind if we went back to Earth. But I was thinking of a more exotic location. What would you say to Deep Space Nine?"

"I hadn't thought of that." She rather liked the idea. It wasn't as if she were unfamiliar with the station. And she knew the senior staff fairly well already. "Do you think it'll happen?"

"Again going under the assumption that I'm not court martialed, I think I have a shot. There's a good chance that Captain Sisko will be in the market for a new chief of security. I might as well put my name in." It was the perfect location to him. They knew everyone, it was a friendly environment, and the Romulan border wasn't nearby so a front-line confrontation was unlikely. Rene could start an arboretum using some of the unused adjoining storage areas. An added bonus was that Bajor would welcome the help of a good botanist. And there was one more habitable planet in the system, Bajor VIII, and several habitable moons to choose from if there was a lack of projects on Bajor itself.

It would prove an interesting assignment for him as well. It would not be an easy one as evidenced by the number of crime reports he read but he loved a challenge. He knew that by not being a changeling he would not be as effective as the security chief that preceded Jones, Constable Odo, but he would do everything he could to keep the station safe for everyone aboard it.

Another dividend was that there was an abundance of children on the station. The majority being made up of human and Bajoran. The school run by Keiko O'Brien was taken over by a capable and well liked woman so schooling would not be an issue.

Rene and Alec spent the rest of the evening cuddling in one of the small bunks. They passed the time by going from topic to topic such as their younger years, the early days of their marriage, funny things the twins have done, and the hijinx the two of them got into with James Moore.

He confided in her about the incident with Sha'Gra in the cave. Until then she had not received a full account of what had happened. She, like everyone before her, told him that he did the right thing in firing.

The subject she had difficulty in getting him to talk about was his quarrel with Tasmith in the holosuite. She was only trying to help. By getting him to open up he'd be able to resolve the issue. That is why he relented. "I was using my meditation program." he began. "I heard the doors open behind me. For a minute I thought it was you."

"What made you realize it wasn't?"

"She didn't smell like you. I just wish I had known a few seconds earlier before she started-" he stopped himself. Uh oh, dangerous ground.

"Before she started what?" Rene didn't miss a beat. It wasn't often she didn't pick up on something.

He saw the look on her face and knew she wasn't going to let it go. She never let anything go. He didn't want to keep it from her for fear of her questioning his fidelity. He wanted to keep it from her because he feared what she would try if she ever came face to face with Tasmith. "Before she...uh...started kissing my neck."

"I hope that's all she did."

Anger at the Klingon/Vulcan bounty hunter boiled inside Rene. This killer had laid her hands on Alec in a sensual way and that was a no-no. What disturbed her further was the background of her genealogy. Klingon females were widely known for their voracious sexual appetites. And while the pon farr - mating cycle - of full blooded Vulcans was limited to once every seven years there was no predicting what a mix with Klingon DNA would result in. She might be a walking talking rabbit.

"Aside from showing me first hand exactly how well women can fight." Alec instinctively held the hand that Tasmith had fractured simply by squeezing it in hers. He never ran away from a fight but if they ever faced each other again it would have to be considered, especially because Rene would be at the mercy of anyone who threatened her if he failed.

"You're still alive and she's probably in a penal colony by now harassing or seducing the local inmates."

He had to hand it to Rene, she always knew how to make him laugh. "Tom Paris got out too early. I don't think he would have..." Alec stopped himself again. I've got to stop doing that.

Rene let that one go. "My point is, you beat her. You're still here and not a head on a wall somewhere."

"Thanks for that comforting visual, dear. I didn't exactly win by conventional means."

"I'm sure that in a fair fight-"

"It was a fair fight, Rene!" His own outburst surprised him. Frustration had reached its boiling point. He was sorry it had been unleashed on his wife, but he was glad he had let it out. "It was a fair fight and she kicked my ass. If I hadn't used that phaser I'd be dead right now. I cheated."

Rene turned over so they were face to face. "You are the most honorable man I've ever met. You didn't cheat. You improvised. Besides you had no other choice. You did what you had to in order to ensure your children would grow up with a father and I'd grow old with my husband. Now, if the situation ever does arise where you can either choose to stick by your morals and die, or cheat to survive, you damn well better cheat."

"Given the choice," said Alec. "I'll go with option B."

"I thought you would." Rene leaned in and kissed him then wrapped her arm around and held him tight. "What happens when we get there?"

"I don't know. We'll find out when we do."