Chapter-11:

Marla couldn't remember another time in her life that she watched the clock so obsessively. From the moment she left Khan in the hangar—where she was going to meet him later—she watched every minute as it ticked by. There was little for her to do at this point. Her sole task was to just be there.

Khan, meanwhile, was swept up in sending the report, loading the small transport ship with the torpedoes, and getting clearance to take the prized cargo from Starbase 12; a lot of paperwork and lies that had to be carefully conducted.

All she had to busy herself with was packing. She had a few civilian clothes—there would be no need for uniforms after this—and some small personal valuables, such as her books. It all fit in one small bag. She was more than ready. But the more she considered her approaching departure, and how final it really was, she had only one regret: she was leaving a friend behind. It was about three hours until she was to meet Khan. That was enough time to say goodbye to Carol.

15:00.

Carol was engrossed in mutilating a faulty phaser rifle when Marla found her in one of the labs.

"Hey," she approached cheerfully.

"Hey!" Carol looked up from her tinkering, flashing that contagiously bright smile. "What brings you here?" She continued to detach the pieces of the firearm, its pieces laid out in an organized fashion on the metal table.

"I'm leaving soon," Marla's voice suddenly caught in her throat.

Carol paused immediately, her features drooping. "You've been transferred?"

"Yes," the lie came too easily. The less Carol knew the better. With any luck, her father would never know they were even associated. "I'm being relocated somewhere far on the edge of the system… maybe further."

"Don't you know?" Carol was beginning to look more quizzical now as she set her tools aside. "You'll at least keep in touch won't you?"

"I'll do my best." Another lie. As much as she wanted to, she knew all contact needed to end with Starfleet—and that included Carol. In fact, there was no guarantee communication would be possible anyway.

"How soon are you leaving?"

"In about three hours." It was more sudden than Carol anticipated, she could tell by the way the blonde's mouth fell open. "I wanted to say goodbye," Marla forced a smile and approached her, pulling the other woman into a tight hug. "I'll miss you."

Carol squeezed her with surprising strength in return.

The doors to the lab wheezed open, and a small group of boots marched in, their collective steps far too loud to be lab technicians. Marla pulled away from Carol just in time to see a phalanx of four security officers halting in their march only a couple of feet away from her. They were all armed.

"Lieutenant Marla McGivers, you're under arrest for conspiracy."

Carol laughed with disbelief. "You're mistaken—"

"Please come with us, lieutenant," the chief officer completely ignored Carol.

Marla's heart stopped. "C-conspiracy? Based on what?"

"We've been watching you for weeks now. Please, lieutenant."

Marla's legs, which finally regained some ambulatory function, took her backward, away from the wall of security officers. All she could think of was Khan. They were going to go after him, if they haven't already.

"Marla?" Carol was looking to her now, increasingly confused.

She wanted to grab one of the nearby weapons in the lab, any of them that were intact and hopefully functional. But with four armed officers blocking the exit, it would gain her nothing. They would either stun or kill her, she couldn't be sure one way or the other.

"I'm sorry, Carol." That was the best she could do in place of an explanation.

The chief security officer was out of patience. With one curt gesture of a command, the other three men stalked forward, herding her into a corner. She would have come quietly, but the sudden affront provoked panic in her—it provoked her to fight. She pushed forward with no other option than to try to wedge through them. Instead, it only made it easier for them to grab her arms and lift her feet clear from the floor.

"No!" she screamed.

Carol began to pull at one of the men. "Wait! You must be wrong!"

"The orders come directly from Admiral Marcus," the chief said succinctly.

That was enough to give Carol pause, but not to ease her bewilderment.

Marla continued in her useless struggle, her future crumbling before her eyes. "Let me go!" she cried. They dragged her fighting tooth and nail from the weapons lab.