Chapter 17

"Cadet McCoy, please report to Conference Room One."

Leonard was so mentally entrenched in finishing his patch job on the hole in his patient's lung that he almost didn't notice his name over the comm. He did, however, notice Nurse Stewart startle.

"Doctor McCoy?"

"Focus, Nurse. The patient is more important," Leonard said flatly. Through his scope, he watched the delicate, spongy lung tissue fuse and knit together.

"Cadet McCoy, acknowledge."

"Doctor?"

"Ignore it, Stewart," Leonard growled. The hole was gone, and Leonard pulled the pleural membrane over the lung and sealed it into a smooth, cohesive sac, completing the repair. Letting out a breath of satisfaction, he started closing procedures. The holes used for the surgery were tiny and easy to mend. Almost nothing in the world satisfied him more than starting with a person whose body was damaged and broken, snatching him away from death's door, putting that body back together, and watching that person walk away to continue the simple act of living. Right now, with his full attention on the surgery, he couldn't fixate on anything else, and it was helping to save his sanity.

"Cadet Leonard McCoy, report to Conference Room One. Acknowledge immediately."

Gritting his teeth, Leonard handed the tissue fusion tools to Stewart. He could finish closing. Leonard pulled off his gloves, reached over, and slapped the comm unit.

"Doctor McCoy acknowledging. I was in the middle of somebody's lung when you called. Couldn't exactly step away. I'll report to Conference Room One in a moment."

"You will report immediately, Cadet."

Leonard wished he knew who was speaking to him, and wondered if he could get that person on his roster for a physical at some point. Holding back an eyeroll, he acknowledged, "Yes, sir. On my way." He looked at Nurse Stewart. "You good to close up the procedure?"

Stewart nodded, not looking away from the patient. "I've done it a hundred times, Doctor."

Leonard felt a flash of gratitude. Over the past two weeks, he'd learned just how much training the nurses on starships had beyond normal nursing skills. They had to be able to step up if the doctors were incapacitated, and Leonard had come to realize that yes, they could handle it. He gave Stewart a nod. "Good. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He stopped by treatment bay one and stuck his head around the corner.

Brex was fully focused on the patient in front of him, but he obviously knew Leonard was there, and he must have heard the intercom. "Go ahead, McCoy. I think we've got it covered for now." Then, for a brief moment, he looked up. "Good luck."

Leonard nodded. "Thank you."

Feeling really uneasy, Leonard stepped out of Sickbay, but as the doors hissed shut, he realized that he had no idea how to find Conference Room One. Grumbling in irritation, he found a hallway computer terminal and pulled up a map. A moment later, he was on his way, hoping that when he arrived, he'd be able to hold back his instinctive tirade about how inappropriate it was to pull a doctor away from sickbay during a medical catastrophe with multiple casualties. If he knew Brex at all, he suspected that topic would be reviewed much more diplomatically after the crisis was over. That was fine and dandy, but in the meantime, he'd have to bite his own tongue and deal with whatever steaming pile of shit was about to be dropped in his lap.

It hit him with a jolt, startling him enough to make him stumble to a stop in the middle of the hallway. Hererra. He'd let himself become so absorbed by his work that he'd almost pushed it out of his mind. Almost, but not completely. They were calling him up to interrogate him about what had happened to Hererra. That had to be it.

Leonard swallowed back a surge of nausea and forced himself to start walking again. It couldn't be avoided. He'd almost hoped it could wait until the crisis was over, but as Doctor Ankewicz had said, medical takes second priority to everything else on a starship. The rest of the staff in sickbay would have to handle it without him. He'd just have to grow a damned backbone and tell them exactly what had happened.

Then another thought hit him. Of course he could tell them what had happened. All of it. Not just what had happened to Hererra. He had information - everything Rhexen had told him how the Axanar had taken over the government and kept the Araxians themselves out of the negotiations. People needed to know that this had started 50 years ago, and that the Peace Mission had brought it to a boiling point because the Araxians and their planet were being used as little more than a poker chip.

He had to tell them that they had it all wrong. Maybe the information could even stop the violence. Vaguely, he wondered what Jim would say now.

The conference room was on Deck Two, just below and aft of the main bridge. Leonard had already assumed it was where the command crew usually had their briefings, but he still found himself surprised to walk in and find the captain, first officer, one Axanar (or Araxian?) delegate, and what he assumed was half of the bridge crew waiting for him.

Captain Porter took a step towards him, arms folded across his chest. "Cadet, when you're ordered to report immediately, I don't expect delays."

Leonard couldn't quite keep his eyes from widening at the realization that it was probably the captain who had paged him directly. "I... I'm sorry, sir, but I really was in the middle of a patient's lung when you called. I couldn't step away without causing serious damage."

Porter's mouth twisted slightly. "I heard you have an extremely strong dedication to your duty as a doctor." He gave a grudging nod. "I respect that."

"Thank you, sir, and I'm sorry I didn't report on Cadet Hererra sooner. There was so much happening, and patients who needed me, but I need to tell you -"

Porter cut him off with a raised hand. "At ease, Cadet!"

"- I need to explain what I heard from -"

"I said at ease!"

Leonard closed his mouth so fast he heard it snap.

Porter nodded irritably. "We don't have time right now. I know about Hererra, and we'll review that later, but we've got to worry about the living while we can. What I couldn't announce over the intercom is that you have another patient who needs you, and you might be the only person who can get to him."

Leonard had already been nervous, but now he was on-edge for a whole new reason. "What do you mean, Captain?"

With a grim tilt of his head, Porter indicated the viewscreen at the back of the room.

Slowly, Leonard walked around the table and got a good look at the surprisingly familiar face on the viewscreen. He looked different than he had a few days ago, as he was currently streaked in dust and soot, wearing a dark brown tunic instead of his medic's uniform. He was in a fairly dark room surrounded by heavy equipment, instead of in a bright clinic. Leonard couldn't hold back his exclamation. "Jethan!"

The Araxian medic nodded and gave him a strained smile. "Doctor McCoy. It is good to see you, although I regret the circumstances."

Porter stepped up and stood by Leonard's shoulder. "So you do know the insurgent."

"Insurgent?" Leonard blurted out in disbelief. He'd worked with Jethan for an entire day. Sure, a day wasn't really enough time to get to know someone, but he couldn't imagine a person of Jethan's stated ethics supporting the wrong side of a war. Or any side of a war, for that matter. He certainly couldn't be supporting the people who had started the violence. All of Leonard's instincts had told him that Jethan was a good person. He'd liked the guy. Doubts about who was right and who was wrong in this little war were spinning in his head, making him dizzy. He stared at Captain Porter. "Sir, this is the medic who escorted me around the Araxian medical facilities. There's no way he could be behind -"

"But I am, Doctor McCoy," Jethan said, cutting him off. "Your captain is correct, although it was my hope that it would not come to this. Life is precious to me, McCoy, but other things are worth the sacrifice. We have been attempting to negotiate with those in power - the Axanar who have taken over our planet - but they would not hear us. It became clear that words would not help. I regret that the Federation has become entangled in this situation."

"Regret..." Leonard shook his head incredulously. "Jethan, people have died! You're a medic, for God's sake!"

"I know. Which is why I offer you the chance to save one of your colleagues."

Jethan was looking at him with something so apologetic and honest that - dammit - Leonard believed him.

"Audio off," Porter said suddenly, then turned to face Leonard. "Listen Cadet, for now, this is classified, but if we're potentially sending you in, you need to understand the situation. A small group of Araxian isolationists have chosen to attack the negotiations. They seem well-organized, but they're grossly outnumbered. We're working with proper Araxian authorities, including Councilor Rhozhin -" He indicated the Araxian in the room with a gesture."- to bring this fringe group under control before they can destroy any more of the city. Starfleet's official policy is that we do not negotiate with terrorists. Additionally, this is technically a domestic dispute amongst the Araxians. All we can do is assist."

He hesitated, then pressed his lips tightly together for a moment before continuing. "But we may be able to take care of this small situation without violating those policies. The isolationists have taken two of our crew members hostage, and according to the report, one of them is seriously injured. They're in a building used for dilithium storage, and our transporters can't penetrate the distortions caused by the dilithium."

"Dilithium?" Leonard asked skeptically. "As in, the dilithium that the Araxians were using to negotiate their arrangement with the Federation?"

"We assume so," Porter said with a measure of annoyance. "If it weren't for the fact that our people are in there, the location would be irrelevant. We think they're making a symbolic stance there, intending to prevent access to the building, but almost all of their activity is in locations of political power and infrastructure. We know they took the hostages by chance, and decided to use them as a diversion from their main efforts in the center of the city. The Peacekeepers would send a squad to secure the building, but that might lead to the deaths of the hostages. While the situation is stable, we won't raid the building unless the hostages have been released. Not while there's still a chance of surrender."

The Captain's eyes flicked to the side, and Leonard followed the glance across the room to the Araxian delegate. The Araxian folded his arms across his chest but said nothing.

The Captain cleared his throat and continued. "In the meantime, the terrorists have agreed to allow one doctor safe passage from a beam-down point into the building in order to treat the injured hostage. A show of 'good faith,' they claim. And..." Porter's expression puckered unpleasantly. "And they've decided that you're the only doctor they'll allow through."

Leonard's mouth had gone dry. "Why me?"

Porter tilted his head towards the viewscreen. "This Araxian says he met you during one of your tours on the planet. He knows you're a doctor, and because he'd recognize you, we wouldn't be able to send down a security operative instead. Also... in his own words... he trusts you."

Leonard didn't like any of this. "Well, sir... he gave me a guided tour of the medical facility. He's one of their top medics, and I shadowed him all day. So... yes, he knows me. But..." He glanced uneasily at Rhozhin. "Jethan was one of the colony's founders. At least, that's what he told me. He's one of their top medics. I watched him with patients all day. That's not the sort of guy who blows up his own city without a damned good cause!"

To the side, Leonard could tell Rhozhin was rapidly becoming agitated, but the captain seemed far more so.

"Cadet," Porter said sharply, "we did not bring you here to debate the politics of this uprising."

Leonard opened his mouth to protest - this was important, goddammit - but he forced himself to back down. Debating whether or not one of the Araxian rebels trusted him or not wasn't going to help save a dying man. "Okay. Okay. Jethan said that one of their two captives is seriously injured? Who is it?"

"We're not sure which one is injured. The report is that he'll die without medical attention very soon. The Araxian said they don't know enough about human medical needs to treat him themselves."

There was no doubt in Leonard's mind that he'd accept the assignment, and bizarrely, he did believe Jethan, but... "After they've already killed so many people, why are they worried about just one human? What if it's a trap to bring in more hostages? What if the crewman is already dead?"

Porter grimaced. "We thought of that, and in truth, we can't really be sure. That's why I'm asking you to volunteer. I'm not ordering you to go."

Leonard swallowed tightly against the dryness in his throat. "Let me talk to him first."

Porter nodded, then said, "Audio on."

Hoping his nerves weren't as obvious as they seemed, Leonard took a step closer to the screen. "Jethan... I'll take your word that it's not a trap... if you can prove to me that our people still alive."

Jethan nodded gravely. "This can be done." He turned to the side and flipped a couple of switches on one of the pieces of equipment. "Control Team Secondary to... Ghzeth." His hesitation was obvious, and Leonard wondered what he'd originally meant to say.

Over an audio comm channel, Leonard could hear the reply. "This is Ghzeth. Will the Federation send one of their medics?"

"Only if we prove to them that their people are alive. Have the uninjured Terran speak to them. Route through my transmitter. I'm restricting them to one-way communication only for security."

"I'll have him speak. One moment."

Leonard stood silently, glancing from one person in the room to the next. The tension was palpable. He looked over at Rhozhin and frowned. It was hard to be sure, but it looked like he had the Axanar skin tone. Not for the first time, Leonard wondered if anyone had taken his report about the Araxian genetics seriously.

Of course, Jethan also had the Axanar skin tone. He'd said he was one of the founders. Again, Leonard wondered why they were so different that they'd need to come to blows like this... a thought he quickly dismissed when he remembered Jethan's tale of why he'd left Axanar. He remembered Rhexen's passion for science. He thought about the scorn he'd heard from both of them for the Axanar system of subservience, and their similar passion for academics, democracy, and individual achievement.

He wondered why the hell the captain couldn't see what Leonard thought was so blatantly obvious.

He could try to convince Captain Porter that they were making a mistake, collaborating with the wrong side, but without more evidence, he was just a cadet with an opinion. That didn't stop him from believing, with absolute certainty, that he would side with the Araxians... as long as that crewman was still alive.

Then he heard a distant and slightly tinny voice over the viewscreen transmission. "This is Cadet..." The voice hesitated, and Leonard's stomach clenched. Even through the distortion caused by the piggybacked transmission, he knew that voice.

On the viewscreen, Jethan adjusted a knob on his equipment, and the human voice spoke again, louder and a bit more clearly this time.

"This is Cadet James Kirk."

No. In a heartbeat, something in Leonard's chest froze, and he swore he could feel the blood draining from his face.

Jethan hit another button and spoke. "Terran, thank you for cooperating. The crew of your ship is listening. I must warn you that if you attempt to reveal any strategic details, we will cut transmission and will not permit your ship's doctor to transport down safely. Your words will determine whether they decide to send a doctor for your injured colleague."

"They're listening... can they reply?" Jim asked.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that," Jethan said without malice.

"Right." Jim cleared his throat. "Cadet James Kirk reporting. Crewman Timothy Johan and I have been taken hostage by an Araxian resistance group. Lieutenant Finney is dead. The rest of the team got out of the building, and I hope everyone made it back to the ship. Johan and I haven't been mistreated, but Johan was shot as we tried to escape. It's a severe energy weapon injury to his lower back. It looks like the damage is deep. He's been mostly unconscious, but he came around once. It's serious, though, and I don't think he's going to last much longer without real medical help." There was a brief pause, then Jim continued. "Whoever is listening... I think these people are good on their word. If they promise to let a doctor through safely, they won't shoot. In fact, that's one thing I'm pretty sure that both the Araxians and the Axanar have in common - they respect doctors. But... if we're going to get Johan out of here alive, someone needs to come soon. "

"Thank you, Terran," Jethan said into the commo equipment, then he faced the screen again. "As you can see, they are alive. We do not wish harm to them. Perhaps you will believe us not only about your crewmen, but also about our claims regarding the takeover of our planet by the Axanar."

Leonard felt too cold and too hot all at once. That was Jim. Jim was on Araxis. Jim was a goddamned hostage in the middle of a civil war.

Off to the side, Captain Porter spoke. "We will not discuss matters until you cease paramilitary operations and release our hostages."

"We can not do that until the Axanar leadership listens to us, and you recognize us as the true Araxian leadership," Jethan said.

Porter stiffened. "Will you guarantee the safe release of the doctor we send down once he has treated our injured crewman?"

"Your doctor will not be harmed, and he will be free to go," Jethan replied evenly. "You have my word." He looked straight at Leonard from the viewscreen. "Doctor McCoy has my word."

Suddenly, all eyes in the room were on Leonard, and it was all he could do to remember to breathe. He was about to agree to beam down into the middle of a battlefield, to save a dying man, with nothing to protect him but the word of a person who had been labeled a terrorist by the Federation... and all he could think was that it was okay because he needed to get to Jim.

"Let me talk to Kirk," Leonard said.

"Why?" Jethan asked.

It was a simple question, but one that Leonard couldn't really answer. The truth was that he wanted to know if Jim was seeing the same thing he was - that the "terrorists" were a group of freedom fighters, and that the Federation was taking the wrong side. However, with the Axanar in the room, posed as an Araxian official, and the Captain firmly taking the stance that these rebels were a rogue group of terrorists, he knew it would be pointless to argue. He was a cadet with an opinion, and nothing more. He swallowed tightly. "Just want to make sure he's okay, too."

"He has stated that he is uninjured."

I'll believe that when I see it. "Okay." Trying not to shake from the adrenaline and fear, Leonard turned to Captain Porter. "I'll go."

Porter nodded, then turned back towards the screen. "Have your people transmit coordinates for beam-down. And..." His expression darkened. "If you break your word, and McCoy is not returned to us unharmed, we will take it as an open declaration of war on the Federation, and this will no longer be a domestic dispute."

Jethan gave Porter a level look. "McCoy will not be harmed. But remember, all we require to cease hostilities is for you to believe us, and for the Axanar in control of our planet to step down and recognize us as the real Araxian leadership."

With that, the transmission went dead, and Leonard found himself staring at the blank screen. This was bad. Really, really goddamned awful.

"McCoy, if you're sure -"

"I'm sure, Captain," Leonard said, not liking how rough his voice sounded. "I'm not leaving a wounded man down there to die." He finally met Porter's eyes uneasily. "I already let one man die today, and that's one too many."

Porter gave a nod of understanding. "I respect that."

"Did the rest of the team make it back to the ship?"

Porter's jaw clenched. "Everyone except Finney, Johan, and Kirk. We already knew about Finney."

Leonard grimaced, then realized he had one last chance to say something, and it needed to be said. Jim would want him to say it, even if it didn't help. "Sir... you need to know... when I was on the planet earlier today, I met with one of their lead scientists. He said the Axanar came fifty years ago, and slowly took over the Araxian government. The way he was talking, he supports the goals of the... uh... rebels. He and Jethan are both leaders in the community. I just think -"

Councilor Rhozhin interrupted. "Cadet, I understand why you would be swayed by their words, but I would caution you not to trust these people. They will say almost anything to convince you of their narrative. This small rogue group is risking the safety of their entire world, against the wishes of their own people, for an ideology that failed them. They are dissatisfied with our elected leadership, and have attacked without provocation. They contradict the natural order!"

Leonard narrowed his eyes slightly. Knowing he was about to put himself in a politically precarious position, and not really caring, he took a small step towards the Axanar. "The natural order... of Axanar, not Araxis. You weren't born on Araxis, were you?"

Rhozhin twitched, but before he could say a word, Captain Porter cut in.

"Cadet, what are you talking about?"

Leonard looked at the Captain warily. "Sir... you already have my report on Araxian genetics. As you said, it's not my place. I'm just a cadet. But... I wonder what would happen if you looked at the birth records of everyone in positions of political leadership and power on Araxis. I'd bet most of them were born on Axanar."

Porter blinked, but didn't say a word. Rhozhin looked as though he wanted to protest, but had nothing he could say. Leonard knew, with absolute certainty, that he was right. He just hoped the Captain would figure it out before things got worse.

Leonard huffed a sigh. "I have a patient to try to save. I'll gather my equipment now."

Porter nodded slowly. "Report to the Transporter Room as soon as you're ready."

Leonard took that as a dismissal and left as fast as he could. That was one mess he couldn't deal with at the moment. He didn't even want to try wrapping his head around the mess he was about to beam himself into. At the moment, he had a mission - save Crewman Johan's life if possible, and get Jim out of there. If he kept it that simple in his head, he might survive this.

Through the corridor, to the turbolift, and into Sickbay, Leonard's feet moved him automatically. His ears were buzzing and his heart was pounding as he walked into the supply closet. He grabbed a standard medical kit and tricorder. Then he found a satchel in a cabinet and started loading supplies for field surgery, hoping that he was selecting the right equipment. He added the medkit and tricorder to the bag, sealed it, and turned around to find Doctor Brex standing there, looking at him sadly.

"Jim's down there," Leonard heard himself say.

"I know."

"There's an injured crewman."

"You'll be able to save him."

Leonard shrugged. "I hope so."

Brex hesitated for the briefest of moments, then said, "I believe you about the Axanar taking over Araxis. I think the Captain wants to believe you, but for some reason, he can't."

Leonard gave a weak smile. "At least that's something. I needed to know that."

"I understand." Brex nodded to him, then said, "There's something about that Kazarite. I'll need to wait for him to wake up before I can get through to him, but I think it's important."

Leonard nodded. "I know. I hope you figure it out."

"So do I." He sighed. "Hurry. Your patient needs you." An unspoken come back safely hung in the air.

They shook hands quickly, and without another word, Leonard looped the strap of the satchel over his shoulder and hurried out the door.

His heart pounded in his ears as he rushed down the corridor to the transporter room. Before he could say anything to the operator, the woman said, "We've already got your coordinates, doctor. Please step onto the transporter pad."

Leonard was so nervous about the whole situation that the idea of being scared of the transporter barely crossed his mind, even as the world dissolved around him. Seconds later, the transporter beam had faded away, and he found himself alone, squinting into the bright light of an afternoon sun.

He was in the middle of a wide road. There was the acrid smell of smoke in the air, and the wail of sirens in the distance. Not a soul in sight, although he was sure he was being watched. It was only then that he realized he had no idea where he was going. He knew that they couldn't beam him down directly into the building, but he'd been so distracted that he'd forgotten to ask how to find it.

Moving slowly, he raised his hands so anyone watching could see that he wasn't holding a weapon, and yelled, "Okay, so now what?"

At the corner of Leonard's eye, he caught movement, and an Araxian in dark brown clothes was walking towards him, holding a large rifle. To Leonard's narrow relief, the rifle was aimed at the ground, not at him. Still, Leonard kept his hands up until the Araxian stopped in front of him.

"Jethan has confirmed your identity, and our scans indicate that you are unarmed. We appreciate your honesty and cooperation."

Leonard let out a shaky breath. "I'm a doctor, not a combatant. I'm just here to help an injured man."

"We respect that. However... we must take your communication device."

Slowly, he unclipped his communicator from his belt and held it out. "Are you going to destroy it? I need that to get back to my ship.

The Araxian shook his head. "We have no need to destroy the device. We shall return it when you are done treating the injured Terran."

Well, at least they intend for me to come back here to return to the ship... if he's telling the truth. Not that Leonard really had a choice at this point. "Good enough. Just lead me to the patient."

Without another word, the Araxian began walking, and Leonard followed. For a moment, he wondered why he wasn't being directed at gunpoint, and then he realized how unnecessary that must be. What was he going to do anyway? Run? No... he was here for one purpose, and running wasn't part of the plan. He needed to follow right now.

On one hand, Leonard wanted to trust that he'd be okay. The Araxian wasn't actually being hostile in any overt way. In fact, the guy was being shockingly polite, and Leonard was quite sure that he had no desire to harm him. At the same time, the reality of the situation was sinking in. He had no communicator. No weapon. He was in the middle of a battle, and completely at the mercy of these people. For the second time in his life, he was a hostage.

This time, he'd walked into it willingly.

Along the street, Leonard saw shattered windows and the occasional scorch mark of an energy weapon on the ground or the side of a building. There wasn't a trace of sentient life aside from himself and his guide, but Leonard wasn't going to let himself believe for a moment that he wasn't being watched from a dozen directions. Jethan had somehow confirmed his identity, which meant at least he was watching.

They turned a corner down another wide, abandoned street. The smell of burning polymers was thicker here, and over the buildings, Leonard could see a dark column of smoke rising from a source maybe a kilometer away. Immediately, he could see where they were going - a large, graphite-gray building, looming over the whole street. It had few windows and fewer distinguishing features, and looked like little more than an enormous cube.

Dilithium storage, he thought. Makes sense.

Another armed Araxian emerged from the building and quickly ushered them inside. "This way."

As Leonard stepped into the darkness of the building, despite the reassurances he'd been given, he couldn't suppress the thought that he might never come out again.

*.&.*

Notes: Do you still have your hat? Hold tight... we've still got a ways to go. In the meantime, show me some love and leave a comment to let me know what you think of the story. It really makes me happy. :)