Chapter Twenty Four
"Commander Data, the Captain is due to give his report to the Admiral now."
"Thank you Lieutenant, that will not be possible." Worf was waiting for him to expound, but nothing else came. Data just sat in the Captain's chair, looking out through the viewing screen.
"Sir, are we simply going to miss the deadline?"
"Currently we are awaiting analysis of the equanime. It is unlikely to be complete until at least tomorrow evening." He looked to Worf. "Lieutenant as chief of security, do you think it would be wise to phase back to our dimension and make contact with the admiralty?"
"I think we need to make contact somehow, however, leaving this vicinity would leave our away team even more vulnerable."
"That is true; however, we will not be able to attempt any type of rescue until we have completed the equanime analysis."
"May I suggest I stay in orbit with a shuttle and one of their own? If somehow they manage to break out or make contact, I will be here to respond and offer assistance if needed? Or at the very least explain the situation." Data tilted his head to one side, clearly considering his options.
"Data to Geordi, will you please report to the Bridge with Guss, Starnel and Christoph."
"Aye Sir, we will be with you shortly."
Back on the surface, the atmosphere changed. Folk seemed more on edge, and the castle and surrounding streets were lined with Johta on guard duty. They approached the entrance. Vearden's castle wasn't huge, but extremely grand and ornate. It had three turrets, the highest of which was close to seventy yards high and many of the walls had marble and precious jewels inlayed. A grand statue of Salbator stood above the main gate and its teryn eyes sparkled violently in the sunlight. Lyden took a deep breath as they entered.
They immediately walked into a hall that was supported by many groin vaults. High above, each vault had a large, precious gem inserted into the centre, each radiating light in its own unique colour. Somehow, this light refracted and moved as though it was water. The majority of the hall light, however, was cast by six huge arched windows on either side of the hall.
In the centre of the large room was a square space with no vaulting. Upon looking up, one could see into the highest tower. Underneath the tower was a large, marble fire pit with surrounding seating. Doone theorised the tower may act as a funnel and outlet for smoke, though nothing was apparent.
Four men entered the hall from a small door to the left. Tarya guessed they were all of the Second Generation and she noticed a different beast on one of the Higher Counted's crests. Two of them bore the image of Salbator on their crests, the third Silverstrain (the wolf-like creatures descendent), but the fourth had an eagle creature depicted. It was not dissimilar to the birds released against the south during The Battle at Lovioran Estuary. It must have been the great beast of their line Tarya mused.
"Dontor! Welcome back!" Asked one of the men. "I see you have bought guests."
"Indeed." His undertone instantly alerted the others of his weariness.
"Lyden of course we recognise. Welcome back!"
"Thank you Damyus." Damyus had always been the gentlest of the Higher Counted. If he were to have respect for any of them, it would be him.
"May I introduce Captain Picard, Riker, Deanna and Beverley. They are off-worlders…" Lyden turned to the others. "This is Doone and Tarya, they are the southeners who made contact with them and bought them here."
"I am Damyus, this is Malcus and Darien, along with Dontor we comprise the Higher Counted, the ruling body of the north. Please - take a seat." He gestured to the seats surrounding the fire pit. They all sat in their respective couples. "To what do we owe the pleasure?" Damyus added when they were all settled. Deanna was surprised how open this man was. He was fairly genuine. The one he called Malcus however, was seething, as though their very presence was offensive to him. It was he who bore the crest of the Salbator beast. She could not read Darien at all. Tarya and Doone had closed their minds off long ago. Lots of looks shot around, clearly unsure of who should speak first. Picard decided to take the initiative before the silence became awkward, or suspicious. He only hoped he could expound on what Lyden had said so far, and help the federation regain control of this situation.
"Tarya here and her friends in the south have welcomed us to your home with the idea of possibly fostering relations going forward." Before he could continue Malcus interrupted.
"You, woman, you made contact with outsiders? How and Why?" Tarya was really getting fed up with the north.
"We've had technology that has enabled exploration beyond our orb for centuries. We used to travel beyond a lot, however, what is out there isn't necessarily good. Around ten thousand years ago we shrouded our orb and have remained here until recently, when I decided to venture out again. Our orb's cloak is very old now and it won't be long until it begins to fail. We will need to re-enter these folks dimension. Things have changed massively though since our last travels, and the different species technology has vastly improved. If we don't uncloak soon, it won't be long before they find us anyway and then we will have no control." She swallowed, really struggling with her next words. "We felt it only fair to come and share these plans and ideas with you, see what you think."
"Only now after millennia of exploration and hiding us away do you feel the need to see what we think?" Malcus spat out.
"This is the first time ever that our orb may be potentially exposed and in danger." She spat back.
"Tell us what she is talking about Picard?" Damyus thought to try and stifle the growing hostility and divert.
"I believe Tarya is referring to the fact the your orb, or world, will soon be visible to all of the other species that now populate our universe. Not all are friendly and willing to learn more. There are those that may try and exploit you. Your world is also located right in the middle of an area of space that is known as Federation Territory."
"What is Federation?" Malcus insisted.
"It is the United Federation of Planets. Which is a union of multiple worlds. We believe in principles of liberty, equality, peace, justice and progress. We exchange knowledge, culture, facilitate peace and scientific development, exploration and when needed mutual defense."
"And offense." Malcus added.
"We would never undertake an offensive lightly. It would have to be against a major and imminent threat to life."
"How very noble you are Picard." It didn't pass by Picard that he hadn't called him Captain once, however he was also aware that he may not have a clue as what it meant, until.
"So you are a captain of what?" Asked Darien, who was very softly spoken, he didn't really seem to fit in, far too gentle and quiet. He also seemed very young compared to the rest. Riker assumed it had something to do with lineage.
"A ship called the Enterprise, it travels the stars and between worlds. Riker here is my first commanding officer, Deanna is our ships counsellor, she also holds the rank of Lieutenant and Beverly is our Chief Medical Officer and holds the rank of Commander, the same as my number one officer."
"And are there woman Captains?"
"Oh yes, a woman can achieve anything a man can in our society in terms of rights and liberties."
"And that causes you no problems?" Asked Damyus.
"No." He held Beverley's hand and he chose to look into her eyes as he continued. "Woman enrich our society and lives, we should probably treasure them even more than we do." Riker and Deanna exchanged a look. This trip seemed to be illuminating their Captain in unexpected ways. "Tell me," he continued, "we've learnt a bit about how your society treats woman. Why is that?" Damyus remained silent. It was clear to Deanna this made him feel uncomfortable, for some reason his heart ached. He was unsure of the answer and, it seemed, not to fond of the way they did treat them. She realised there was no way he was going to answer that question when he appeared to slightly hang his head in shame. Malcus, however, was very keen.
"It is the will of our Lord and Master Salbator. Women led to the downfall of our people after the great beast war. When Salbator created stability, part of ensuring it was maintained was the need for us to control our women and animals. We have had stability since."
"That wasn't what it looked like when we travelled through your underground cities. It was fairly clear a revolt of sorts had taken place and you need to use force and imprisonment to control your citizens in order to maintain this stability. That doesn't seem right, does it?" Doone was also beginning to lose his patience. Deanna was sure Damyus agreed with everything he had just said.
"By Salbator you mean the old great beast?" Tarya speculated.
"Indeed, and what would you know of him?"
"I know that he was no different to the other great beasts that walked the orb. He was nothing special. I vaguely remember the beast leading the charge against the southern counterparts, it seems he's always been hell-bent on destruction and it appears you cannot see that. You've been stifled and controlled to the point you're brainwashed. Of course, if you get a good deal out of it, who cares about anyone else right -are you truly that foolish?" Tarya was done with the madness.
"How dare you speak of what you do not know." With that said, Malcus stood up, marched over to her and unsheathed his sword. Within moments her equanime had encircled her and she was now holding her sword. He lunged at her and they began to parry. She continued to lash our verbally.
"We also do not poison our citizens in order to garner their equanime and control them. You are an embarrassment to our orb. Thanks to you we would not even be able to join the federation, even if we wished to, you do not align enough with their principles and the principles of most modern and cultured societies." She lunged at him, slicing through his arm. He stopped and winced in pain. He clutched his arm, attempting to stem the flow.
"I thought you weren't garnered?"
"We aren't."
"Then why do you not heal yourself?" He looked perplexed.
"What do you think equanime is?" She said. He still looked at her confused.
"Direct your equanime to your hands." Her fingertips shone slightly as an example, almost instantly.
"I don't know how to do that." By now, everyone was standing around them. Darien and Damyus were both trying to do what she was inferring.
"I don't understand, how do you not have control of your equanime?" As she spoke, she noticed Malcus' wound was beginning to heal. "There, can you not feel the equanime moving to your wound."
"I just feel the usual warm rush through my body."
"That is all it is... Right, this is how we train our young to heal." She turned to the others. "Damyus may I?" She held her sword to his arm. He nodded affirmatively and she sliced along his forearm. "Okay, when you feel the surge, try and grab the head of it. We tell our children it is like a snake winding its way through your body, try and get its head. When you do, move it back and forth and feel the movement. Then try directing it to your fingers." He nodded in acknowledgement, all eyes were on him.
"I've got it I think!" He was like an elated schoolchild. "Now what?"
"Try moving it to your neck, then split and send it down each arm, it's not hard and after a while it becomes second nature." He was wiggling around as though it would help as the others watched on, slightly amused.
"Slice me again," demanded Malcus.
"Gladly," offered Tarya slicing his arm a lot deeper than she did to Damyus. He winced in pain. Darien then offered his arm and the three of them spent the next few minutes squirming around, trying to move their equanime around. Lyden was weak, he was loving this and had long forgotten to maintain his composure, he was laughing out loud as they were getting more and more frustrated, just then, however, Damyus fingertips began to glow.
"There you go, you can do it!" Tarya exclaimed, but before anyone else could say a thing, a great beast came hurtling down from the top of the highest tower landing onto the lit fire pit and dispersing the flames below his belly. He was a gnarled, grey-skinned man of at least nine foot, very muscular and in place of hands and feet were claws. His eyes were bright red and had wings like that of a dragon. Doone straightened his trousers, pulling on them when, for some reason, he noticed his taste in attire was very similar to this beasts. They literally wore the same trousers, though the beast wore nothing else and they were torn below the knees.
"You wear it far better." Whispered Tarya to Doone as the beast lunged towards them all.
"Lord Salbator," bowed Malcus and Dontor, pathetically in unison. Darien and Damyus looked to one another and slowly bowed in acknowledgment. The rift between the Higher Counted was now apparent to all.
"You are the true leader of the north?" Picard questioned. The creature just smiled, crookedly. Before bellowing out a deep rumbling, "Sit!" No one questioned this command. The creature breathed noisily as he followed them back to the seating area.
Geordi had taken their new friends to the bridge.
"Thank you for coming. We need to take the Enterprise back to normal space and liaise with the Admirately, are we able to do that Geordi?"
"I don't see why that will be an issue, Guss here is able to supply us with more equanime, but what if the away team need to contact us?"
"Lieutenant Worf has volunteered to stay behind in a shuttle in case they do need to make contact and I don't plan on spending any more time than necessary cut off from our team."
"Okay, I guess we have a plan," replied Geordi.
"Mr Starnel, would you mind accompanying Worf on the shuttle?"
"No of course not, it would be my pleasure."
"Lieutenant Worf, will you please prepare for yourself and Starnel to depart immediately. Geordi, will you prepare to…"
"Dr Selar to Commander Data."
"Data here."
"Data, we have finished the equanime analysis."
"We are on our way." Everyone on the bridge left, either to head for sickbay, or to depart on a shuttle.
"You are not welcome here, you were not invited and you have infiltrated our territory. I suggest that both the south and outsiders have declared an act of war."
"I can assure you, that is the last thing we intent to do," insisted Picard, "we did not come here intentionally; your barrier somehow pulled us through." They all sat deep in thought for a moment.
"So you lied to us, Lyden. You lied that you bought them here?" Asked his father. "Don't tell me the south aren't as noble as we thought, don't tell me they lie." Dontor and Malcus seemed to relish this new found information.
"We do not lie," insisted Doone, "we never told a lie, we were meant to be following a plan concocted by Lyden, that we were all off-worlders, but in his first conversation with you he deviated from his plan."
"You told me you managed to break through the barrier," queried Dontor.
"That is technically true," replied Riker, "though it wasn't intentional."
"You can't get out can you?" Reasoned Malcus.
"Not yet," replied Picard, "but my team are working on it."
Lyden began to clutch his throat. He could not breathe. He began to scram at is throat as though he wanted to gouge it out and is eyes became bloodshot.
"Stop it Salbator, please!" Begged Damyus, but his cry went unheard. After a few moments the lifeless body of a troubled soul lay cold on the floor. Everyone was horror struck.
"That is what we do to traitors," explained a cold and distant Dontor.
"If that is your reaction to your own son's death, it's no wonder he was as troubled as he was. You created that, and technically, you are responsible for all of this!" Tarya was practically spitting at him. She never would have thought two days ago that she would actually care, even be upset that Lyden had been killed.
"What can I say, he took after his mother." Salbator laughed a low, raucous laughter.
Back on the Enterprise they had arrived at sickbay.
"Doctor, please confirm your findings," requested Data.
"It's interesting. The computer has analysed seventy-eight percent of the substance."
"What of the other twenty-two."
"Unknown. We have nothing in our data banks, and I've cross referenced everything the federation holds. It's unknown at, even the elemental level."
"That is fascinating doctor."
"Fascinating, is that all you can say Data, this is a monumental discovery. It's one thing to travel and find something new or an unknown mineral, but something on this scale, its years, decade's worth of research and testing."
"Well we do not have decades, or years, or even hours. We have to make decisions. At the very least we need to find a way to get through that barrier. Can you confirm they are one in the same substance Geordi?
"I can, but obviously it will only be accurate within the parameters we have."
"We have no option."
"Geordi to engineering, run a full spectral and composite analysis on the barrier surrounding the northern continent on the planet. Run it against our database."
"Aye sir."
"You see Captain Picard. You are ours now. This barrier wasn't built to keep people out. It was built to keep people in. Now you are aware of us, our society, I cannot have you leaving again."
"What do you propose we do with them, Lord Salbator?" Queried Darien.
"Put the men to work, I don't care where. The women, bid them out. They are all beautiful to your standards, am I right?"
"Yes they are; they are all beautiful enough to even possibly acquire counted husbands, though whether they would want off-worlders, I don't know." Malcus stroked his erection gently as he eyed them all.
"They are our women," demanded Picard, "they are already taken."
"Your laws are not ours, your unions are not recognised here and if you think for one moment we are keeping you all together, think again." With that said, Salbator stood and walked out of the room, in full confidence his order would be carried out.
"I will take the women to the bidding room." Requested Damyus.
"No, that will be my job," insisted Malcus, "Dontor and I will see to the Woman." Deanna instantly felt irritation rise within Damyus, but there was also a hint of concern.
"You can take the men to a workhouse. I'm sure you and Darien can find suitable work for them." Darien took hold of Riker and Picard's arms insisting they follow. Damyus pushed Doone onwards.
"You can't do this!" Picard began to protest, but when he turned and saw Dontor standing close to Beverly, sword in hand, his face paled and he could do little but mouth an 'I love you' her way, as he gazed into her watery eyes.
'You may be able to trust him, Imzadi. I love you.' Riker got the message as clear as though Deanna's lips had moved.
'I love you too,' he replied.
"Engineering to Commander Data."
"Data here."
"We have a seventy eight percent match to the substance in our databank known as equanime."
"Thank you, Data out."
"Geordi, Christoph, can you two work together to determine if equanime can be utilised in some of our main systems. I am thinking primarily in lieu of the ships phaser."
"I need to ask your intention with this Mr Data." Demanded Guss.
"Of course. If our intention is to disrupt, if not destroy this barrier to retrieve our away team, this maybe the only way. Tarya was powerful enough to almost destroy the barrier, but I understand she didn't have the energy to sustain her beam for long enough. Our phaser will not have that problem."
"Okay, I see your logic, however, my equanime is the strongest you have and it is not as powerful as Tarya's."
"It is the only option I believe we have at the moment. It is also possible your equanime will work, but over a longer time than it would take Tarya's to have the same effect, our phaser array may be able to accomplish that task."
"Okay. You can test it with Christoph's. May I remain with you as you speak to your admiral. I believe this situation has developed to a point we need to remain open with one another."
"Agreed."
"Worf to Commander Data. We are ready to depart."
"Very well. Good speed Worf and Starnel."
"Good speed, what does that mean?" Asked Guss.
"Well, technically it makes little sense. I mean, who determines what speed is good in any given scenario? However, humans tend to use it as a term to wish the other party well. A good voyage so to speak. I was just trying it out." Guss chuckled.
"I think I understand."
"Data to Geordi, please arrange for us to transport back to our original Dimension."
"Working on it now, Geordi out."