After having been forcefully removed from the chambers, and the doors solidly shut behind them, the away team was left, for a moment, alone to process what had just happened.
"Unfortunate," Doctor Selokra said, breaking the silence, "The Dathaurian government is prone to bribery. Our report to the Federation Council must reflect that."
"That's all you have to say?" Monika asked incredulously.
Selokra shrugged, "I also find that the diversity in their government appears to be extraordinarily lacking. The impact that Romulan occupation had on their technology and social development is also worthy of further study."
"Leave it to a Vulcan to make being banned from a planet sound mundane," Lesmila commented.
"Quite so," The Advisor agreed.
"This is so not how I wanted things to go," Monika said, clutching the sides of her head, "How has the last hour been so horrible?"
"I believe the sociopolitical situation on Dathau is far more complex than the last hour alone, Captain," Corporal Autumn chimed in, "However, Doctor Selokra's observation is correct. That room was, put nicely, a very narrow view of Dathau."
"Thank you, Corporal, but that still doesn't help the fact that our first mission out is already over."
"While I projected failure, Captain," The Advisor said, "I did not perceive that it would be so abject. From that viewpoint, you have done a fantastic job."
Monika's subsequent glare did not seem to faze the Advisor, and that only incensed Monika further. All that time she had spent preparing herself for today, the day she was going to turn things around and show people like Jennings that pacifism and the Patrol Fleet were worthy ideas worth pursuing, and it had just come crashing down around her. As much pride as she had felt saying it initially during the meeting with the commission, the realization of what it meant to be 'the one in the arena' was something she was still coming to terms with, and she didn't like what it intoned so far.
"This is a disaster," Monika bemoaned the point, "Was it something we did? Some sort of sociocultural norm we violated without realizing it?"
"I believe that our refusal of their potent, and multiple, bribes, was likely the cause of this," Selokra noted, "Behaviours such as that are in line with what we have observed of the Dathaurian populace thus far. While it is somewhat unique that a society based in tribalism would develop, naturally or artificially, into one prone to these vices, I will remind you that we have seen precious little of Dathaurian culture."
"For once, I'm in agreement with Selokra," Lesmila followed, "All we've seen so far is civilian violence and an apparently corrupt government. That's not enough to say this is our fault, or that there's something we've overlooked."
Monika shoved herself off the wall, shaking her head.
"That does not make me feel much better, but I do appreciate it," She said with a sigh, "I want to give some sort of different order than I'm about to give, but there's not much in the way of recourse available to us," She paused to look at the Advisor, who nodded, before continuing, "Let's get back to the ship and start filing our separate reports. We'll refocus our mission on our original patrol routes."
Flipping out her communicator, the device chirping an affirmative as she did so, Monika began back down the hall.
"Helicanus, this is Captain Paige. Prepare for departure of the Dathau system."
As the away team followed, Lesmila quickened zhar pace to catch up to Monika. Placing a hand on the captain's shoulder, zha attempted to offer some comfort.
"If it makes you feel better, the sooner we're off this planet the better. I hate to agree with a Vulcan, but he's right about one thing. This place, this whole world, is constantly assaulting my senses. If it weren't for the anti-toxins, I'd imagine this thumping migraine would be something far worse." Zha added a small smile that, to Monika, looked more like a grimace, but the intent to soften the defeated mood was felt just the same.
"Thank you, Les," Monika patted the hand on her shoulder, "I was just hoping we'd have a real win on our hands for our first time out of the starbase since the War ended."
"We'll find something else, Captain, and I don't need this," Zha pointed to the infected antenna, "Incessant buzzing to tell me that."
"How is that, by the way? If you need help, xeno-psychology was one of my extension courses at the Academy."
"It is… A unique, experience. Even when I was among Andorians and Tellarites, it was not quite this loud, though I suppose that most of them being engineers likely quieted things to a degree. Dathau is," Zha paused, "Despite its appearances, Dathau is alive. I can feel each and every ebb and flow in the current of the world, and the longer we are here the more overwhelming it feels."
Monika shot a glance back to Selokra, keenly aware of just how extended a Vulcan's hearing could be, before locking eyes with her friend and speaking in a lower tone.
"A collective unconscious, something like that?"
"Something like that, yes."
Monika's eyes perused the stones in the floor for a moment as she searched her memories, calling back half a decade and then some for the information she sought.
"Fascinating. May I offer some advice?"
"Always."
"Attempt, if you will, to focus on one point. I know that Gareb's Syndrome, especially in an elevated state, makes that particularly difficult, but if you can focus as much of your telekinetic pathways towards one singular point, you'll be able to hold the rest at bay."
"Like an anchor on an ancient ice-breaking cruiser?" Lesmila asked, a small twinge of excitement as zha made the mental connection. Monika always found it cute when Les got attached to an idea, those little blips of excitement had always made her feel good about herself.
"Yes, exactly like that. Focus on the singular point and use it as an anchor to tether you from what I'm sure is a swelling storm, especially when we step back outside. I know that can't do anything about the level of toxins in your bloodstream, but it may help to distract or negate the worse elements of their effects."
Lesmila's healthy antenna twitched and curved backwards, before slowly moving back to its resting position. Zha infected antenna simply vibrated before curling back downwards, the muscle fibers that once constantly held it upright having weakened and succumbed to the virus.
As they approached the first of the innumerable ziggurat staircases that would slowly, and windingly, lead them back to the top, Monika couldn't help but feel a sudden increase in her own confidence, as well as a definitively noticeable downturn in her usual balance.
Finally, having reached the final hatchway that lead to the outside, the away team grouped together closely, just in case an incident similar to the one they encountered upon their arrival occurred. With Corporal Autumn at the rear, her gaze vigilant even beneath her hood, Doctor Selokra and Captain Paige were sandwiched in the middle, with Advisor Faust and Commander zh'Gryph closely guarding the Captain, their hands rested atop their phase pistols.
Despite their own mutual mistrust of each other, years of training and a finely honed instinct for the chain of command asserted itself. Monika nodded to the Advisor, who followed the Captain out into the sweltering heat of Dathau.
Thankfully, there were no rocks, torches, or other objects to assail them.
Instead, however, was Councilor Jad'sko and First Trixlamoon. The Councilor appeared as weary as they had left him, whereas the First still stood ramrod straight and stoic. Tilting his head back, and antlers away, Jad'sko rolled his eyes down to them.
"Captain Paige, I trust your meeting with Mother K'Shal did not go well?" He asked genially.
"You trust?" Monika responded, incredulous, "You say that like you knew what was going to happen."
"I must admit," The Councilor said, "I have a certain… Idea of how Mother K'Shal prefers to do her business."
"Oh, well that's lovely, shame you couldn't have warned us about that beforehand," Monika retorted, "Especially since that warning may have helped us avoid being labeled enemies of Dathau."
The Councilor simply shrugged his shoulders, which only served to further frustrate Monika.
"It was unlikely that she would have reacted to your refusal any other way. K'Shal is a snake among fawns."
"How would you even know that we'd refuse it? From the way she talked about it, she considered us rather easy prey," Monika said.
"I dealt extensively with your Federation-members council in order to even arrange this meeting," Jad'sko said, matter-of-factly, "Unlike what the Romulans told us, the representatives I met did not appear to harbour any ill-will or emotional turmoil."
"Of course you did," Monika said under her breath, "Well, just the same, it would have been highly beneficial to know that she was going to attempt to bribe us not once but twice. Now, if you'll excuse me, we have to get back to the ship before K'Shal decides to renege on her charity."
As the away team attempted to move forward, however, First Trixlamoon stepped in front of them, her scepter held tightly in her hands. Not threateningly, but the message of deterrence was clear nonetheless. Still, that did not stop from Lesmila and the Advisor from immediately grasping the hilt of their phase pistols.
"Captain," Jad'sko asked, "Do you recall what I told you before your meeting? How I wished for you to have a more educated view of Dathau before you began forming opinions?"
Monika's gaze slowly shifted from Trixlamoon to Jad'sko. Pacifist or not, being forcibly halted by anybody wasn't exactly the way to her heart.
"I might," She answered curtly.
"Now, recall, Captain, just how many Dathaurians in that chamber do you remember who resembled myself, or First Trixlamoon?"
Pursing her lips, Monika did, somewhat reluctantly, cast her mind back to the Council of Tribes chambers.
Truthfully, she couldn't recall anyone resembling Jad'sko, and perhaps only a few who matched that of Trixlamoon's species.
"Not many, if I had to guess," She answered after a moment.
"I think you do better than guess, Captain Paige, I think you know," Jad'sko cleared his throat, looked around quickly, and stepped closer to the Captain, "The younger ones, like Fervo, did not live under the Romulan Occupation for very long. They were indoctrinated, lead to believe that the Romulans and collaborators like K'Shal were good, honest beings, and that those who defied their rule were deeply, mentally, perverse, and unpitiably wrong," His words were so quiet that Monika had to strain to hear them, spoken even softer than the Dathaurians' already whisper-quiet tones, but they carried with them a biting anger that almost, just almost, seemed to amplify them tenfold, "K'Shal ruled over the collaborating government, ensuring that she oversaw the systemic and attempted eradication of both mine and Trixlamoon's races. Her peoples, the White-Tails, have attempted time and time again for centuries, but this time, with the help of the Romulans, they've quite possibly succeeded in bringing the entire proverbial house down on all of our heads."
His eyes darted around once more, and Monika couldn't help but trail her own off to their surroundings. Was there something, or someone out there that she couldn't see? The walkway appeared deserted, even the plasma cannons were unmanned. The winds themselves continued to rush by unabated, fluttering Corporal Autumn's robes and, surely, obscuring Jad'sko's words. Yet, potentially, somewhere, there could be someone eavesdropping, spying, on their conversation. Her spine went rigid just thinking about it, and she had to force herself to refocus on Jad'sko.
"K'Shal has been breaking up protests and strikes for the past month, killing hundreds. We cannot allow this to continue, if she is allowed to persist in these actions it will not matter whether Dathau burns or not, because she will have killed whatever the true Dathau was. I am asking, personally, for your aid, Captain Paige. With your advanced technology and starships, we can forcibly stop her reign of terror and save what little remains of our people."
The urgency in his tone had steadily grown with each moment, and by the time he had finished it felt to Monika as if there were no time left at all. Still, what he suggested snapped her back to reality. Her anxiety abated somewhat.
"Councilor, I cannot help you do that," Monika answered, "What you are suggesting is not only a violation of Federation Starfleet and United Patrol Fleet regulations, but is also far beyond the boundaries of anything I would ever consider doing. Violence, against anyone, is not an option for me."
Jad'sko recoiled, briefly, but locked his milky-brown eyes on hers in a heartbeat. Suddenly, the weariness was gone, and what was left in its place was a seething frustration that threatened to boil over into a rage.
"What?" He snapped, "Violence is not an answer for you? When I have just told you the unspeakable lengths that K'Shal has gone to, your only response is that violence is not an answer?"
"Not for me," She answered firmly, "And certainly not for the United Patrol Fleet. I'm sorry, Councilor, although I would like to help, I cannot abide by the methods you're suggesting."
The Councilor's lip twitched, and the anger and frustration he felt almost forced his voice above his harsh whispers, something that was already strained.
"Captain Paige, you cannot leave my people to die at her will. Dathau asked you here for aid, how can you reject our plea so easily? People, innocent, good Dathaurians, Dathaurians who resisted the Romulans, who fought K'Shal for everything their families were worth, and who marched and protested and begged until she was forced to allow even just myself onto her Council to quell them, are dying, even now. You would turn your back on them?"
"I won't turn my back, no," Monika said, "But I will not be able to dismantle the master's house using his or her tools. There has to be some other way I can help you, Councilor."
Before Jad'sko could respond, a shot crackowed off in the distance. The following energized bullet tore through Monika's shoulder only seconds later, and she crumpled to the ground almost instantly.
"Death to the Federation-members, the Dathaurian Resistance does not need your so called help!" A young voice cried out from across the winds.
Monika attempted to see who it belonged to, or even where the shooter was, but the immediate loss of blood and jarring fight-or-flight reaction that now overwhelmed her prevented her from doing so. Judging by Lesmila and the Advisor's swiveling heads, it was clear, however, that they could not identify the shooter either. Councilor Jad'sko had immediately rolled his head back to normal, and he and Trixlamoon formed a defensive wall from the direction of the shot.
A laughably ruffled bowl cut and pointed ears soon appeared, somewhat blurry, in Monika's vision.
Selokra. Doctor Selokra. Her mind reoriented itself to the present.
Lesmila, loose strands of stark-white hair flowing loosely from zhar bun, knelt beside Monika, keeping zhar weapon aimed and readied. The Advisor stayed standing, her eyes and head on a constant swivel. Corporal Autumn, just as she had done when they had been assaulted during their arrival, had gripped her quarterstaff in both hands, shifting her stance so that she could properly defend against anyone who decided to come too close.
Then, the onrush of pain quickly devoured all of Monika's attention, and her brain decided that focusing on the present was not a good idea, forcing her mind elsewhere. Her eyes glanced to her shoulder, where Lesmila's hand, which had been tightly clutched around the wound to stifle the bleeding, was being removed by the Vulcan doctor as he tended to her injury.
An egregious amount of blood was pouring through her duty-issued jumpsuit, pooling beneath her, and staining the yellow trimming and silver rank bars that denoted her as a commanding officer.
A funny thought occurred to her just before her vision faded, her neural synapses overwhelmed by the amount of sensory information being pulled in and traded between her brain and her shoulder. Although, in hindsight, the humour was macabre at best.
The chips of bone that had fallen with her reminded Monika of the ice crystals that filled the rings of Andoria, the same ones that she had always found herself lost in when she had the time. Each one would always gently skip across the surface of the space station, each impact spinning off in a dozen different directions. The bone did not move now, it did not skip, but it fractured just as the ice crystals had, and, surely, behind where she had been standing, they had gone in a dozen different directions.
Then, Monika Paige's brain had had enough of the present, and quietly shut itself down as Doctor Selokra worked quickly to save the rest of her body from doing the same.
Lesmila fought with all zhar might against the tumult of sensations and perceptions now threatening to overwhelm zhar. With one, now bloodied, hand firmly placed against Monika's chest, ensuring that the human was both safely on the ground and, more importantly, that her heart was still beating, Lesmila strained to force zhar healthy antenna out to the world around zhar, hoping that, even with zha natural Andorian senses cut in half, it would still pick up something of use.
It picked up nothing.
"I can't see anyone," The Advisor said, "Commander zh'Gryph?"
"Negative," Lesmila responded tersely, "We need to get out of here, we're exposed."
"I suggest we return to the shuttle at once," The Advisor said.
"No!" Jad'sko shouted, turning back to them as Trixlamoon widened her stance to compensate for the gap, "You need to come with us instead. We can get you to safety."
"As the senior officer I cannot accept that offer, the Helicanus is our best chance," The Advisor countered.
Lesmila, however, disagreed. "As the Helicanus' first officer, I am the senior officer, and I suggest that we follow the Councilor. The shuttle could've been boobytrapped while we were meeting with the Council."
"Commander," The Advisor began, but Lesmila cut her off.
"Your opinion is noted, Advisor, but we need to get Captain Paige medical assistance immediately. Taking the shuttlecraft back to the ship will take far too long, she could die in the meantime. I'm not going to let that happen," Lesmila said with finality, turning zhar head to the Councilor before the Advisor could offer a rebuttal, "Lead the way, we will follow."
The Councilor made a few guttural noises to Trixlamoon, who nodded and, scraping the rocks with her hoof, immediately moved to pick up the injured Captain Paige.
"I will carry your Federation-Captain," Trixlamoon said and, when Lesmila hesitated moving from zhar friend, quickly added "Do not worry, I will be gentle and firm."
Reluctantly, but deciding it was the better choice, Lesmila backed away and allowed Trixlamoon to carry Monika. Taking a firm grasp of zhar phase pistol, Lesmila nodded to the other members of the away team.
"Corporal, with me. Advisor, cover our rear. Vulcan, stay between us," Then, to the Councilor, "Let's move as quickly as possible."
With a speed that belied his age and demeanour, Jad'sko immediately set off down a set of stairs built into the side of the wall that descended down into the courtyard of the bunker. Only a femtosecond after the others followed suit, did a cacophony of energy bullets pepper the ground where they had once stood. Thankfully, the shooters appeared to suffer significantly against a moving target, and consistently placed their barrage just on the heels of the group. Their job, of course, was likely made that much harder by the wild bursts of Lesmila's pistol, which whined as it cut through the air towards the assailants. Although difficult when moving at speed, decades of training and experience had honed zhar's aim- especially under pressure. Even with the majority of zhar experience laying aboard starships, and the endless equilibrium issues that came with Gareb's Syndrome, the unrepentant rage in Lesmila's soul at having seen zhar best friend injured heightened and focused all of zhar's senses towards their attackers.
Although shielded somewhat by the wooden spikes alongside the opposite wall, their attackers still had to poke their heads out to aim their shots, and that was where Lesmila aimed each and every time.
As their energized bullets cracked and sizzled across the air, pelting the ground behind them like pebbles into pavement, Lesmila's phase pistol fired off shot after shot back at them. The whine was muffled somewhat by the winds of Dathau still whipping past them, but its orange-white beam was distinct each and every time it traversed the distance to zhar target. For every three shots zha fired off, at least two would make their intended marks, eliciting pained groans and shrieks from their victims. At this distance, and with the hazy smog that blanketed the air, it was hard to tell just what exactly their attackers looked like, but Lesmila was content enough to know that they were hostile and needed to be put down as soon as possible.
Unfortunate, then, that the Dathaurians seemed to have a penchant for building zig-zagging staircases.
Having an able and quick-footed guide like Councilor Jad'sko certainly helped, but it was only a matter of time before one of the attackers scored another lucky shot that would bring their escape to a halt.
"Jad'sko," Lesmila shouted above the chaos, "We need to move faster!"
"I concur, Commander!" Jad'sko responded, fishing around his utility belt as he did so, "Fortunately, the gift of flame is not all the Romulans left us!"
The Councilor managed to find what he was searching for- a short, stubby cylinder with a pulsating green and black mass of energy inside. Quickly, the Councilor spoke into a wrist communicator attached to his sleeve. Then, he twisted the cylinder open, forcing the energy to break apart in a shower of what appeared to be electrical currents and green-twinged phaser beams. In one, quick, movement, the Councilor grabbed hold of Lesmila and the Advisor, while Trixlamoon grabbed onto the Councilor and Corporal Autumn. Doctor Selokra, with his heightened Vulcan reflexes, immediately grasped Corporal Autumn's arm. The currents and beams extended to cover every single member of the group, and, for Lesmila, the experience was certainly an unforgettable one.
Briefly, zhar body was forced to go completely rigid and still, as if something had taken hold and seized every single muscle group in zhar body. Then, oddly, it felt as if zhar very being was dissected piece by piece, atom by atom, and tossed into the void- even the world around zhar dissipated into nothingness, the dull greens of the courtyard grasses, the sun-bleached whites and tans of the stone walls, and even the smoky fog of Dathau was cut up, piecemeal, and divided into the dark ether of nothing.