Mission 22: Coalescence

[Alex Watson]

[10 Days Previously]

"Most illogical..." he murmued under his breath.

"You're telling me, Commodore." Came a voice from behind him. Carl spun around in nanoseconds, his body tensing and preparing for the rigours of combat. In another second, he had relaxed.

In front of him, standing and yet standing on nothing, exactly like himself, stood the figure of Lieutenant Alexander Watson...

"Hello Lieutenant. I assume from your presence here that either my attempts to contact you have succeeded, or I have gone insane from the mental stresses I have placed your body under."

"You were right the first time, Commodore. This is me. This is a bit of a turn up for the books, isn't it?"

"Indeed, Lieutenant. I believe that would be an appropriate metaphor for what has transpired."

"Which is what, Commodore?"

"I was rather hoping you could tell me, Lieutenant. You are, after all, my Chief of Science. It is logical to think that you might have some insight into the problem." Carl then related what had occured since Watson lost consciousness on the ship above.

Alex looked a little uncomfortable for a few moments, as if his brain was running the details, Carl could almost see the cogs turning inside the Chief's head.

"This is beyond anything I've encountered first hand, Commodore, but if you put a gun to my head, I'd probably say that this...Stone of Quincunx...is some sort of sort of neural manipulator."

"Why would I put a gun to your head, Lieutenant? And what do you mean, a neural manipulator?"

"Right..." Alex said slowly, his attempt humour completely lost on the Vulcan in front of him. "As for the neural manipulator, its a theoretical device that scans brainwaves, and then is able to replicate them exactly in another brain. The purposes were endless: cures for all kinds of degenerative conditions, brain damage, and so on. As far as I know, humanity has never managed to create one that works."

"So you don't believe the story that El-Kamat gave us, about destiny and such?"

"I'm a scientist, Commodore and, with respect, I'm not two. I don't believe in magic. There is nothing that occurs that cannot be rationally explained. Even if we can't explain it fully now, doesn't mean that we will never be able to."

"Quite so, Lieutenant. The story struck me as...highly illogical as well. So, this device replicates brainwaves?"

"That's my best guess. It'll have scanned your body's brain as you went to pick it up, replicated the different patterns of different parts of your brain, and then transposed them into nearby personalities associated with each area, supressing the original identity but not destroying it. After all, I'm here talking to you now. For it to have done that on its own, it's either catastrophically damaged, or deliberately malicious. Neither one is good. This is also just a guess, but I'd say that the technology is too advanced for the Cordovinians as well. It could be some relic of a far, far older and far, far more advanced civilisation. If we could recover it, it would be a priceless addition to our technical knowledge as a species."

"Thank you, Lieutenant, for your help."

"I might be wrong, Commodore. Don't hinge everything on my guesses being correct."

"I will not, Lieutenant, however your words seem logical. Will it be possible for us to communicate again in this manner?"

"I wouldn't do it too much, sir. My poor old human form isn't built to take the kind of mental and physical stresses that this kind of communication requires. Do it too much and my brain will simply boil inside my skull, not an appealing prospect."

"Indeed. Well, thank you,Lieutenant. If there is anything else?"

"Well. Since my personality is still here, it might be possible for me to give you litte hints along the way. If you're in a tricky situation, and you have a flash of "gut instinct," you never know, it might just be me trying to help you out. No promises though."

"Thank you, Lieutenant. I will bear that in mind."

As Carl relaxed, the place he was in became less and less focused, until finally all he could see was black. With a snap, his eyelids shot open. He was still sitting in his tent, still with his hands on his temples. He lowered his arms, and barely had enough time to yawn before Alex's body collapsed backwards in total physical and mental fatigue. Carl slept the sleep of the dead that night...

[Present Day]

Carl strode in Alex's body along with the others as they marched with the desert hunters who had captured them. He had lain low, and surrendered when surrender was demanded. To have resisted in the face of such odds would have been suicidal, illogical. And he reminded himself that none of them could afford to get hurt.

Now, however, he was running scenarios in his mind. Another subconscious part of his Vulcan self had kicked in, the part focused on unarmed combat. carl prepared himself and ran one more calculation through his mind.

Number of Rebels guarding self, six, including leader. Rest of gang ridden ahead, probably to report to camp.

Walk forward calmly, as if to ask question to two rebels taking point side by side. Nerve pinch both at same time to disable them.

Actions will have been noticed within half a second. Other selves will probably have the sense to duck. Spin to catch spear thrown at self by guard on right of column, absorb spear's momentum in spin, throw back, taking him in chest.

Guard on left side will attempt hand to hand combat. Dodge spear thrust to the right, then to the left, gripping spear haft and forcing point to floor. Paralysing punch to throat of holder.

Final guard will attempt to protect leader. Will stay in front of him with spear up. Kick sand in eyes, disarm, nerve pinch to disable before he regains his bearings.

Need leader conscious to ask questions. Self now armed with two spears. Throw one, taking him in left shoulder. If he dodges, initiate hand to hand combat, ending with shot to midsection to wind him. If he does not dodge, job complete.

Total time taken for exchange to occur, five and a half seconds. Casualties, three unconscious, one gasping for his life, one dead. Leader alive and able to answer questions.

No, unacceptable. Illogical to take life unless there is no other alternative, consider other options.....

[Calli Valente]

"To disenfranchise your Federation from this world. Like many others besides us want to do." The Dexxeni looked back, "We would just point you in the right direction." He let the ambiguity float in the air as the attackers disarmed them and started leading them off between two large facings of rock.

"And who the hell are you to decide this ?" Calli asked.

The leader stopped, looking into the distance, as if formulating a reply ... He walked back to her and looked her up and down. He made a comment in one of the planet's native tongues, something the universal translator built into their Comm badges didn't manage to translate. It made the Dexxeni laugh. But the mans expression changed as he turned back to Valenti.

"You know 'NOTHING' of this planet, of our history, of our society, save for what the Cordovin have allowed you to see." he shook his head as if struggling to get into words what he needed to say, "Your stay with us will hopefully show you some of what has been kept from you ... The ever pleasant Cordovan's are not what they seem."

He walked away from Calli, making it plain that the conversation was over. But then he turned to face her once more, puzzlement on his face.

"Why are you traversing the Ir-Harapai ?" he asked quietly.

"Sightseeing." she replied, shrugging, "I'm all for looking around new places."

"Really ....... Well I'm sure we will get to the real reason you are risking so much on a perilous journey. Be of no doubt, I will get the information I am seeking, be it on friendly terms, or ones less, friendly ... We are not a violent race of people, as you have seen with our, leaders. But I must assure you I will get what information I require, one way or the other ... Now, darkness will fall soon, and you do not want to be out in the open."

She glanced over at Commander Blakus. He had listened to the conversation, and the threats, in silence. As the group began to move toward the shelter of the hills, he moved beside her.

"I don't think antagonizing the man is helping Commander."

"I don't recall asking for your 'opinion' on my demeanor Mister Blakus ... We need to get the hell away from these people and find the blue stone, before he manages to get what he's after, or kills someone else trying !"

She could see Watson and Tavik watching them closely ... One analyzing what he had gleamed from the situation so far, the other looking like he could run a mile given ample opportunity. he look to the Major made it perfectly clear that running, for any of them, wasn't an option. they needed to bide their time and plan an escape ..........



< Tag : Watson & Tavik >

[Deleted]

It had been three days since the Raven last saw anything of their way team on the ships sensors and Will was getting antsy.

"So you're telling me that we can't beam someone down through that storm?" he asked his acting CEO while conferring with the councilwoman on the view screen.

Both agreed.

"Yes, sir." answered the Engineer.

"Unfortunately, Commander, we have never been able to get any sort of technology to work during one of these storms." came the councilwoman's reply.

"But we just saw them on our sensors long enough to know that something is wrong. They have definitely been joined by others......"

"The Dexxeni." offered Councilwoman Rahna.

"Right. Dexxeni. And they are moving away from their destination." continued Will. "There has got to be something we can do. Especially being as we are not sure how long Commodore Torek can stay the way he is. Our team has to recover that stone."

"I agree Commander. But they will have to do it on their own. Even if you were to send another team here to our city and head after them, you would not catch up to them in time."

Time. Will was really getting tired of that word.

"Thank you, Councilwoman. We will continue to monitor and do what we can from this end."

The view screen went blank and Will sat back. He could only hope the away team found a way to get out of whatever was happening to them and get back to the mission.

[Alex Watson]

[Several Hours Later]

Alex's body sat meditating in one of the Drexxeni tents that they had been provided with. There were armed guards outside, but this gave Carl no sense of unease. It would be illogical for them to attack him at this juncture. For now, at least, he was safe. He had heard raised voices from all around the camp, and thought it likely that the Drexxeni leader was interrogating each of the different essences in turn. He thought he could hear the voices growing steadily louder, which either meant they were closer, or that the Drexxeni leader was becoming more and more frustrated. Carl thought it was probably a mixture of both, as he would have been met with Agression, Denial, and Cowardice in turn. He doubted that any of the other essences would have given the leader any useful information.

[Tag Andae, Calli, Aeryn]

Regrettably, or perhaps not, there had been no opportunity for a successful escape on the journey to the camp. Carl calculated that they were approximately twenty miles off course. Not a small distance, but one that was not insurmountable, given that the whole journey itself in the thousands of miles. He heard the flap of his tent open, but did not immediately open his eyes. He had to play this carefully.

"I hope you're going to be more useful than the others," the Drexxeni leader spat with barely contained rage, "I'm this close to having the whole lot of you killed! Wretched people!"

"I shall endeavour to provide assistance to the situation. But first, please, sit," the Drexxeni looked rather put out at being offered a seat in what was, essentially, his own tent, but sat cross-legged on the floor opposite Alex's body nevertheless, mirroring the other's position. It was now that Carl opened Alex's eyes.

"I am part of the essence of Commodore Carl Torek," he said by way of introduction.

"My name is Kartan. High Lord of the Drexxeni people," the Leader proclaimed. If he had expected Carl to fall at his feet in supplication, he was going to be sorely disappointed.

"My greetings, Kartan," Carl said, bowing his head just enough to show respect. "Where would you like to begin?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" Kartan almost shouted, but restrained himself, perhaps realising that this interview might just be different. "What are you doing here, on this part of the world? The Cordovins would not have sent you here on a sightseeing trip! Did they ask you to destroy us? Is that why you're here?"

"To answer your last question first, we are not here to destroy you. Nor did the Cordovins ask us to, although they did warn us we might meet with a less than hostpitable reception in these parts. Would you not say that they were correct in that assessment? We are, after all, your prisoners taken by force. Hardly esteemed guests."

Kartan's face reddened, but his tone softened a little as he finally gave in to a form of civilised conversation. "That was a necessary precaution. You were all armed, and could have been hiding weapons we couldn't see. I do not take the security of my people lightly, Commodore."

"Your concern for them is admirable, Kartan. As for what we were doing here in the first place, we are on what I believe you might term a 'sacred quest'." Carl barely kept himself from putting air-quotes around the term with his fingers. "It appears that we, or rather, I accidentally touched some kind of stone, or device, back on the other continent that split our personality into these four parts. The local official called them the 'Stones of Quincunx.' After...consultation with my Science Officer, I believe it likely that it is a relic of a civilisation from this planet that far predates your own and, as such, its technology is nigh impenetrable. We must find the other 'stone' to reunite ourselves into one being again."

Kartan had paled slightly, and his eyes were wide.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, his voice slightly hoarse. "Why you, and not the others? How much do you know about our history?"

"I am bound by logic. The others are not. I realised that you are a powerful man, and that should you fail to extract the information you require from both the other essences and myself, you would logically progess to more forceful means. I could not allow that to happen, it would be illogical. I offer this information as a gesture of trust between us, in the hope that we can build a mutually beneficial working relationship. I desire no conflict."

Kartan's eyes were darting from side to side nervously. Obviously something that Carl had said about their mission had deeply disturbed him. He leaned in close, whispering in Alex's ear.

"You know much, but not enough. Meet me in an hour on the far side of the camp. I will make sure that we are alone, and that your route is unblocked by guards. No one else can hear us talk, it might be catastrophic."

"I will be there," Carl said simply.

"Make sure that you are," Kartan replied. "I never thought..." he stopped talking abruptly as the tent flap opened and one of the guards came inside.

"Apologies, my lord, for interrupting, but I was concerned by the silence. I thought you might have been attacked by the prisoner."

"No, no...this one was just as stubborn as the others. I'll consider what to do with them overnight. For now, keep them safe." Kartan said all this rather hastily, and it seemed for a moment the guard suspected something, but he let it slide.

"Yes, my lord," the guard said, and bowed out of the tent.

"One hour," Kartan said curtly, turning on his heel and striding out of the tent.

[Calli Valente]

Calli was almost asleep when the tent was opened and the so called 'leader' entered. He didn't apologize for his being there, nor did he ask to sit, but did so anyway, watching as she sat up and looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Come in." she said, hoping the sarcasm was obvious.

"I am Kartan. Leader of the Dexxeni ... I need some answers, and I need them now." he said, making it plain he wasn't going to accept any preamble, "You may as well answer Commodore. I have means of getting the information that would be less than pleasant if the need arises."

"Good luck with that then." Calli said, laying herself back down, arms behind her head as if waiting for him to continue.

"Why are you traversing the Ir-Harapai ?"

Torek simply lay quietly listening to the man speak.

"What is this nonsense about you all being the same person ?"

Again, Torek said nothing ... But this time Kartan wasn't going to wait for a reply, he leaned forward striking her across the face with enough force to cause her teeth to cut the inside of her mouth. Calli couldn't help letting out a yelp in shock. She sat up, eyes never leaving the leaders' as she wiped the blood from her mouth and unceremoniously wiped it on the cover. Kartan said something in his native tongue and two guards entered. They pulled her to her feet roughly as the leader stood to face her. His hand went back once again, but this time she was ready for the blow and simply turned to lessen the impact before spitting more blood from her mouth ... She could see her defiance was beginning to rattle the man. But she needed to be a little cautious, because he may way play this out on Tavik, and she knew the Marine possessed the Anxious, easily frightened, nervous essence of Torek, and certainly wouldn't stand up to the merest interrogation.

"You have a flare for hitting women Kartan, especially those restrained and can't fight back. Your men must be shaking in th ......"

The third slap resounded throughout the tent, and made her ears ring. Dizziness almost overwhelmed her for a second. Blood was flowing freely from the lacerations inside her mouth ... Gathering her strength, she faced the man once again, before defiantly spitting the blood on his tunic.

Kartan was almost at boiling point as he looked at the stain. Both guards took involuntary steps back, dragging Calli with them. But the man fought his rage, and slowly, slowly, calmed himself.

"We are going about this the wrong way ..." he said, motioning to his men to let her go. She wiped her mouth and sat on the bed, no-one objected, "I need information Commodore. Alas I do not have the luxury of time to pamper to your sense of right or wrong. The Cordovin are trying hard to eradicate us form the planet so they can ... Well, lets not talk about that for now. I will allow you to rest for the time being, there are others to see."

He turned and left the tent without another word, both guards following. She stood and approached the doorway and could hear them speaking in their own dialect for a moment, she was almost sure she heard Watson mentioned and maybe Tavik too.

Going back to the bed she took a cloth and dipped it in the cool water that had been provided in every tent. She dabbed tentatively at her swelling lips and cheeks, feeling like she had just gone three rounds with one of the zaffak ..........

[Andae Blakus]

The engineer lay on his back in his own tent, his back virtually against the hard ground of the Dexxeni camp, and his arms folded across his chest. He had been questioned twice by the Dexxeni Lord and his lieutenants; both times they'd left empty-handed and somewhat puzzled, frustrated.

It was now exceptionally dark outside; Torek wouldn't have been surprised if it was the early hours, with not long 'til sunrise. Time passed quickly when under pressure. He sat watching the flapping roof of the canvas for a while longer, guessing that about two hours had passed since the last interrogation, before sitting up and heading to the entrance flap.

He called the guard over, and asked, "Can I go for a walk?"

The guard blinked and shook his head. "No, back inside."

"I need to... Well, hah, you know."

The guard sighed. "You think I'm stupid?" he grunted. Torek stared at the man, causing him to sigh again and step back - brandishing, Carl noticed, a short dagger. "Quickly."

The guard led him over a sparsely grassed bank towards some dark thickets, where he presumably thought was a good place for Carl to relieve himself. A minute later, with the deed done, the guard started leading Carl back to the camp.

"I enjoyed those questioning sessions earlier," he commented as they came into sight of the main camp again, "Are there more in store?"

"Nothing more tonight, my leaders are taking communion before they sleep and will wake you all early tomorrow."

Blakus's eyebrows raised. "And then the fun will recommence?"

The guard grunted and concealed a smirk. "The 'fun', indeed." The man led Carl down into the camp area, and Torek caught a glimpse of an enclosed area, lit orange by many torches, with dark figures prostrating themselves before a wall. He started towards it but the guard blocked his way with the knife. "Unh-unh, this way," the guard said and shoved him towards the prisoner tents.

The engineer traipsed towards his tent, and noticed that the other tents were currently unguarded. He glanced at the guard behind him, "Who is your deity?"

"The wise Zekoneveh, and he is more a spiritual guide than a deity. He teaches us to reject tech slaves such as yourselves." The guard pushed him in the back, "Back inside."

"So is he real?" Blakus asked, pulling back the tent flap tentatively.

"Of course," the guard said. He paused and licked his lips. "I think you've asked enough questions..."

"Where are our Zaffaks? Still alive? Would you lead them me to them?" Blakus said, surveying the inside of his tent. The boot of the guard came up into his face and sent him sprawling back against the side of his tent. From outside, the whole thing billowed before collapsing slightly and equilibrating itself into a half-wrecked form. Torek, having cried out at the pain, rubbed at his sore nose.

The guard disappeared and Blakus settled back to the floor. Ten minutes later, he took a cursory look outside, and saw just the one guard, patrolling down the other end of the line of tents. He took his chance and scampered out to the adjacent tent. He pulled the flap back and was greeted with the bloodied face of a Commander.

"Valenti? What the hell happened to you?"

"Lord Kartan," she said simply.

Blakus nodded. "I think you might be right for a change; we need to get out of here as fast as possible. I just hope you didn't invite that," he nodded to the blood still visible around her jaw, "We can't be taking the risk of aggravating them."

"We can't tell them what we're doing here, or why, Mr. Blakus," Calli said, "Don't you remember what El-Kamat said about these people??"

Like it matters! Carl screamed inwardly. Desperation was starting to claw tracks in the interior walls of his psyche. "Yes, I remember, it's a fool's errand, but I suppose it doesn't change our current situation."

"Right! So why don't you give the part of the cynic a rest for a while and start helping? The less we tell Kartan, the less we compromise the eventual goal of this quest!"

"But the less we will know," he countered. "Valenti, I'm fed up of your stalwart idiocy. It's clear who should be leading our party." He glanced down the path; two guards were starting to approach. "I'll see you in the morning. Perhaps in the meantime you should think about where your true objectives lie. Otherwise, I can't see how I can help you..." Blakus shook his head and began to walk away.

In the morning...

Blakus sat waiting for Kartan and his friends to come calling again. He hadn't slept yet again. What felt like an hour went by, and the sky became brighter and brighter through the canvas of his half-collapsed tent. Still no one came, and Blakus began to get suspicious. He snuck outside; everywhere was grey and cold. The tents remained but the camp almost seemed deserted. Tens of metres away he could see one guard, a dark figure against muted grey. Perhaps it was earlier than he thought... Getting an idea, he scampered quietly towards the place he'd espied last night. The well-lit open-air communion area...

<Tag Calli and All>

[Alex Watson]

After Kartan had left, Carl resumed his meditations. For a full forty five minutes he sat in total silence, contemplating the Dexxeni Leader. Kartan's reaction had been one of fear: he had done a good job of hiding it, trying to cover it up with brashness, but this part of Torek had sensed it for a second, it had screamed at him from across the tent: an icy jab of pure terror from the High Lord's heart at the mention of the Stones. He had to find out why. It was the only logical progression.

After forty five minutes Carl stood up, relaxed and feeling stronger than ever. He walked slowly to the tent flap and pulled it aside. Kartan had been as good as his word: there were no guards anywhere to be seen. Dropping low to the ground, Carl quickly moved out of the light of the torches, circling the camp slowly, quietly. It was precisely fifteen minutes later when a voice spoke from the darkness.

"I'm glad you came. I was worried that you might not...that you might not trust me." It was Kartan, and Carl could see that same look of anxiety on his face.

"You must listen to me. What I am about to tell you cannot be told to any other member of your party or any one of my guards. The result could be apalling. Do I have your word?"

"If I deem it logical to withold the information, I shall do so." Carl replied. Kartan swore.

"I need a promise."

"I cannot give an absolute promise. If the information is as delicate as you say it is, then logic will prevent me from sharing it."

"Very well," Kartan replied. "Come with me."

They stole away into the night together, alone. Once they had walked for what Carl estimated to be nearly a mile, they stopped.

"A wise precaution," Carl said to Kartan. The Dexxeni just nodded gravely, and sat cross legged on the ground. The sun had slipped completely below the horizon now, leaving them in total darkness. Carl sat down opposite Kartan, his hightened senses having no problem navigating in the darkness. Kartan began without preamble.

"About one hundred thousand of your Earth years ago, this sector of the Galaxy was inhabited by a civilisation called the Gandai or, at least, that is as close as we can get to what we think the original pronounciation was. They were a highly technologically advanced race, and they built wonders of unspeakable beauty all over this part of the galaxy. Cities with spires that touched the skies. The stuff of dreams. Then, at the apex of their glory, they vanished. Their entire civilisation simply blinked out of existence within the space of a decade."

"How do you know this?" Carl asked.

"About two hundred years ago, when our race first mastered rudimentary space travel, we discovered a Gandai ruin on one of the moons of this world. It was little more than a burned out cave after all the years that had passed, but its main power supply was still operational, and so were its data banks. We accessed the files and made the discovery."

"You were able to translate an alien language that had died nearly fifty thousand years before your people were even using flint weapons?" Carl asked. It was not a challenge, it was simply a question.

"Eventually. We got lucky. The language, while different in many, many ways, was fundamentally similar in structure to archaic forms of our own ancient languages. It is likely that this is not a coincidence, but that is not the purpose of this discussion. We decoded the data, and made the greatest discovery of our people's entire existence."

"Indeed."

"The Gandai were destroyed by civil war. Their technology had reached the level that allowed them simply to obliterate all Gandai life from entire planets. The war was brief. Within ten years they were all destroyed, and now all that is left of their greatest achievements is dust and sand."

"My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings," Carl Started,

"Look on my works ye mighty and despair," Kartan finished. At the look of surprise on Carl's face, he added, "I am not an uncultured man, Commodore. Nor am I provincial."

"Indeed, my apologies," Carl said.

"Accepted."

"I do not see how this relates to our present situation, fascinating though it is."

"Your Science Officer was right, partially. The 'Stones of Quincunx' are an artefact of the Gandai. A very dangerous artefact, in the wrong hands."

"Explain."

"The two stones, together, form what we would probably call a data-reader. It is not a computer, or a tricorder, its only function is to decode data stored on special...I suppose that 'hard drives' would probably be the most accurate term today. The first stone, the red stone, opens the mind of the user, the 'hard drive' then burns the data directly into the brain as a memory engram. The second, blue, stone restores the user's mind. When you touched the red stone, the split parts of your mind had nowhere to go, no data to recieve and nothing to bring them back together, so they latched themselves onto those closest to you."

"I still do not see the connection. Though it is useful to understand these devices, their actual function is not relevant. Finding them is."

Kartan took a deep breath. "After our people made the discovery, everyone predicted that our civilisation would leap forward, but a few realised that if that were allowed to happen, if we developed along the same paths as the Gandai, we would share their fate: annihilation. My ancestors destroyed the building where the data files were kept, razed it to the ground. Nothing was salvageable, except one Gandai 'hard drive'. We lacked the means to destroy it, but we knew what it contained. It contained the location of the space station where the research for the weapon that caused the Gandai's destruction was housed. We knew that we could never let it be read by our people, so we stole it, and the two 'reader stones' that went with it. They were the only pair we ever found. Without them, the data is utterly indecipherable. We hid them at thee different locations on the surface. Safer than keeping all three with us."

"I still do not see-" Carl began, but this time Kartan cut him off.

"El-Kamat is the head of a secret order of Government that wants to uncover and use this Gandai weapon. Why do you think they are excavating everywhere? Slowly and methodically, the order has been searching for what we stole for nearly two hundred years. A few years ago they found the 'hard drive', but as I said it is unusable without the two 'reader stones'. Unwittingly, you have given him the first stone, and now all he needs is the second. This is why he wants this planet to join the Federation, resources. Resources to look for the stones, but when this opportunity fell into his lap, he could not resist."

"I see." Carl did not sense any deceit about Kartan, in fact he sensed a feverish honesty in the way the man was speaking.

"El-Kamat no doubt spun you a story of folklore and magic, but his real goal is to aquire the stones without the federation knowing anything about it. I imagine he is blocking communications with your ship."

Carl simply nodded.

"Of course. If you had access to transporters and such, it is likely that the stones would be impounded. This way, there is only one option for you. To return the stones to him."

"But you said he didn't want the Federation to know he had-" Carl's voice faded as the realisation him him. "He would have killed us when we returned."

"Almost certainly. He would have taken the stone from you, killed you all, disposed of your bodies with exacting care and then explained to the Federation how we, the Dexxeni, murdered four starfleet officers and caused the death of a Commodore. The Federation would have wiped us, and the truth, out."

"Do the others know this, your people, El-Kamat's?"

"There are a few of my inner circle who are privy to the truth. The others know nothing of it. They worship a fictional deity designed to keep their minds away from thoughts of advanced technology."

"That is slavery." Carl said simply.

"No. It is freedom." Kartan said equally simply. "In any case the same is true of the other side. I suspect that only El-Kamat is privy to the truth at the dig site. The other members of the order will be scattered throughout the infrastructure of government, but their grip on politics is vice-like. They would use the Gandai's weapon to wage war on the Galaxy, and without any weapon capable of countering it, they would be victorious."

"I see. If we cannot destroy them, what good is finding them?"

"You need to put yourself back together, Commodore. So you must at least find it. And..." Kartan paused. "Perhaps it is time that the drive was read. I trust you, Commodore. You must open the drive, find the location of the ancient research station, and destroy it and its technology forever."

"But to do that, without El-Kamat's knowledge...that would be highly improbable."

"You leave that to me," Kartan said curtly. "Do I have your belief, do you trust me that I am telling you the truth? Will you help us?"

Carl sat silently for a few seconds, then reached out and clasped his hands around Kartan's head, melding their minds. After perhaps a minute, he sat back, breathing heavily, Kartan did the same.

"Yes." Carl said, "I believe you."

"Very well. I am grateful. We must return to the camp. I will explain the situation to my inner circle and give orders that you are all to be treated as honoured guests. They will not question my orders, even if they do not like them at first."

-----

Carl slipped back into his tent undetected about forty minutes later, and sat back down in the same meditative position that he had been in previously. His mind was buzzing with the information that he had recieved, but his look into Kartan's mind had convinced him that he was telling the truth, or at least what he believed to be the truth. As Carl drifted into sleep, still in his meditative posture, he couldn't supress a smile. This was getting a lot more interesting than anyone had bargained for.

[Andae Blakus]

The communion area had been deserted, just like most of the rest of the camp-site. Briefly, Carl contemplated making a run for it, but quickly decided that the perimeter was probably quite well-guarded. The Dexxeni had shown enough in their wariness of their prisoners so far to prove that they weren't fools. Carl didn't see why this would suddenly change. And anyway, where would he go? He had aleady decided that he'd rather not get lost in the Ir-Harapai.

There was one prominent wall in the communion area. Small icons were left scattered at its foot and on the ledges carved in its side. Rags and burnt-out torches - lying flat on the ground - were strewn around the place. Carl looked up at the wall, an expression of distaste on his face. What sort of maniacal practices...?

Just before leaving to sneak back to camp, he noticed in his peripheral a stack of equipment, tucked against the main wall in a recessed corner. Frowning, Carl approached and had a quick look over the stack. "Technology," he murmured, an accusative inflection in his voice. More mysterious items hid behind it, but before he could look closer at the dark metallic blocks, he heard the coarse voice of one of the Dexxeni.

The guard stood with a spear hefted on his shoulder, pointed towards Blakus,"You! Here, now."

Carl nodded and slowly moved towards the guard. "Sorry, I got lost..."

"Enough. Follow me," the guard reached out and grabbed Torek, pulling him across him and jabbing the spear's haft at his back. "You shouldn't be here, outsider. If circumstances hadn't changed, I'd strike you down now."

"Circumstances?" Carl asked. Curiosity gradually pushed its way over his initial horror. He heard the guard grunt an affirmative behind him, and he asked no more.

He now stood with his fellow officers - supposedly, his fellow Toreks - in one of the main Dexxeni tents. Each of the officers appeared dazed and lost, uncomprehending of what was happening - except for Watson, who stood impassive as a stone. Kartan and his immediate lieutenants stood around them in a circle. Kartan wore a smile, as if something had resolved itself in his mind over the night, away from the Starfleeters' eyes.

"You are now our guests... Guests of honour." Kartan nodded to his lieutenants and they walked forwards, holding small items in their hands. They presented one to each officer, a small silver broach that they attached to their battered and worn Starfleet tunics.

Kartan nodded once more. "You are to stay with us as long as you desire and may leave at your leisure. For now, you must excuse me. I have things to attend to." Eyeing each one of them in turn, Kartan waited for his lieutenants to file out and then followed them.

Blakus's stunned face looked at the other officers.

An hour or so later they were told that their Zaffaks were being brought up, but that they were still free to stay as long as they wished. The officers obliged, deciding with few words between them it would be best to take some real rest, in humane conditions. Blakus got talking to one of the Dexxeni folk - a normal guardsman - and tentatively quizzed him on the nature of their god and how he was worshipped.

"Yes," the Dexxeni nodded, "I can show him to you if you wish."

Blakus looked the Dexxeni in the eye and decided that he seemed honest. "You can... show, me?" The Dexxeni nodded and rose to his feet, stepping out of the communal tent and beckoning Blakus to follow. The very sceptical Carl followed in his wake until they reached the mouth of what seemed a very sizeable cave, which cut into the cliff that came out on the communion area.

"Our deity is very real, a being of flesh and blood. His body no longer functions, but it did once, and he taught us a great deal of the principles we live by today. When he came to us his body was broken, but in a few short days he'd helped to restore that belief we knew must be true: that technology is evil." The Dexxeni started wandering into the cave, lighting torches of fire that illuminated the place in fiery orange. A pedestal lay up ahead with an inert form on it - that was wholly covered in a prettily decorated black sheet.

Blakus's curiosity was well and truly piqued now, although he thought the pedestal seemed a relatively modest arrangement for a deceased god. They approached slowly, respectfully. "If he's a god, how come he's dead?"

"Oh, he is not dead!" the Dexxeni said emphatically. "His body is broken, but his essence endures. We can feel it in our heads. We hear his voice; he guides us when we are in need, telling us of the path of righteousness and how we must shun technology to free ourselves of its steely shackles."

The Dexxeni reached the pedestal and threw the sheet back. Blakus stood frozen in horror. The Dexxeni deity was a Borg.

He backed away, dismayed and unbelieving. Forget split consciounesses! This could not be.

"What's the matter, sir?" the Dexxeni asked. "This is Wise Zekoneveh. Oh, of course, I should've known. Slaves of technology would be instantly repelled by what they saw here..."

"You're damn right!" Blakus said, voice quivering. "How the hell did it get here?"

The Dexxeni tutted. "That's blasphemy, sir, but I suppose I should entertain you. He came crashing from the skies in a dark ship. We Dexxeni were close to the place he touched down, and were amazed, if not frightened. Our Lord and other leaders went ahead to survey the wreckage. Apparently they took council with the near-destroyed body that emerged from the downed ship. They returned to us and proclaimed the newcomer as our God. Zekoneveh's body ceased to function a week later, after he'd told us of the many horrors of technology he had experienced in his hundreds of years of slavery to it, and how we mustn't make the same mistake. His essence that pervades our minds became the proof of his godhood."

The Dexxeni looked at his 'god'. Cold sunken skin virtually hung from its mechanical components. Its body was battered, and all the nodes and usual light sources lay dim and dusty. Blakus became sure that the Borg was long dead. He dared a step closer, and was attracted to the small identifier on its wrist. He took a close look.

"Careful now, outsider." Blakus ignored him and looked; two small dashes arrayed next to eight full dashes. Second, of Eight ... Zekoneveh. Yes, those stacks of equipment he'd seen earlier. It was Borg technology. Perhaps it was broadcasting an echo of the Borg's neural synapses. Perhaps, in some small way, the everyday Dexxeni were part of this former Borg's collective.

[Aeryn Tavik]

A whimper could be heard in the cell and it was non other than Carl Torek. And just for that, he was going crazy! All emotions known to the universe were going through him now. His vulcan side was now apparently locked away in the mind of Alex Watson. Oh what Torek would do to have just a little of that back. Torek whimpered again as he heard footsteps come closer to his current position. He could feel a tear inching down his face, slowly at first, but eventually gaining enough gravitational speed to slide off his face and hit the ground below him. He couldn't even imagine what would happen next. His memories and experience seemed to have disappeared as he shook more and more. Only time would now tell what would happen next, and as every moment passed, it felt like time was slowing down.

The sound of the steps reached their destination and the physical manifestation appeared through the entryway. Torek looked up at it, the fear obviously radiating from his body and face. "Hello, little one," the figure said in an increasingly patronizing tone. "How are you?"

Words couldn't even reach his lips. Torek was too scared to let out more than another whimper.

The figure chuckled. "I thought as much." The figure stepped into the only light in the tent, revealing himself. "I am Khartan. Leader of the Dexxini. And you are?"

Barely able to stammer out the words, Torek replied, "C-C-Carl Torek…."

"Well well. Pleasure to meet you Mister Torek." The word "Mister" sent an uncharacteristically sensitive shiver up Torek's spine. I am a Commodore… Khartan breathed in deeply. "I am in need of some information and you are going to be the one to give it too me."

Torek's body began to shake, even more so than it had been before. He couldn't lose it now, not when things mattered so much.

---------------

Several antagonizing questions, several cuts, and a bunch of bruises later, Torek lay in a crumbled heap on the dirt floor of the tent. Khartan stood over him. "You need to talk to me, Commodore."

Tears rolling down his face, Torek screamed, "I don't know anything. If I did, I would have told you already!" Of course, Torek was using every bit of himself to keep as composed as he could, though given the situation, it was likely that he would find his way into a sticky situation should he not reveal a little something. But not yet.

Khartan's rage began to build. It was obvious to Torek that Khartan had intended on there being a series of more forth coming answers to his questions, but it was to know avail. "Do you know what I do to people who doubt answer my questions? I'll show you." He motioned for one of the guards to coming, the latter relinquishing his knife. Khartan took the knife and jammed it into the guards upper torso. The guard dropped to the ground easily. Khartan took a look at Torek. "Think it over, while I go prepare your comrades for similar treatment." Khartan walked out, followed by the other two guards carrying their fallen comrade.

-------------------------

An antagonizingly long time later, Torek rolled over, in a great amount of pain. He remembered what had just happened, the enemy leader giving up one of his own people's life just to get answers Torek didn't have. It was….inhumane! Surely there were better and more efficient ways to retrieve information, though Torek would be quite happy to not be put through any of them. The Commodore tried to sit up, at first failing due to the pain. With a literally gut wrenching motion, he finally sat up, not willing to move again. He let newly built up tears roll down his face. This was getting to be too much.

Torek again heard the dreaded sound of the footsteps nearing the entrance to his tent. As expected, a dark figure maneuvered itself into the tent. It did not speak, making it all the more creepy. Finally, after several minutes of utter silence, the figure approached Torek, with some items in hand. One item was some sort of fabric cloth, which the unidentified Dexxini folded compactly to get wet and then wash away the blood on Torek's face. With each touch, the Commodore shivered, knowing what and who was actually touching him.

After several minutes of cleaning, the Dexxini grabbed hold of Torek, helping him stand up. He lead Torek out of his tent and back to tent that housed everybody. Torek looked around confused by the event. As the escort left, Torek looked at each of his crewman in turn.

"W-what's going on?"

(Tag Any and All)

[Calli Valente]

She was awoken within minutes of finally falling asleep, or so it seemed. But on leaving her tent, she could see that the Sun was still to rise above the horizon, so she must have had at least three, maybe four hours rest. She was taken, unceremoniously to on of the larger tents, and was a little surprised to see the others already there.

Watson was there, looking for all the world like someone who knew something no-one else had been privy to, and that immediately annoyed her.

"Whats going on ?" she said, aiming the query at no-one in particular. But before she could get a reply, Commander Blakus was pushed through the flap and looked around the room as if dazed, "Are you alright Commander, you look like you lost a bar of latinum and found a stone ... Pardon the pun."

Blakus looked up from studying the ornate carpet, wondering if he could have been mistaken ... 'A Borg !' he thought, the words slamming around his head like an explosive looking for somewhere to detonate. Calli instantly knew he had heard, or worse, 'seen' something that would affect everyone here ... She approached him and took his arm, gently leading him to one of the cushions then urging him to sit down.

"Listen Commander ....." Calli said, leaning forward so her voice didn't travel past the thick material of the tent, but allowed everyone present to hear her, "It's obvious you have something. I'm not putting this lethargy down to Kartan's treatment ..... Is there anything you need to tell us ?"

< tag : Andae >

The information was both unexpected, and one hell of a shock, and could be classed as one of the more successful 'understatements' of the century !

"BORG !" the Marine yelped, jumping off her cushion as best she could, and scanned the full three hundred and sixty degrees of the tent rapidly, eyes in danger of leaving their sockets. She was rapidly becoming hysterical, so Calli did the first thing that entered her head ... She smacked Aeryn across the cheek, HARD, and it worked. The shock shut her up instantly. Andae took Tavik's arm and led her to a seat close to the back wall, seating her silently. Calli actually entertained the idea that she quite enjoyed slapping the woman for a second, but dismissed it as adrenalin.

"I'm guessing everyone is, slightly shocked at the information provided by Mister Blakus." Calli said, eying Tavik warily, "So ... The twentieth century quote pops to mind ... 'Rock and a hard place' ... Any idea's before that bloody Kartan comes back ?"

She looked around the tent, wondering if anyone could really have some insight in their predicament ..........

[Andae Blakus]

"It's obvious you have something. I'm not putting this lethargy down to Kartan's treatment ..... Is there anything you need to tell us ?"

Blakus's face was ashen; he'd felt a tide of weariness chasing him, and now, after the brief 'excitement' of the discovery, that tide was crashing down on his head. "Oh, it's nothing really... Although we may have a tiny bit of an issue with the Dexxeni's worship of their God. I was just shown the body of their God by one of the guards. It was a Borg drone. Dead, I might add."

"BORG !" Aeryn began leaping about, acting her usual - of late - unbecoming self. Calli then hit her quite hard and asked if anyone had any ideas (at which Blakus raised a cynical eyebrow and considered berating her). Watson was impassive as always, although Blakus thought that he did seem slightly taken aback by some of what he'd said, as if it was at odds with something he'd expected.

"I don't think this changes anything much." Blakus looked at them from his sitting position on the cushion, "After I was shown the drone, and had had it explained to me that it crashed to the surface in a scout vessel about twenty years ago, I asked if any other drones had come down with it and if anything of the ship remained. It was an emphatic no. Assuming he's right, we have only a dead drone and some Borg tech that these people - who clearly know nothing of the Borg - have been worshipping. Perhaps Kartan knows something more..." Carl paused to think, "But if that's true, then he's been lying to us, and his people."

<Tag Watson?>

Blakus got to his feet, dusting off his trousers and stepping so that he eclipsed Calli's limelight. He beamed a sour grin. "Of course, we should be very cautious. Where there are Borg, there are usually more Borg, and in great number."

The day was fully up now, light lancing across the campsite in vibrant rays, illuminating the fizzling mist. In spite of their new honoured guest status, Torek saw that the Dexxeni still had guards posted at their tent.

"So, what should we do?" he said, almost leering at the group. "The Dexxeni have suddenly become accommodating. I say we take our chance and get out of here."

[Calli Valente]

"Of course, we should be very cautious. Where there are Borg, there are usually more Borg, and in great number." Andae said, taking his seat once again, "But, the Dexxeni have suddenly become accommodating. I say we take our chance and get out of here."

"One thing that has been hovering in the background so to speak, is that no-one has stipulated a time frame for this erm, 'situation' ... So, I'm wondering if, providing none of us meet with any fatal accident, could we literally remain separated indefinitely, or will we suddenly find ourselves loosing the Torek essence, or worse, our individual personality ?"

< tag : All >

"Alright ..... So if we assume that we can remain for a moderate time as we are, would it not be prudent to make use of the Dexxeni hospitality as Commander Blakus pointed out, but rather than up and run, we look into the Borg issue. We shouldn't under ANY circumstances allow the Dexxeni to become aware of what the Borg represent, and could possibly consider removing the presence all together, that should go without saying, but any opportunity to investigate shouldn't be missed ... My only worry is Andae could be right, and there may well be other Borg situated close by."

"You are talking about removing the object of their religion ?" someone asked.

"Well if nothing else, we need to ensure the drone can't possibly activate any form of signal. I will go and do that if no-ones willing, no problem, but we also need to see what else came down in that crash. We have no way of knowing if some sort of distress beacon was activated. I for one am not going to sit quietly while a Borg cube slips into orbit and gives me a new look !" Calli said defiantly.

"You want to go get the Borg ?" Aeryn said, her voice quivering slightly at the prospect of coming face to face with a live Borg drone.

"No ..." Torek said, "But I do think we need to investigate ..... I would like to do it with Kartan's blessing of course, so maybe I'm not the one to approach him with the request." she said, sitting herself on one of the cushions.

The group began to discuss options, but Calli couldn't help notice that Watson, while involving himself in the debate, seemed as if he had insight that none of the others had. She shrugged it off as Torek's Vulcan half being somewhat withdrawn, aloof or just plain Vulcan, as the talks progressed into the early morning. They were eventually interrupted by some of Kartan's men bringing in breakfast ..........

[Deleted]

Will found himself sitting in the Conference Room with all the acting department heads.

"Anything new?" he asked Mr. Delik, the Acting CTSO.

"No, sir." came the answer. "We are still unable to get a good enough lock on the away team to transport them. When we do get a reading, they are still in the company of the what we are assuming are the Dexxeni."

"I wish we could get in touch with them." Will said more to himself than anyone else.

"Doctor? How's the Commodore holding up?" he asked.



(Tag Doc)

[Carl Torek]

Nihility, a void, vacuum, devoid of all feeling, senses. No conception of time ... These things sprang into his blackness ...

".... and as for the commodore’s condition. At the moment he is stable, however how long he will remain to be stable ... I cannot tell you. It is possible that he will remain so for days but there is not enough facts to know how long he will remain in his present condition" Salek finished.

Carl could hear every word the man was saying ...... And now, he could recall more. He remembered vividly reaching out to the red glowing stone on the tunnel floor. He remembered the shock of electricity that seemed to leap across the gap between fingertip and orb ...... But most of all he remembered, with a rising sense of terror, the darkness, the emptiness, the feeling of loosing himself to the hereafter, wondering vaguely if this is what dying really felt like.

He heard the voices, recognizable as his colleagues, friends, acquaintanceses, and wondered how he was still listening to them when all around him was blackness. He knew now he wasn't really 'listening, or feeling, or wanting, needing, but more he was simply 'here' watching sightlessly over the very people he had sworn to protect.

He knew now that he no longer feared, no longer queried the result of his action. He was not angry, or saddened by what had occurred .... Death, alas, was expected, and Carl had come to realize that it was his time. A sense of 'neutrality' was the best describe it he decided ..... But he still felt something was not right. 'Why do I still remain ?' he thought as the hours and days passed.

One feeling, thought, idea, how ever it could be best pictured, seemed to be that there was a growing need to be whole once again. His 'self' was beginning to rebel against his situation. Nothing physically, nor mentally for that matter, could be done about it. This he knew, but still it was there, somewhere in the darkness of his consciousness.



His overwhelming need to ... 'BE' ! ..........
[/blockquote][/color]

[Alex Watson]

Carl's brain was whirring. This was a most unexpected complication. If it were not handled correctly, it could be disastrous for everyone. The first point of call was obvious, he would need to assess whether or not the Borg drone represented a threat. He suspected that it did not, but if it did...he would come to that if the situation arose. He spoke, his voice not raised, but using a pinch of his natural telepathy to reinforce his words. The others fell silent, as if suddenly struck dumb.

"I will speak with Kartan. I am sure that this is nothing more than a misunderstanding. It will be dealt with." Turning on his heel, he walked quickly out of the tent, leaving the others to continue their bickering. He thought he heard raised voices, but he couldn't waste any more time.

<Tag All?>

He opened the flap to Kartan's tent, seeing the Dexxeni leader sitting behind his desk. He looked up and smiled in greeting, but his smile faded when he saw the look on Carl's face.

"Please explain to me why you have a Borg drone unguarded and unrestrained in the middle of your camp." Carl's tone was not threatening, but demanding. Kartan sighed.

"I thought that you four might discover our 'god' eventually. It is totally harmless. I am not fool enough to endanger either my people's lives or my own."

"I will need to confirm that what you say is true, Kartan. Otherwise, we will have a very difficult situation."

"Of course, commodore. I understand. Follow me."

Kartan lead Carl through the camp, attracting the gazes of several of the Dexxeni as they went. Carl ignored them, he was too focused on finding out the truth of this situation. They soon arrived at the chapel, and Kartan pulled back the sheet covering the Borg drone's head.

"Please, examine him, Commodore."

Carl took his miniature tricorder from his pocket and moved it over and around the drone's form for almost two whole minutes, before stepping back and breathing out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding.

"Brain destroyed. Lungs and heart burned to point of uselessness. Nervous system scoured. Spine broken in four places, skull fractured in two. Cybernetic implants fused to nearly solid metal." Carl spoke softly, listing the horrific injuries that the body had endured, but which had been ingeniously masked.

"That, indeed, was my assessment when I found him. It was a fluke that I could not have anticipated in my wildest dreams. He was perfect for what I needed. Totally inert, and yet strangely persuasive to the evils of technology. He has kept my people safe and happy for twenty years." Kartan smiled slightly, although Carl thought he could hear the barest tinge of guilt in the Dexxeni leader's voice as he spoke the last sentence.

"Very well, I am satisfied at least that this poses no immediate danger. This is excellent, our mission is too important to be bogged down by distractions at this point."

"I agree, commodore. That is why I am going to give you this," Kartan said, holding out a small device. "This is a map that will take you to the second stone. It is still a long journey, but you will at least know where to look. While you are gone, I and my men will attempt to wrest the first stone and the hard drive from El-Kamat at the dig site. If all goes well, we will rendezvous with you back here once our goals are accomplished."

"Understood," Carl said, nodding his head once.

"Good Luck," Kartan said softly, holding out his hand for Carl to shake.

"Live long, and prosper," Carl replied, turning to walk back to the tent with the others, leaving Kartan to walk back to his own.

<Tag All>

[Andae Blakus]

The Dexxeni seemed to be keeping to themselves so far that morning. The essence in Blakus watched as they gathered, talking heatedly and with a united passion about some new objective. It appeared to the Starfleeters that they were free to leave whenever they wanted - unfettered by any parting wish of the Dexxeni.

Carl headed out of the tent and quickly located the Zaffaks, but soon found himself having no small trouble getting the beasts to follow him back. Eventually he decided just to wait for the others to finish their jentacular eatings and then to call them over, so they could mount their beasts right there.

They departed, and indeed were not stopped or bid farewell by any of the Dexxeni - although Watson did later reveal he had said goodbye to Kartan and had been given a map. He'd already explained how the 'Borg issue' had been settled, and now they would all be on their guard. Carl just found it galling that they couldn't use technology to know when any Borg or indeed other hostiles were nearby.

"What do you seriously think will happen?" he asked the group darkly the following evening. (They camped near the edge of a ravine on a rocky overhang, in land that had notably flattened out as they'd progressed north over the day. The Ir-Harapai was now behind them.)

"If we were suddenly to acquire commbadges or tricorders, would we suddenly be struck down by some Cordovin god for violating the rules of the scriptures? Do we believe all this nonsense?" He steepled his fingers, creating the pretence of voicing some wisdom. "I don't believe Kamat can be trusted." The group seemed to give him more credit than they had previously, but he still got the impression that his words were looked down on; that on the first utterance, the words were pulled by frowning hands from his lips and dropped into a beaker that contained a moderate pinch of salt.

Carl growled, "If I were to acquire a commbadge, I won't lie to you, I'd be out of here immediately. You wouldn't be able to stop me, you would only be able to come with me. And then if it emerges we do need to get this blue stone - for whatever real reason - I'd have us all beamed there. But, as none of that is possible, you can expect my full scepticism and general refusal to help for the entire duration. This is absurd and superstitious and I just cannot bear it! Good night!" Carl felt his eyeballs shaking with anger as he headed to his sleeping place.

It was in his nature. With the reality laid bare before him, the core, the essential nexus of his mind would just not abide by that absolute truth. His id would rather burn itself up in a rage of denial than even entertain the idea of being wrong, or being shown to be mistaken in the belief that the person he aspired to was, after all, and in all that he had been through... attainable. It was as if his soul hit its self-destruct button everytime it was brought into question.

The side of his face sunk into the pillow and the blackness of unsight claimed him. He started debating the course of the next day. How fast could his Zaffak move? Would it be able to make much headway over the others when it was the larger animal? Longer legs yes but the increase in bulk...... Which direction would he head? West, he supposed. Closer to the ocean - the grey featureless depths holding their dark mystery. How would he cross the sea when he came to it? Find his way to a settlement... What would the locals think when they saw him and he tried to hire transport -

He drifted to sleep.

Coughing, he called around the tents in the morning. "Let's move, shall we?" It was another grey day, such was the view that lay ahead of them. Behind, the hills of the Ir-Harapai were distant shapes lost in a dry haze.

Alex Watson was the first to appear from his tent; Blakus regarded him gruffly. "Which direction do you think, Lieutenant?" He averted his eyes, feeling sheepish after his outburst last night. He noticed a rough piece of paper fluttering in Watson's hand. "A map! Where did you get that? Why didn't you tell us?"

<Tag Watson> <Tag All>

[Calli Valente]

Calli woke from a fitful sleep ...

Checking she had everything, she stepped into the morning sunlight. She could see the others, gathered round the Zaffak, and talking quietly. She waited a moment, mainly to see if she could gage the mood of the conversation, and wasn't surprised to find it was argumentative in nature.

"What's going on ?" she asked, approaching the Star Fleet Officers.

"MISTER Watson here has acquired a map ...... We are just wondering what else he hasn't told us."

"Change that tone now." Calli said, looking the Security Officer in the eye and defying him to comment further before she turned to look at Alex, "So, you have a map .... Care to share ?"

Silently, though with calculated indifference, Alex handed the parchment over, then took out a small disk-shaped object from hos robe. He held it at arms length and tapped the top. Everyone was admittedly surprised when a holographic projection appeared. It was obviously a map of a group of caves, showing tunnels, caverns, elevations, water courses, and one obvious blue point of light glowing gently within the hologram.

"So this is what we're after." Calli said, causing Alex to raise one eyebrow in typical Vulcan fashion as if being asked a question a three year old would know the answer to 'before' asking ...

"It doesn't show us how to get there though does it !" Aeryn said, "How the hell are we supposed to get to where the stone is ?"

"Calm yourself." Alex said, looking directly at the Marine, who seemed to find some 'inner' calm, "We have the means to locate the cave system."

Alex went on to update the group on what Kartan had told him the previous evening, even as he spoke, Calli watched the man closely for signs he was holding some vital snippet of information back for his own enjoyment, satisfaction, for the others' safety, she didn't know, and wasn't really convinced the Vulcan essence was even doing so. She mentally shook her head, telling herself that not everyone was the 'shoot first' type.

"Looking at this hologram, it doesn't show how we get to the cave system, nor, unless I'm mistaken, where the bloody entrance to the caves is located ..." she said, taking the parchment from Aeryn and scrutinizing it, "This is how we get to the caves ?"

"Indeed." Alex said, pointedly refusing to elaborate further as he took the map from her.

"Then I suggest we get on these things and get going !" Torek said, mounting her Zaffak and coaxing it into motion before looking back at the group and pulling her mount to a halt with a sigh, "You 'DO' know, that in Human culture, tomorrow is Christmas Day ... While we are not going to conclude this issue in the next few hours, I would sincerely like to be myself by the time that quaint novelty of giving out chocolate eggs comes around ... So PLEASE ... Lets get the hell going !" she finished, kicking the Zaffak into motion.

The group pondered on Calli's apparent urgency, and mounted their own animals, before Alex felt compelled to speak.

"Commander ..." Watson said, waiting for Calli to turn to face him, "While I commend your enthusiasm, I must point out something that I feel important."

"Yes ?" Valenti said, almost annoyed the group had not simply followed her.

"The map indicates a 'Westerly' direction of travel."

"And ?" Calli snapped.

"You are moving in a 'Northerly' direction." he answered, the damn irritating eyebrow going to work once again.

It was obvious that the others were finding the sand beneath their feet extremely interesting, and were going to extraordinary lengths not to laugh out loud as Calli pulled her mount round to face West, before kicking it into action once again, pointedly not replying to Watson's comment.

"Easy mistake to make." someone whispered, trying no to laugh ..........

ooo000ooo




Merry Christmas
&
Happy New Year

Everyone

All my best wishes for 2012

Steve

[Alex Watson]

That evening in his tent, Carl reflected on his decision to tell the others everything that Kartan haad told him. He realised that there was no other option. It was logical that, since discovery was inevitable, he should not withhold the information. Still, it troubled him. Shaking his head slightly, he lowered his mind into a meditative trance, and again sunk into Watson's subconscious...

---

"You want me to try and analyse a piece of alien technology from a civilisation that was long dead by the time mankind had even learned how to walk upright?" Alex asked, one eyebrow raised in unconscious imitation of the Vulcan standing before him. The two had been talking for what felt like a couple of hours, during which Carl had filled him in on everything that had happened.

"When you put it like that, Mister Watson, it does seem rather...illogical. If you do not believe yourself up to the task-" Watson started to chuckle to himself as Carl spoke. Carl frowned. "You are toying with me, Lieutenant. Will you attempt this or not?"

Alex looked up at Carl, the expression on his face equitable to that of a child who has just discovered that Father Christmas is real and has just recieved an extra large present from him.

"I'd love to, sir."

"Excellent."

"Sir...I must ask. Why are you telling me about all of this now? Why not wait until we're all...back to normal?"

"Two reasons Firstly, it is possible that when the essences of my personality are recombined, I will have no recollection of what has transpired. I would therefore need someone with a knowledge of the situation to assist me. Secondly, it is possible that I will have full recollection of these events, in which case I will also need someone with a knowledge of the situation to help me."

"It's also possible that neither one of us will have any recall of any of this at all." Alex said, his voice a little dark.

"Let us hope that it does not come to that, Lieutenant. If it is practical to do so before we complete our task, I will attempt to speak with you again. If not...be ready."

"I'm not going anywhere, sir," said Alex with a smile.

"Indeed. Well, farewell for now, Mister Watson," Carl saluted, Alex returned it...the scene began to fade...

<Tag All who want to get a post in at this time point in the mission. We will be jumping forward a few days very shortly.>

[Andae Blakus]

In the gentle hills and slight valleys the dark specks moved ever west, trickling through the dark spaces and down the ravines and trusting they were heading in the right direction. They didn't give much thought to the nature of the place that lay ahead of them; they only knew they must get there. Well, most of them.

The Zaffak stumbled slightly through the ditch and sent the Blakus essence careening off course from the main group. It hurtled across the plain, the engineer grasping hold of the beast's fur for fear of being shaken loose. "Stop?!" he hollered, but his voice was lost in the wind.

He glanced behind him to see the receding forms of the other Zaffaks, who had themselves stopped. Slowly, as he observed, one peeled away from the others and started heading towards him at a leisurely pace.

He just had enough time, as he turned to face forwards again, to see the large rock in the Zaffak's path. The beast let out an unearthly roar and Blakus was pitched from the creature's back as it struck the rock a glancing blow. He fell in a heap in the ditch, and saw the Zaffak kicking up dust as it continued thundering away from them and their hopes for reunification.

"You animal!!" He slapped his knees and glared at the disturbed dust around him. What on earth had got into the creature?

He sat there for a full minute, too dazed to even move a muscle. Sweat glistened off his brow from the sudden fear and the exertion of trying to avoid serious injury. Eventually, as the surroundings seeped into his consciousness, as the sights and smells became part of the general flow of things, he began to hear the gentle whispering.

He turned to face where it'd come from and crawled towards it. A small rise in the plateau gave a view over a small ravine. The whispering became more pronounced, and then peering down the ravine - being careful to conceal himself - Carl saw a quartet of people sitting amongst the rocks. Snippets of their conversations were making it to him. They had packs laid on the ground before them; four Zaffaks were grazing noisily behind. He lay there and watched them for a while, one eye peering down from the small bank, and tried to pick out bits of what they were saying. He caught nothing.

"Commander Blakus! There you are." One of the officers had suddenly spoke from behind him.

"Ssshhh!" he twisted around. One of his own group stood there, their Zaffak and Blakus's own disobedient animal behind. He signalled towards the ravine and pointed down to the people. "I think we might be being followed!"

He blinked as he saw that no one was there. His colleauge looked at him dubiously. "They were there a second ago, I promise. Four of them with mounts and packs."

As quietly as they could, they mounted their Zaffaks and made to head back to the group. "Now, come on girl," Blakus said, coaxing his beast tentatively, "You'd better behave yourself from now on." He wondered if the creature had picked up the scent of the other Zaffaks.

<Tag All>

[Calli Valente]

It was late in the evening now. On other days they had stopped and made camp by now, but Watson had insisted they travel further today with the aim of reaching their goal quicker ... Calli had to agree, despite being shown up somewhat earlier that morning, she was certain one of them was tempting fate by prolonging this outing.Not necessarily through any hostile action, but a simple slip of fall could prove fatal i this terrain. she had only just finished the thought when she heard a shout.

"STOP !!"

Everyone halted their Zaffak and turned in the direction of the shout, and almost in unison laughed at the sight of Commander Blakus doing a passable impression of a twentieth century cowboy attempting to remain aboard a bucking bull !

"I'll go after him." Valenti said, grinning after the Commander had stayed with his mount for almost half a kilometer. The rest stopped laughing as Andae's mount slammed into an outcrop with a glancing blow, but the sudden change in direction was enough to throw Blakus skywards, "Someone go after the Zaffak OK." she finished.

~~~~~~~~~~

She reached the man in due course, not wanting to rush for fear of laughing out loud once she got to the prone Officer.

"Ahh. Commander Blakus ..." Calli said, a wry grin on her face, "There you are."

"Ssshhh ! ......." the man whispered urgently, pulling her to the ground, motioning toward the small rise hiding group he had observed, "I think we might be being followed." Calli slowly raised her head above the flora, scanning the area Blakus had indicated. She looked back, making sure he was serious, then looked again, listening intently for anything out of the ordinary, but she could see nor hear anything. She looked back at Andae, a puzzled look on her face. Andae spun to look where he had see the others.

"They were there a second ago, I promise. Four of them with mounts and packs."

"OK, listen. I think we should play dumb here .... Your Zaffak is back, lets get back to the group. If there are people behind us I think we should look like we have no idea we're being followed." Calli said, getting up onto her animal and waiting while Blakus followed suit, "Who do you think it could be ?" she asked as they began to head toward the rest of the group.

Blakus was silent, maybe choosing not to speculate at this point, but one thing was certain. They were still almost a week away from their goal, and the last thing they needed was yet another bunch of people trying to stop them, or wait for them to find the stone, or just looking for the right opportunity to rob and kill the lot of them. Then she had a thought ...

"Listen ... Our guide is in contact with Kartan. I say we force him to contact his leader. We can tell him our suspicions and demand he forgo this idiotic rule of 'no outside contact' and allow us to ask Raven to scan the area, and maybe send us a phaser or two while they're at it." Blakus remained stolidly silent, glancing back at the rise in the terrain where he had seen the strangers.

"We shall camp here for the night." the guide said as the two returned to the group, "I shall have my men ready the tents."

Calli watched Blakus from the corner of her eye. Maybe he was embarrassed at being thrown, or loosing control of his Zaffak. Maybe he had other reasons for uncharacteristically clamming up suddenly. This was the one man that 'knew' he was the real Torek, so she was asking herself if the Carl Torek she knew would stay quiet ... Frankly, she doubted it ..........

[Carl Torek]

Time ... Time had no meaning for him now ...

He had been within the blackness, the nothingness for a microsecond, or for a millenium, but realization of the fact that the definitions made little impact on him, and thus had no meaning. A distant reminiscence of voices remained with him, but even that was beginning to fade into the distant what, past, future, he simply didn't know.

Something within him had become aware of a change in his state of 'being' and it frightened him. He seemed to be moving away from whatever made him whole. With every passing fragment of time, it was becoming more and more urgent that the continuance of himself be assured.

In his distant past he had set aside time to put every fiber of his being into making those 'outside' aware of his need for contact, or companionship, but his efforts had failed him. Realization of one thing was prominent within him now, and that was an almost overwhelming fear of disconnection, the irreversible segregation of his self and the loss of the anima and persona he vaguely remembered as Carl Torek !

Insurmountable fear gripped his remaining consciousness ..........

[Deleted]

With sporadic breaks in the storm, the crew of the Raven had been able to determine that the away team had managed to escape the Dexxeni four days ago and were once again headed in the right direction.

"Get me the councilwoman." Will suddenly ordered.

A few moments later, Councilwoman Rahna appeared on screen.

"Commander. What can do for you?" she asked.

"Councilwoman. I was curious about something." Will began. "Every so often there is a break in the storm that allows us to scan and locate our away team. Do you have any idea what would happen if we were to transport someone during one of these breaks?"

"I have no clue, Commander." she replied. "We have never had a ship in orbit to try it before."

"And what of this stone that they are after? Do you know the location of it?"

"Just that it is on that continent." she said while shaking her head.

"Thank you, Councilwoman. That's all I needed to know."

He turned toward Delik as the screen went blank again.

"Get with Engineering. I want a scan of the first stone done and than began scanning on the continent that the team is on for the same type of readings whenever there is a storm break. I also want some test transports done during those breaks as well. Let's see if we can get something down to the surface and back."

"Aye, sir." answered Delik as he headed to lift.

[Calli Valente]

Two days later ...


They had passed through the roughest of the hills, and were approaching the area of flatland that separated them from the cave system, they would need to traverse this area within two days as their supplies were now running dangerously low. The zaffak had been released each night and had been back at the camp area when everyone had woken.

Calli had been wondering how their followers could remain so far behind them but not worry about losing their quarry ... Something occurred to her and she halted her mount.

"Problem Commander ?" Alex said, stopping his own animal and causing the others to follow suit.

Torek frowned, he wasn't quite sure he had his thoughts right, but he needed to make sure of what was worrying him. He got down and dropped the makeshift rein to the floor. This alone would ensure the animal remained still, then proceeded to remove the saddle from his zaffak ...

"We're being followed right .......... Each day they drop right back out of sight, but then close the distance during the night. How are they managing to keep track of our whereabouts so accurately ?" she said as she lifted each layer of the saddle to check for anything out of place, "I think we have a couple of possible reasons ... One, someone with us is marking our location ... Or two, they are tracking us from afar using some sort of device planted on us or our kit."

"Everyone check your saddles and kit for anything untoward." Blakus ordered.

Within minutes Tavik shouted everyone to his position ... He was looking down at a metallic disk, approximately four centimeters in diameter and two, maybe three millimeters thick, hidden between the fur layers under the leather seat of the saddle.

"DAMN !" Calli said, looking back the way they had come, "I thought we may have spotted them once on the flats, but with this they could cross kilometers to either side of us totally unseen, then close the gap once back in the hills once under cover, and in complete darkness we’d never see them coming … Damn !"

"How would you suggest we proceed Commander ?" Blakus asked, seemingly watching Calli closely suddenly.

"Two options ... We can go with either in my opinion." Valenti said, We need to traverse the flats on a heading of two six zero degrees westerly, that will put us in visual range of the cave complex ... We can have someone take the tracking device on say three hundred degrees, that will put them some hundred kilometers away once they clear the flats, with little or no chance of re-gaining our tracks."

"And the other option ?" Tavik said, looking like he was hoping he wasn't picked to go off alone with the tracking disk.

"Well ... I can't believe Commander Jamison is sitting on his hands while we're meandering around the desert ... 'IF' he can somehow get anything through those magnetic storms in the ionosphere and the sensors are picking up our pursuers, 'AND' he is able to persuade the council to let him beam a team down, then we can continue with the device and hope the Raven can intervene on our behalf."

"Logical." Watson said, the eyebrow raising once again.

'Funny how that never happened to the whole Torek' Calli thought, realizing it was beginning to annoy her in this essence of the Commodore.

One of the guides who had been listening to the conversation approached.

"Sirs ... I have just spoken to the director of the dig site. Tahl El-Kamat has been in conversation with the Council and the Raven is indeed attempting to transport through the storms. As to their success, he does not know at this point."

"Well ... I say we take the bug with us and let Raven deal with them." Calli said, looking at the other Officers in turn ..........



< Tag : All >

[Alex Watson]

Carl lowered his head, closed his eyes, and thought long and hard, his mind weighing up all the potential outcomes of the different choices that they faced. He was unsure of so many variables. Infuriating...frustrating... Finally, he opened his eyes, raised his head, and saw that Commander Valenti's body was looking at him, as if seeking a casting vote.

"No," Carl said simply.

"No? No what?" asked Valenti rather belligerently.

"We do nothing. We continue on as if nothing had happened."

"That's a load of crap!" spat Valenti. "If we're being tracked, we have to do something about it!"

"No," Carl said again.

"Well then what the hell do you propose we do, oh great wise one?" Valenti's furious face contorted with barely supressed rage.

Carl took a deep breath, and began.

"Thanks to our stay with the Dexxeni, we now know far more than we did when we started this mission. We know what El-Kamat is, and what his plans are. At the moment, we have the advantage. They are following us. We know that they are following us. They do not know that we know. As soon as they become aware of our increased knowledge, as soon as we tip them off in any way that we know what they are doing, we will lose that advantage. El-Kamat is an extremely powerful man, and our crew back on the Raven still has no idea of his true intent. He and his people could wreak havoc onboard. We must remain silent, no contact of any kind, at least until we have secured the stone. Once that objective has been achieved, secrecy will no longer matter. For the time being, however, the trackers following us MUST believe that we are ignorant of their presence and their means of tracking us. Everything depends on our keeping up our facade of trust as long as possible..."

He paused for a few moments, before adding,

"It is risky, but there are no safe paths left to us. It is now the only logical course of action."

He looked around, his eyebrows furrowed and his expression dark, awaiting their responses.

<Tag All>

[Calli Valente]

Calli wasn't noted among Star Fleet Command as having the best of tempers, yes, she could hold it in check, and in fact was one hell of a good poker player because of it, and her many positive aspects far outweighed her temper ...

One this occasion however, she simply let go !

"Well then ... WHAT the hell do you propose we do, oh great wise one ?" she spat in the mans direction, almost daring him to respond in kind. But Torek's Vulcan essence simply regarded her much like an adult would look at a child that has done something wrong. Then began patiently began to explain his decision, making sure to address the most part to Valenti in particular, which annoyed her yet again.

'Hell I have to get this bloke out of my mind before I go nuts !' she thought.

"It is risky. But there are no safe paths left to us. It is therefore, the only logical course of action." Alex finished, his eyes scanning those assembled as if awaiting a reply. Calli threw the tracking device to the Marine, who almost fainted while catching it.

"Put that in you bag Major ..." she said, grasping the rein making her zaffak kneel, "You had better be right about this ... 'Commander' ... Because all our lives are depending on that Vulcan intellect of yours coming up with the right solution !" she finished speaking and climbed onto her mount, then sat silently as the others followed suit.


Thirty six hours later ... Twelve hours from the rim ........


They had trekked across two thirds of the desert plateau now, tracking the suns arc across the sky to remain on a true westerly heading. Calli halted her zaffak and waved for the others to continue, saying she just needed a moment to rest ... She turned the animal through three hundred sixty degrees, seeing nothing but the heat haze rising off the scorching sand beneath their feet. It reminded her of old images of what was once called Death Valley, California, before planetary climate control allowed them to build New Mohave City. She tapped the zaffak lightly on the neck to signify her desire for it to begin walking when her world went black !

In his distant past he had set aside time to put every fiber of his being into making those 'outside' aware of his need for contact, or companionship, but his efforts had failed him. Realization of one thing was prominent within him now, and that was an almost overwhelming fear of disconnection, the irreversible segregation of his self and the loss of the anima and persona he vaguely remembered as Carl Torek !

Insurmountable fear gripped his remaining consciousness ..........

" .......... Calli .......... Commander .......... Are you OK ?"

She opened her eyes, thankful that someone had had the presence of mind to get between her and the sun. She was laying on the sand, people around her looking concerned for her wellbeing. 'What happened to me ?' she thought, fearful and uncertain for the first time in her life.

"It's OK, nothing is broken." Aeryn was saying, feeling along her extremities one by one, "Do you feel you can stand ?" Calli nodded, and with the help of the Marine, got to her feet.

"You seem to have passed out Commander. Not unsurprising given the temperature of this plateau." Watson was saying, while the guides gave her water to drink, and Aeryn fussed over her minor cuts and rapidly appearing bruises, "Do you feel you can cont ......

"Something is very very wrong here !" she said, interrupting the Vulcan. "I had some sort of, I don't know, flash back maybe, but more like a joining, no, merging if you like, with Commodore Torek, or whats left of him on the Raven ... For a second I was 'HIM' but the remainder, the life-force of the man if that describes it, hell i don't know what it was, all i know is this separation is more life threatening to us all now, because I think the Commodores 'SELF' is loosing the fight to retain his being. I don't know how to adequately describe the 'feeling', All I am sure of is that we need that stone, and NOW !"

Everyone looked at her in obvious confusion, but she knew she was right. They needed to get the various essences of Carl Torek back into his own body, because if not to anyone else, it was plain to her that the mans 'Life-force' was beginning to give up the fight to remain sentient, and if that was allowed to happen, then everyone holding a part of the Commodore would fade into non-existence with him ! ..........