[USS Charon] SD240908.29 || Backlog || "Escaping The Darkness - Part II" - Cpt. Zane Akina, SFI

[ BACKLOG – Eight Months Ago ]

Astate Colony
Unpopulated Jungle Island Chain
"Escaping The Darkness" - Part II
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[ PART II ]


The minutes passed – Zane emotionally spent and badly wounded picked himself up off the forest floor and returned to the nearby shuttle.  Tapping the control pad to unlock the hatch, Zane leaned against the hull as the door slid open.  There was one final duty to perform as he willed himself onward through pain, emotion, and brutal exhaustion.  He had to get his information to Starfleet back at headquarters in Caenis and he had to it quickly and quietly as he could be sure both Starfleet and the Romulans were now tracking the nuclear explosion both now on high alert.  He didn’t want to be here when the cavalry arrived to investigate no matter which side showed up first.

As he stepped into the shuttle someone behind him cleared their throat causing Zane to instantly freeze.

“Captain Akina.  What ever are you doing in such a dangerous place”, a familiar voice asked from behind.

Turning from the entrance of the shuttle, Captain Zane Akina came face to face with an old acquaintance, Marine Colonel Leon Ventris of Astate’s 145th Marine Battalion.  As Zane looked on he could see a dozen marine sharpshooters and infantry in the trees and forest surrounding him – any one of them could easily end his life should he make any sudden moves.  Once again, Zane found himself on a razor edge between life and death.

“Colonel Ventris, what an unpleasant surprise”, Zane stated making no attempt to move outside the shuttle.  “One could ask you the same question.”

“I have an affinity for pure air and blue skies away from all of the hustle of Caenis and my duties”, the Colonel said with a wry, arrogant smirk.

Zane, not amused by the Colonel’s obvious dodge to his question, continued their verbal sparring.  “I see.  It is quite lovely here – with the exception of that atomic cloud over there and the radioactive fallout that will soon blanket the area exposing everything in its wake to high if not lethal doses of poisonous radioactivity.  But, never mind the beautiful scenery or its pitfalls – since you and I both seem to be on vacation here on this lovely island I have a question for you as well.  Do you always go camping with a full platoon of expert sharpshooters or do they share your enthusiasm for the outdoors?”

“My dear Captain.  Let us get to the matter at hand.”

“Indeed.  I’ve had an exhausting day and suddenly I find the scenery to be less attractive than it once was and thus desire to leave this little paradise.”

“I think that can be easily arranged Captain.  Leaving this place is in fact what we need to discuss.”

“Forgive me Colonel for being rude, but just get to the damn point”, Zane said bluntly.  Ordinarily he would have enjoyed the verbal games, but he was exhausted, angry, and trying to find a way out of yet another impossible situation for what seemed like the fourth or fifth time today.

“The tricorder in your hand.  If you would be so kind to hand it over.”

“And If I refuse”, Zane said with defiance.

“Captain, please, let us be reasonable here.”

Zane interrupted.  “Colonel, it’s obvious I’m not leaving this shuttle alive.  Your presence and the presence of the marines only serves to fuel my suspicions that you are all on the NeoDyne payroll.  You were the one who activated the facility’s auto destruct and you are the man responsible for killing dozens of innocent children whose only crime was being born into this world at the hands of monstrous, morally corrupted individuals like yourself who seek only power, wealth, influence or all three!  Since we’re getting right to the heart of things Colonel – just confirm my suspicions before you execute me and take what you will!  Give me the satisfaction of knowing it was you who killed those children!

Zane’s anger was mounting like a building storm.  “Neodyne lost control of the facility.  They knew what was down there, but they didn’t know what to do with them once they escaped and went wild.  No one could figure out quite what to do about the situation after so many had died.  AM I CORRECT?  Neodyne just quietly shut the facility down under your watchful eye forgetting its existence and hoping their little problem would just go away or at least stay quiet until enough time had passed for the threat to have passed so the research could either be collected or restarted!  AM I RIGHT?  ANSWER ME DAMN YOU!”

Ventris’s smug cockiness vanished and was replaced by harsh contempt.  “Very good Captain.  You are truly as keen and clever as your records indicate.  My compliments for piecing together the puzzle.”

“And the personnel director back at Caenis”, Zane added, “He carefully and quietly placed key personnel for you here on Astate and coordinated transfers and personnel assignments?”

“Yes.”

“And the dead intelligence officers?  Did they get to close – or were they just liabilities also on the payroll of NeoDyne?”

“They became liabilities unfortunately and had to be eliminated.  They both knew too much after the facility had been shutdown.  NeoDyne had too much invested here for anything to leak out.”

“Collateral damage”, Zane mumbled.

“Afraid so – which is unfortunately what you will soon be as well.”  Ventris looked down at a scanning device and then back at Zane.  “You are correct in noting that in approximately ten minutes radioactivity will begin to blanket this island given the current weather conditions.  As much as I would love the opportunity to chat – my time and yours has run out captain.  The tricorder in your hand  - please hand it over and I will assure you that your end will be swift and painless.  It is the least I can offer a fellow officer.”

“You’re no officer”, Zane shouted back.  “You’re a traitor and a disgrace to everything that uniform stands for!  ALL OF YOU ARE!  If you want this tricorder so badly Colonel then come over here and take it from me.”

“That can easily be arranged captain”, Ventris said with a hiss.

“WAIT”, Zane yelled holding his hand up.  There was one question remaining.  Since it was clear he was to die shortly he wanted the final puzzle piece to complete the picture.

“Before you kill me, permit me one last question Colonel.”

“Very well Captain.  Ask, but be brief.”

“Yourself, the NeoDyne facility, the personnel director, the contractors – everything couldn’t have been arranged so carefully or neatly without raising suspicions.  Even back channels have eyes and so do the walls – this was too carefully crafted, too calculated, too well thought out to be so perfectly executed even by a corporation as influential as NeoDyne.

Who was the architect?  There has to be someone in a position of influence at the highest levels pulling the strings of the marionette puppets below him or her – there has to be a coordinator, someone of influence or access to influence to pull something of this sophistication off!

I want a name!  Grant me my final wish before you terminate my existence.  I want to know who it was!”

Ventris hesitated for a moment staring the Captain down for several seconds.

“Very well Akina.  Since your meeting with the reaper is pending I will tell you.  I’ve personally never met the man.  He’s an influential ambassador, up and coming, from what I know – perhaps to become one of the Federation’s leading diplomats in time.  He pulls the strings having access to all the right connection and ears.  He is nothing more than an unwitting pawn.  I highly doubt he has any knowledge of the ramifications of his actions.  However, to answer you question, his name is Ambassador Ian Lamont.”

“Now you know Captain.  Satisfied?  Or does it leave that mind of yours thirsting for more information?  In any event you’ve had your last request granted.  Any final remarks?”

Zane stiffened realizing his death was at hand.  There would be no escape this time.  He was out of aces – his tricks exhausted.  The final hand had been cast and it was his time to fold.  How calloused and fickle fate was he thought to himself.  How could someone like Ventris continue to live while someone like himself died?

Perhaps in few moments he would know the answer to that question.

“I just want it to be known that I died a loyal Starfleet officer, true to myself, true to justice, and true to the fleet and the people of the Federation.  If I am to die, at least I do so with the knowledge I died defending my principals in this life against the slime of humanity like you, your men, and the President of NeoDyne, Alistair Merikai who signs your blood stained paychecks.”

“How touching”, Colonel Ventris remarked.  “Goodbye Captain Akina.  Give my regards to the children when you see them.”

Zane closed his eyes awaiting the shot that would end his life.  When it struck he suddenly felt cold as he could feel the molecules and atoms of his body being torn apart.  A slight dizziness enveloped him yet there was no pain, no burning, no anguish.  How funny it was that a phaser could destroy his life so quickly yet cause no negative feelings.  He’d seen others disintegrated and their expressions were far from pleasant.  How odd that as his life ended he felt virtually nothing at all.

His vision was a swirl of lights and particles as he tried to make sense of the approach of the afterlife.  Then suddenly his vision cleared, the haze lifted and he found himself staring into the eyes to a transporter technician, a Starfleet captain, a medical officer, and several heavily armed Starfleet guards all standing before him in a transporter room.  This couldn’t be heaven or hell – could it?

Unable to process any additional information, Zane’s eyes rolled backwards into his head as his knees buckled beneath him.  He collapsed on an empty transporter pad as his mind and body simply shutdown after a day of extreme mental, physical, and emotional strain.

The medical officer rushed up to Akina’s unconscious body as the Captain looked on with a measured expression which betrayed nothing.

“Commander Durandal, your prognosis”, the Captain quickly asked with a firm tone.

“He has some broken ribs, dust inhalation, I’m reading elevated radioactivity levels from his clothing, though the levels are not lethal.  He had several contusions and lacerations and has lost a fair amount of blood.  He’ll make it, but I need to get him to sickbay immediately.”

“Very well”, the captain said.  “Site to site transport – two to sickbay at once!”

Doctor Durandal stood next to his patient as the transporter chief set the computer to beam the pair to sickbay.

“Doctor, patch him up fast.  I must talk with him as soon as possible.  Time is not on my side.  As soon as he is able to stand I want him in my quarters under heavy armed guard.  Notify me as soon as you deem him fit to engage in conversation.”

“Captain, he’s going to need to recover and rest I cannot ..”

“Doctor, obey your orders this once.  I want to speak with him.  You have eight hours.  Do what you can in that time.”

“Aye sir”, came the muted reply from the ship’s chief medical officer.

“Energize”, the captain commanded as the medical officer and Captain Zane Akina vanished into a swirl of blue particles.

The captain dismissed the guards and then headed himself to the exit.  In orbit above Astate, the U.S.S. Corsair, and her determined commanding officer were running out of time.  He had already violated his orders to be here at this planet and the chief engineer’s thin excuses for emergency repairs at Astate were only going to buy him little time if any.  His engineer was there to fix the ship, but recently the Captain had been asking him to tear it apart if only to buy him more time - time he didn't have to answer questions that demanded quick answers.  Such questions could very well determine how the balance of power would unfold for decades to come on a galactic scale.

As he headed back to the bridge of his starship, Captain Taverain Corsica Ramius, hoped he could buy at least another day in orbit given the now tense situation on the ground.  Perhaps the massive atomic detonation could be an asset to him.  The event had caused quite a stir between the Romulans and Starfleet and could be used to his advantage.  He could offer the local commanders his ship’s sensors and a Starship in orbit, especially a Nova class like the Corsair heavily armed due to the war with the Dominion, would help deter any aggressive posturing by the Romulans.  Perhaps he had more time than he originally anticipated.

In any event, recent events on Astate and in particular, the actions of Captain Akina, held the captain’s interest.  The next few hours would prove to be lively that much he knew for certain.

Tapping his badge he called to the bridge.  “Number One, place the ship on yellow alert and raise our shields.  Bring weapons to standby readiness – I want to be on full tactical alert given the situation on the ground until we know more about what the hell just happened down there.  And get me an open channel to Starfleet on Astate - I need to speak with them immediately about the situation.


[ To Be Continued… ]

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Captain Zane Akina
Starfleet Intelligence

Captain Taverain C. Ramius
U.S.S. Corsair

Commander Keith Durandal
Chief Medical Officer  - USS Corsair