U.S.S. Corsair - NX-011979
Nebula II Prototype
“Sic Parvis Magna”
(Greatness From Small Beginnings)
“Progeny of the Progenitors - Part Six"
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## Later ##
The hallways of the temple were devoid of life making navigating the interior of the cult easier than Ramius and Akina had anticipated. Quickly moving from room to room the pair made their way into what appeared to be a small office with a small computer terminal. Akina quickly took a seat and to his surprise the terminal was unlocked.
“Look here Ramius. The group is called Aditus…that’s old Earth Latin for beginning or a means…if I recall. Hmm…not much here. Some clerical files. Lists of members. Several of the names are crossed out. I don’t know if they correlate to your murders or not.”
Akina quickly poured through the system. “Look at this”, he said stopping on several documents. Ramius leaned over to gaze at the screen. “Supply manifests. Shit. Look at this stuff! What does a religious group need with heavy excavation equipment? Phaser drills, shuttles, mining equipment, explosives? What the hell?”
“I told you I smelled something funny Zane”, Ramius said with a hint of indignation. “This cult of yours is quite sophisticated and organized. These records indicate a well laundered money trail and a carefully concealed network of suppliers, merchants, and black market sources. This isn’t the work of religious zealots Tav, this is a front operation for something big. I can tell by the patterns that this is a carefully crafted cover for something. It could take weeks or months of work to shake down suppliers and follow up on purchases. Whoever is behind this is not only clever, but I would suspect professional and well funded.”
“Syndicate?”
“I don’t think so”, Zane replied pouring over the files. “It doesn’t seem like their MO. No this feels more sophisticated. My instincts point to someone in the shadows pulling strings but I can’t tell from these files. It’s just a feeling.”
“Go with your gut. It works for me most of the time.”
“Yes, I’ve noticed. Your feelings and instincts would drive a Vulcan to madness I’m afraid.”
Footsteps in the hall caused both the men to jump as Akina quickly attempted to restore the computer to its original settings. Quickly the men pressed themselves up against the wall as the footsteps passed and eventually tapered off somewhere down the hallway.
“That was close.”
“Too close. Come on, let’s check out the rest of the facility and get the hell out of here.”
### Still Later… ###
The pair quietly entered a large room which resembled a converted cargo hangar. Red banners bearing the cult’s name “Aditus” hung from the walls. There were few lights with much of the rooms haunting illumination emanating from dozens of candle racks that surrounded the room.
As the two captains pushed deeper into the chamber it quickly became clear Ramius’s suspicions were in part justified.
“Look at this”, Akina noted examining the floor. “It looks like a holographic projector.”
Ramius nodded. “I was told the group’s leader communicates via recorded message. This must be the method. Damned peculiar though. A preacher who preaches from afar where no one knows his identity or his whereabouts?”
Akina confirmed the sentiment as he continued to inspect the holo-emitter.
Ramius took the opportunity to scout the room more specifically the altar draped in dark, crimson cloth. To his shock he discovered why the cloth was crimson.
“AKINA”, he loudly whispered. The captain approached Ramius and the mysterious alter.
“Take a look.”
“What is that…blood?”
“Sure looks like it. I think there is more going on here than anyone knows.”
Akina produced a tricorder and took several quick scans of the altar. “It’s humanoid blood. Various species. Some of it older…some of it more recent. What the hell is going on here? Ritual sacrifice?”
“No..I bet it’s meant to look that way though to those followers missing a few billion brain cells”, Ramius indicated retrieving a sinister looking blade from the alter. “I would bet the group captures and eliminates its adversaries under the guise of ritual.”
“Whatever. It’s still murder!”
“No proof”, Ramius interjected. “Just blood and lots of it. Without a body this evidence is circumstantial and won’t hold up in court or anywhere else.”
Akina pulled himself up onto the imposing stone alter. “Get up here Ramius and give me a boost. I need to install a tribble trap.”
“You weren’t serious about those were you?”
“Of course not! Covert surveillance tech. We can see and hear everything that goes on in here.”
Ramius quickly helped Akina upwards so he could install the device on the ceiling concealed by a convenient air duct and vents.
An opening door and the sounds of rapid footsteps broke the silence of the room as Akina rapidly worked on fastening the device.
“Akina, hurry up. We’ve got company”, Ramius whispered. “Almost done.”
“Running out of time.”
“There.”
The pair leapt from the alter and made their way several meters away before they encountered one of the guards from the outside door and two robed figures who faces were not visible.
“Who dares to defile our place of worship?”
“Defile? Nope, nothing like that. We just finished checking the place for those pesky furballs. Nothin to worry bout now. Laid out some deterrents which should keep the area clear of those damned varmints should any try to infest the conduits and air ducts round here. Damned annoying pests.”
“Those who have tainted this holy place must provide penance for their sins”, one of the robed monks shouted.
“Well we’ll just be on our way. Sorry for the disturbance but your average tribble can be a costly problem not to mention dangerous near machinery. Do you have any idea what those things can do to a type 29 RXN Air Conversion Module. One tribble and foom thing goes up like a warp core breech. Now I’m sure…”
“SILENCE! You cannot leave this place until you have paid the penalty for your transgressions.”
“Paid? Penalty? Look, we’ll gladly return to duty and…”
A pistol produced by the guard prevented any further protest from either Ramius or Akina. It seemed Akina, despite his fast talk and slick moves, was unable to sway the devout before him. Ramius silently cursed under his breath. With the weapon pointed at them he couldn’t get to his own phaser in his jacket pocket. Any sudden movements would likely result in a poor outcome. Despite his unique abilities he was unsure if he could move fast enough. No the risks were just too great. He could only wait for an opportunity to present itself. He only hoped both of them were still in one piece when it came.
“Hold them until Father Dakota determines their punishment and fate.”
Doors slammed open in the hall as Ramius and Akina turned their heads at the sudden commotion. Ramius almost took the momentary distraction to attack, but held off. It was still a gamble getting to the guard quickly enough to avoid one or both of them from being seriously or mortally wounded.
As the pair looked in the direction of the sudden noise a tall, slender man clad in a long black jacket pushed his way through the heavy wooden doors as he approached. Clad in all black attire and military style boots the man was far from the postcard version of a holy man. His eyes and dark, jet black hair matched his clothing. Only a tiny strip of white at his collar was visible which was the only thing that appeared to denote him as a man of the cloth. Ramius was intrigued despite their situation. This man looked more like a character from the ancient old west than a preacher.
“What is going on here brothers”, he shouted his voice echoing off the walls with an imposing tone.
“Father. These men were found in the sanctuary. No doubt they have offended the progenitors and tainted this holy place of worship. They must be punished for their actions.”
The man stopped before the group and turned his dark eyes scanning Akina and Ramius. Tav looked back at the man and his intense dark eyes. There was something within them that was reassuring despite their fierce intensity.
“What business do you have here”, the man firmly asked.
“Maintenance. Ran a few checks for tribbles in the ventilation system. Had a few of the critters get lose in this section. We didn’t mean any harm and are sorry for the trouble.”
“If your work here is complete then go.”
“Father! We cannot..”
The man swiftly cut the monk off. “These men have done nothing wrong and know nothing of our ways. Save your condemnation for the wicked and impure. Maintenance must be performed on occasion and these men have the gifts to perform such tasks. Unless you also possess these skills then be silent less I deem the three of you unworthy!”
“Forgive us father”, the three men said in unison.
Akina and Ramius simply looked at each other in shock as the guard and monks bowed. Ramius was further intrigued when the father quickly motioned with his eyes and head for Ramius and Akina to make their exit. There was something about the man which didn’t fit, but Ramius had no time to contemplate such matters. Without arguing the pair quickly left the facility and emerged back into the safety of the open courtyard free of the cult’s armed guards.
“What just happened”, Akina stated as the two headed for a lift.
“I think we were just saved”, Ramius answered still pondering the recent events.
“Saved? As in…spiritually?”
“No! Saved as in let go. Geesh. There was something about that preacher. I can’t put my finger on it, but this cult gets more bizarre by the second.”
“Oddly dressed for someone devout, but I’m not complaining. I’m just glad to be out of that place.”
Ramius had more questions about the cult now than he did going in. What was the cult up to? Who was this mysterious leader? Why had the preacher let them go so easily and who was he? Too many questions demanded answers.
“Let’s get back to the Corsair. We have some homework to do. I also want to activate your toy and see what we can observe.”
[ To Be Continued… ]
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Captain Taverain Ramius
Commanding Officer, USS Corsair
Captain Zane Akina
Starfleet Intelligence
Father Frederick Dakota
???
