U.S.S. Corsair - NX-011979
Nebula II Prototype
“Sic Parvis Magna”
(Greatness From Small Beginnings)
“Progeny of the Progenitors – Part Nine”
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### Captain’s Ready Room – USS Corsair ###
“There is no need for that weapon captain”, Father Dakota stated seeming unaffected by being held at gun point.
“That has yet to be determined”, Ramius quickly replied. “Unless you tell us who you really are and what your connection is within the Aditus organization I will have no choice but to arrest you and turn you over to station authorities for assault and possession of illegal weaponry. If you resist I will add attempted murder to those charges.”
Dakota smiled at the captain much to Akina’s surprise. Was the man not frightened by Ramius’s threats?
“Tell me something first captain Ramius. Why involve yourself in these matters? A starship captain has other more pressing duties than to worry about local crimes. What warrants your involvement and tenacity?”
“Crime Mr. Dakota, no Evil, has no schedules, no orders, no places to be or duties to perform– it is eternal and must be fought when encountered not when it is convenient. Evil, crime, abuse – only grows if unchecked. Like a weed it flourishes in the harshest conditions and if not pruned will consume a garden in time choking out the roses, grass, and indeed its very life. At that point it ceases to be a garden and instead becomes a treacherous thicket filled with brambles and thorns ensnaring the innocent and pure and enabling misery, hardship, and all manner of darkness.”
“A poetic and noble response. Quite unusual for a Starfleet captain. You are quite different from your peers Captain Ramius. However I too have made several observations.
First, your tenacity in following this matter excludes you from a typical fleet captain. Such would not bother with local concerns unless ordered. Seeing how this ship is undergoing extensive repairs I surmise you have the time to investigate, but that you have also been asked by station personnel. If they have indeed asked for your help then you must belong to Fleet intelligence as no doubt your resources would be of great use to the local authorities. Second, you are not an officer by choice. You hold the rank of captain, but you wear it with disdain. That implies you were given or forced into your position against your will. I might have said former security, but your actions are not consistent with that initial assessment. Your weight and size are of interest and you seem quite willing to take risks following me alone and without backup. Hmm. I would have to say you fit the mold of a former…fighter pilot and one quite versed in risk taking and snap decision making. You appear to be headstrong and given Captain Akina’s objections to your actions I believe I am correct in my assessment.”
Ramius nodded slightly. “Impressive. One might say you are blessed with certain gifts of observation, however you have yet to answer my questions. You have my complete attention Mr. Dakota if you would please continue.”
“Very well captain. If you insist. I have nothing to hide. My name is Frederick Dakota. I served in the first Dominion War as a marine. I was a Major and my company was nearly destroyed during the campaign. Some of us were captured during one particular mission where I saw my fair share of cruelty, death, and hatred. A few of us managed to escape from our Dominion captors after a hellish nine months. We found no glory after our return only boards of inquiry, interrogations, and were witness to the end of the conflict. Upon the war’s conclusion we were told we were no longer needed. The grand armies assembled to fight the enemy were dismantled and my men and I were discharged along with thousands of others with only a meager thank you and deep scars from our service and experiences.
I turned to religion to help cope with my deeds and transgressions in that war. I felt I might be able to atone in some small way for what I had done and ordered other to do. That seemed to be enough for a time until a local syndicate gang murdered several of my parishioners and other colonists where I was attempting to rebuild and heal a colony devastated by the war. The event was just as it had been in the war. Nothing had changed. Jem’Haddar were exchanged for gangs, pirates, and syndicate leeches who preyed upon the colony like parasites. Starfleet sent no armies to combat the threat as civilians paid in blood. No men, no garrison, no aid – nothing. Finally, after a family was cut down by a local gang for failing to pay their monthly protection money I knew I had to take matters into my own hands to use my former skills to combat a new threat in a silent war.
Two months later the colony was a far safer place. The misery there began to fade and those who insisted on living by the sword…died by it one way or another.”
“You mean to say that…”
“Please continue”, Ramius said cutting Captain Akina off in mid-sentence with a stern glance.
“I had found my calling captain just as you have found yours. I go where I am needed. I forgive those who seek absolution for their misdeeds, council those whose spirits are thirsty, and help those who cannot help themselves. The wicked who refuse to repent and turn away from the darkness and those who insist on tormenting the living bringing nothing but misery and death meet with the cold hand of justice. No matter how black the darkness the hearts of the wicked cannot escape the light and truth of the Almighty.
My travels eventually brought me to this station some months ago. It was here I became aware of a sinister presence that infected a misguided, but harmless group of people. I saw dark tendrils take root and bear toxic fruit which even as we speak is slowly poisoning the people of the station. Some have died and I fear more will follow if nothing is done.
I managed to join the group early on as a devoted follower and claimed to be several things to gain trust and standing as evil penetrated the group. I am part of a seven man council which is responsible for this chapter though I have little real influence and am not especially liked. I do what I can to protect the innocent, stall plans, and obstruct the group but I can only do so much. I want nothing more than to see this group freed from the dark sickness that has infected its members, but I fear I have neither the strength nor the power to single-handedly eradicate the source. This evil is far more powerful than I imagined and runs deep.
The local council members are just brainwashed pawns. Someone or something vile is manipulating people and events from the shadows. I do not know their purpose, but I fear a great calamity may occur if indeed they are allowed to continue. I can provide you with what details I know, but be warned Captain. This Icarin real or fictitious is a dangerous man. He is well connected, seemingly impossible to trace or track, and appears to have nearly unlimited resources in men, capital, and equipment. If you chose to pursue him I can offer only blessings and prayers for your safety and success.”
“Sound familiar Akina”, Ramius said with a grin.
“You just can’t say no can you? Out of the frying pan and into the fire I believe is the old saying! Why do I get the impression I’m going to get burned, again, and very soon!”
“Calm yourself captain. We need to find out more about this Icarin character. Once we know where to find the snake’s head we can work on a way to sever it.”
“So you’re just believing him and his story?”
Ramius nodded returning the phaser to the cabinet and again taking a seat. “Yes”, he replied coolly. “I can spot a liar from a parsec away and this man’s eyes hold no deception. However, father, you will not mind if we do indeed verify your story.”
“Not at all. I will gladly provide you with my old service number if you indeed wish to check my records.”
“Ramius! This man is a vigilante! He acts as judge, jury, and executioner and you’re just going to trust him just like that? We are going to arrest him and hold him for questioning?”
“No.”
“NO!?”
“The father must live with his conscious and his past. I’m not here to judge him or his actions. What he had done he alone must atone for. Right now we have this mystery man to investigate. The father here is willing to help us, plus he can work the inside. I doubt either one of us can show our faces in there again.
Father, if you can smuggle us one of Lord Icarin’s sermons we can run the hologram and its program through our computers and see if we can learn anything. Perhaps we can match a face or find some other vital clue. Akina, I want you to contact your sources and run this Icarin past them. Pull some strings, shake some trees – something has to fall out on who this person is.”
Ramius stood. “Father, you have my appreciation for your help.”
“I am only too happy to help if it aids in ridding the station of this man’s murderous and vile influence.”
“We will see justice served”, Ramius said confidently. “That I will assure you.”
“Akina, show our guest to the transporter room.”
Akina muttered something before motioning toward Dakota to follow. He was unhappy with Ramius’s decisions, but decided now was not the time or place for a disagreement. With the Corsair in drydock their mission to stop NeoDyne was at a standstill. Stopping a local crime boss might prove to be a reasonable distraction while they waited on repairs.
Ramius watched the two leave before he turned toward his window.
There was something about this affair which bothered him. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Perhaps it was just a feeling.
Discovering the identity of this so-called holy man was their first priority. Once they knew who they were up against they could fill in the blank of where to look for him and eventually the how of stopping him and his plans.
[ To Be Continued… ]
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Captain Taverain Ramius
CO, USS Corsair
Captain Zane Akina
Starfleet Intelligence
Father Frederick Dakota
