[IRW D'era (Endless Sky)]
Desert landscape, jagged rocks, and a bright burning sun made up the dusty brown globe rotating at the center of the room. Itsak's eyes glimmered as he stared at the planet. He reached out and slid his fingers through the holographic projection causing it to fizzle at his touch. "Thhaei" He murmured the Rihannsu name of this harsh place- a hot and desolate place inhabited by a heartless people. He closed his eyes and remembered vividly.
"Why are you leaving? What about Itsak?!" He could still remember his mother, on her knees, begging and pleading. "I have given up everything to be with you Somok! My honor, my status, my family! How can you just leave? Do you feel nothing?!"
His father just stared at her- a cold emotionless veneer. "I have come to the conclusion that our relationship is not tenable. It is for the best that I leave." He turned away- she grabbed his shirt and he jerked away pushing her off. Without even looking at them he left…simply left.
"Are you certain?"
Itsak shivered slightly as he twisted around to look at Hanaj who was standing directly behind him. Hanaj's thin frame slowly strolled across the room and right through the projection. It twisted awkwardly to accommodate his passing form before returning to its spherical shape. "Is this truly what you want Itsak? I have known you since the war college- I knew you held hate in your heart for your father, but, do you truly wish to eradicate an entire race?"
"I want to bring them sadness. Terrible, terrible, sadness."
"Then we have a problem." Hanaj said "apparently the Vulcans were able to cause more damage then we initially believed. The primary control console for the wormhole system has been severely damaged. Our engineers say it will take time to repair it."
"What?" Itsak gritted his teeth in rage, after a moment to process what Hanaj had said he continued "how long did they say it would take them?"
"A month at the earliest- but that is unlikely. They believe it will take them at least two months to rebuild the panel but without the Vulcan engineers it will be impossible to know for sure if they will be able to fully render the panel operable again." Hanaj spoke his next sentence cautiously "we should not have allowed those Vulcans to leave on Charon. There is also a second problem…" He barely finished his sentence when the door burst open again.
"Why are we still on course for I'Rak Prime?" The Political Officer stormed in, her obsidian uniform obscuring most of her form in the darkness, but the dusty brown light from the projection illuminated her irritated expression. Her eyes immediately focused on the diagram rotating at the center of the room "Vulcan?" She uttered curiously but her attention quickly turned to Itsak "you have been given the coordinates to where the Vulcan ship should be delivered. Why have we yet to alter our course?"
"The second problem." Hanaj said.
"Second problem?" She asked glaring at Itsak.
"Indeed." Itsak turned to her and bowed his head "forgive me- it seems we have a problem. I don't intend to give the agency this weapon." He turned to the projection and pointed at the dusty planet "I am going to kill every being on that planet." Itsak smirked "you of all people should understand the benefits of this. Be rid of them once and for all- and without them Federation will be crippled beyond repair. With the Klingon's still in economic disrepair we can become the dominant power in the Galaxy."
"I understand now. This is why you kept a sample of the Memento Mori?" She scoffed and shook her head "I cannot allow you to waste such technology over a trivial pursuit. Change course immediately."
Itsak's eye's narrowed as his brows creased. Without warning he unsheathed his honor blade and impaled the Political Officer through her abdomen. Her eyes grew and quivered as she stumbled backwards pushing the Vaek'Riov away from her. He pulled the blade out and readied for a finishing blow but she pressed her thumb to her neck and dematerialized. Hanaj was soon at his side cursing "we won't have much time now."
"Disable all communication relays in this entire region and tell the other commanders to rid of their political officers." Itsak glowered at his second "we do not have time to waste. We need the Charon."
"Shall I have us change course?" Hanaj asked.
"No- I will take another ship. We cannot waste time. D'era must get the Temep'Shar to I'Rak prime as soon as possible. We must offload the technology and have our scientists prep the new samples of the Memento Mori. We will soon need it."
Hanaj nodded, bowed his head slightly, and then looked up curiously "what if Shiarrael refuses?"
"I will kill her precious crew."
[USS Charon]
Shiarrael felt a cold intense pain shoot through the base of her neck. Rubbing it gently she looked out her ready room window at the passing star field. It has been a long year- but it is almost over, she thought absently and went back to her work.
[End]
