Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Tue, 10 Feb 2004 19:28:38 -0800 In: alt.startrek.creative From: Christina fmlyhntr@sunset.net Title: Planetfall Author: Julie Evans Contact:season7_5@yahoo.com Series: VS7.5 story 39 Codes: others Rating: PG Part: 7/9 Date Posted: 2/9/04 ^*^*^*^*^ "You are telling me you vaccinated the *canines*, yet neglected to consider our well-being? You give us, your *allies*, less thought than those odious animals?" Captain Merves marveled at how Subcommander Leral's voice could be so frigid while her lips were pulled back in a snarl. "That's not exactly how it was," he said. "As you recall, you didn't inform us of your intention to visit New Earth until we arrived here. We didn't expect you would be exposed, so we had no reason to vaccinate you." That was stretching the truth a bit, considering the directive from Starfleet had ordered vaccinations for the Romulans. T'Pren's arched eyebrow conveyed her disapproval of his prevarication, despite the logic of his words. "And it didn't occur to you until now, *three* days after we came to this planet, that we would be exposed?" Leral said, showing no signs of thawing. That Merves couldn't excuse. "No it didn't, and for that I do apologize. But we're here now to rectify that oversight. Doctor?" "My scanner has verified that you have contacted the virus, Subcommander." Doctor T'Pren held up a hypospray. "This antidote will render the virus inactive in your body." "Since we still haven't located Centurion Tornak--ah, Commander?" Merves looked expectantly at Ayala as he approached. "Glera hasn't seen him either. I checked the runabout, in case he stepped in there unnoticed." Ayala held up a small object. "I did find his combadge." Which was why Tornak hadn't answered Ayala's hails. Better than him refusing to answer, Merves supposed. "Subcommander, why would the centurion remove his combadge?" Leral frowned. "I don't know. Maybe he changed his clothes. Earlier this morning he said he was feeling too warm. He did look flushed..." Leral's eyes widened, and she turned to T'Pren. "I thought you said the virus was only dangerous if we *left* the planet!" T'Pren ignored Leral's accusatory tone. "That was true for the two humans from the original Voyager. Romulan physiology may react differently--" she glanced at her medical scanner "--though you show no outward symptoms." She turned to Captain Merves. "I cannot verify that is the case for Tornak until I can examine him." "When were you and Tornak first bitten?" Merves asked Leral. "He was bitten the first day. I was not bitten until yesterday." "Yet you didn't request the repellent until this morning?" Merves asked. "I did not feel it was necessary! We do not wilt at minor discomfort as you humans do, and it was only today that he began to act strangely." Terrific. Tornak might really be ill. How ill, Merves didn't want to think. He looked at T'Pren. "The antidote will still cure him?" "I believe so," T'Pren said. "However I suggest we locate Tornak quickly." "The colony's scanning system is only semi-functional, Captain," Ayala said. "It is still subject to random interference." Merves nodded grimly and tapped his combadge. "Merves to Pioneer." ^*^*^*^*^ Jim Morrow swallowed the last of the water in his canteen as he walked back toward the common--or what would be the common once the buildings were in place and the landscaping completed. The infirmary building, the first to be raised, would be finished this afternoon. It wasn't a complicated job thanks to the wonders of prefab hardwood and duraplast, but it was a lot of physical work. His job on Hellstone had been hard work also--backbreaking, in fact--but his only motivation there had been to make enough money to pay for a bed each night, and to buy the bourbon that let him eventually fall asleep in it. Or, more correctly, pass out in it, if he didn't land on the floor first. Jim clipped his canteen to his belt, and stretched his back, feeling the dull ache of muscles he hadn't used much during the four months on Pioneer. It was an oddly pleasant sort of ache, the affirmation of meaningful work. He supposed that was the difference. Even if his contribution was only manual labor, he was building something of significance to him, and to his future. He wished now that he had attended more of the planning meetings. He didn't have an architect's sense of space and structure like Angelo did, or his skill at carpentry. But he could learn pretty much anything, if he had the interest. That was the catch, the thing that had eluded him since he'd been discharged from Starfleet. Real interest in anything, except himself. Angelo, Noah, even Marla--they had all moved on, and he hadn't. Especially not emotionally. He'd been thinking about that, staring at the river flowing sluggishly by while he ate his replicated cheeseburger. "Keep going!" The sharp words drew Jim's attention to a grouping of several shelters, where Melia Gent and her family had settled. She had some sort of Betazoid government background, which perhaps explained her willingness to take on the position of colony jurisdictional liaison, and to locate her residence right next door to the embassy. Few others wanted to be within shouting range of Ambassador Diaza-- Jim stopped. The figure moving past the furthest shelter wasn't Melia, or anyone in her family. It was Tornak, the Romulan centurion, probably on his way back to the embassy grounds. But he was walking oddly, like he was off-balance. And he wasn't alone. A slighter figure was on the other side of him, so close Tornak clearly had an arm around the person's--the boy's shoulders. Jim could tell it was a boy from the slender, not quite filled-out build. As Tornak moved he caught a glance of the boy's face-- What the hell? Why was Luis with Tornak? Jim started to shout, but his mouth fell open instead as he realized that Tornak didn't have his arm around Luis's shoulders; he had his beefy hand clamped around the back of the boy's neck in a chokehold! "Excuse me..." The second voice came from the front of one of the shelters, and Tornak twisted abruptly, almost jerking Luis off his feet. Though Jim was also in his line of view, he snarled at the Betazoid male, who was closer. "Back away!" Tornak had no weapon--none were allowed among the colonists, excluding the security team--but his enraged voice was enough to startle the Betazoid, who backed up, eyes wide with alarm. Tornak immediately prodded Luis on, obviously not worried that there were witnesses to his abduction of the boy. Jim had gotten a good glimpse of Tornak's expression before he dragged Luis forward, and he had an idea why. The Romulan's eyes had burned with unnatural intensity. Illness, or a drug-induced madness--whatever it was, Tornak wasn't rational. That realization pulled Jim out of his stunned state. Though it had been mere seconds, he silently cursed his slow response. "Notify security!" he shouted to Melia's brother as he sprinted after Tornak. ^*^*^*^*^ //We are now tracking the other Romulan lifesign. He is about sixty meters from your position, bearing twelve degrees southeast, headed straight for you.// Ayala turned immediately in that direction, his hand resting on his phaser. The Romulan runabout was in his direct line of sight, some forty-five meters away. //Tornak's vital signs are outside the normal range for Romulans. Blood pressure is below normal, and temperature is several degrees higher than normal--// Ayala listened to the first officer's report absently as he took several steps forward. He expected Tornak would be coming from behind the runabout any second-- //Captain, there is also a human lifesign in close proximity to the Romulan lifesign. That person is in physical contact with Tornak--// Ayala hand tightened on his phaser. He didn't know who might be with Tornak, but he had to expect any possibility. That person might be helping the ill Romulan return to the embassy, or might be an unwilling companion-- Tornak stumbled from behind the runabout, pushing a smaller figure next to him. They both looked up-- Luis! Ayala pulled out his phaser as Captain Merves shouted, "Centurion Tornak! We know you're feeling ill. We have a cure that will--" "Stay away from me!" Ayala was already running toward the runabout, phaser in hand, but Tornak jumped back behind the small craft before he could focus his aim. He heard the sound of hydraulics and knew Tornak was opening the aft hatch. He wasn't about to let Tornak take Luis into the runabout! "Tornak, I order you to stop immediately!" If Tornak heard Leral's command he didn't respond. Ayala came abreast of the shuttle's bow just in time to see someone else run toward the back of the runabout. He heard a grunt and a responding shout, and came within view as Jim Morrow receive a hard kick to the chin from Tornak's booted foot. Jim fell to the ground and Ayala fired a shot toward the aft hatch as Tornak disappeared inside. Ayala fired again while Jim struggled to his feet and slapped his hands on the aft control panel, frantically punching codes. The hatch door stopped, leaving a mere two or so centimeters of open space. Ayala aimed the phaser and shot low into that space. A second later the door moved again, and the space disappeared as the hatch closed completely. However ill he was, Tornak had overridden the manual hatch controls with alacrity. And he had forced Luis into the runabout with him. Ayala dropped his hand, his now useless phaser pointing toward the ground. He'd seen his son's face when Merves shouted to Tornak. Luis had looked dazed, his gaze more vacant than terrified. Ayala had brought his son here to get him away from his memories of Gorshet III, and of the horrors no child should ever experience. He'd promised Luis a safe haven here, promised to protect him, and now-- "We'll get him out, Michael." Ayala looked blankly at Jim, whose chin was bloody from the impact of Tornak's boot. Jim swiped ineffectually at his face, and wiped his hand on his shirt. Then he dropped to his hands and knees and crawled under the runabout, leaving Ayala staring after him in bewilderment. "I don't want Tornak getting that thing off the ground," Merves shouted to Harriman and three security officers who had just beamed down, and were taking up positions surrounding the runabout. The captain's voice was like a splash of cold water in Ayala's face. He realized he'd completely lost focus on his job, terrified for his son even if his son wasn't terrified for himself. "Morrow!" Ayala barked, crouching down. Jim had already shimmied out of sight, no doubt headed for storage section access panel. Romulan runabouts were similar to the Federation version--copied from them in fact. The chances of Jim opening that panel without Tornak noticing, and likely blasting Jim out of existence if the Romulan's sanity was as tenuous as it seemed, was virtually nil. A hand fell on Ayala's shoulder, and he turned to face Merves. "Jim Morrow is trying to open the storage section panel." "A rash move, but Mister Morrow has always struck me as a man given to impulsive acts. We'll cover him as well as we can, but our first priority is Luis." The implacable look in Merves's eyes assured Ayala of that priority. "Commander Rees?" //We're recalibrating Pioneer's transporters, sir. Give us about one minute.// "No more," Merves responded sharply. Transporters on colony ships like Pioneer didn't automatically recalibrate from open to closed space, or from signal to biosign detection, but a minute seemed hideously long to Ayala. And the low priority of a transporter station for the colony now seemed like a serious mistake in judgment. //A second security team is assembled in the crew transporter room.// Merves and Ayala remained tensely silent while the remaining seconds ticked by. ^*^*^*^*^ Tornak shoved Luis roughly into the copilot's chair, then took the pilot's seat. Luis remained immobile, only dimly aware of what was happening. His neck hurt where Tornak had squeezed him so tightly. He reached up instinctively to rub the area, his action slow, as if he was moving in a deep fog. //Centurion Tornak, this is Subcommander Leral. Open the runabout main door immediately!// "Never did like her," Tornak snarled. He pressed several controls, then reached under the console and produced a phaser. "Now she wants to help them destroy me! Like you do!" Luis flinched at Tornak's menacing growl, and the feral look in his eyes. The fog dissipated and cold terror washed through him. It was just like always. The Cardassian leader would appear soon, his yellow eyes gleaming coldly in the dim light, and someone would suffer. A beating, a rape, or an electrical shock from one of the stun sticks-- The taste of bile rose in his throat, choking him. He needed to hide, to make himself as small as possible so he wouldn't be noticed. His eyes scanned the shuttle frantically, even while he shrank further into his seat. He had to get away before those cold, dry hands grabbed him, before he felt the searing jolt shoot through his limbs, the horrible jerk of his body as it spasmed, and he voided himself while the Cardassians stood over him and laughed-- *No*! Luis shut his eyes, and clenched his hands so tight his nails broke the skin on his palms. *No. No, no*, he chanted silently. *Forget about that*! This wasn't Gorshet III. He wasn't helpless, and he wasn't alone. He'd seen Jim trying to grab Tornak's leg. And the phaser beam that had cut through the hatch opening, barely missing Tornak's head. That had been his father! Luis was certain he'd spotted his father just before Tornak had forced him back behind the runabout. And Captain Merves. They were out there now, with Jim. And Kajee, Angelo, Celes--everyone in the colony--they would help him. They wouldn't turn away and pretend not to see. //Commander Leral to Subcommander Tornak. I suggest you answer me if you don't want to spend the rest of your career cleaning out warp manifolds with a nail file!// Tornak shut off the comm with his fist, and sparks flew. He squinted and shook his head, as if trying to clear his vision. Rivulets of sweat ran down his face as he tried to focus on the controls in front of him. Keeping a furtive eye on Tornak, Luis unclenched his hands slowly, barely noticing the sting of his palms. A strange sort of calm swept over him. *He wasn't alone, and he wasn't helpless*. And he wasn't afraid. Despite the situation he felt a rush of exhilaration. *He wasn't afraid*. And he wasn't going to be afraid like that. Not ever again. ^*^*^*^*^ //No lock, Captain. Tornak engaged the hull shielding before we could get him.// "Open that runabout door immediately, Tornak, or I'll have you gutted and your entrails fed to the canines!" Subcommander Leral's idle threats--at least Merves assumed they were idle--were clearly having no effect on Tornak. He turned to Ayala and Harriman. "Aim for the engines and take out those shields." Ayala's quick nod and hand signal to the rest of the security team assured Merves he was fully in control, despite the fear for his son he couldn't quite hide. "You are not going to damage that runabout!" "We're going to do whatever it takes to get Luis Ayala out of there," Merves told Leral. "The Romulan Empire will not take responsibility for this incident. It is Starfleet who neglected to protect us, and who allowed Centurion Tornak to become infected by the virus. It is the Federation who will be held accountable for his insane behavior, as well as the life of that boy." Merves was glad Ayala was too busy giving orders to his team to hear Leral. "That *boy* will be fine. And so will you, as long as you stay out of my way." His unveiled threat startled Leral, and Merves took the opportunity to walk away. He heard Leral sputter, but figured Administrator Glera could deal with the Romulan subcommander for awhile. He focused his attention on the security teams efforts. Their phaser beams bounced off the hull shielding, showering flashes of light across the boundary of the force field. Eventually they would break through, and Commander Rees would beam Tornak aboard Pioneer. Unless Jim Morrow got in first, and either resolved the situation or, quite possibly, made it worse. TBC -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Sat Feb 14 00:52:20 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n3.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.86]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aRSDr5633NZFkl0 for ; Fri, 13 Feb 2004 21:46:37 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13186-1076737596-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.