The Founder, the war and an ‘eagle - Subterranean Pt 2

Posted on Fri May 26th, 2023 @ 6:47pm by Commodore Finchley Kerr & Lieutenant Commander Kevin Kilbane & Commander Shr'Nesh Karadis

4,577 words; about a 23 minute read

Mission: Investigate the Chintoka Shipyard Buildup
Location: Planet Runamen
Timeline: Current.

"I'll have the satisfaction of taking you with me" Karadis replied satisfactorily "Besides, my place in Sto'Vo'Kor is already assured, you'll just be dead."

How can your friend be here on this god forsaken rock Karadis, Finchley, Kilbane? Think about it, this is a trick.” Dex countered backing away slowly. Then the darkness around them swallowed her and she vanished into the darkness.

Kell should've known something was about to happen when there were pockets of darkness in the otherwise brightly-lit corridor. She kept her scans going, knowing where Shon was, but also examining the Captain. She'd known him long enough that he wasn't prone to fits of fancy. . . now this Kelly on the other hand. . . She stayed in the background, trailing along quietly.

Karadis went to after Shon, but Finchley stopped her "Leave her Karadis, something's obviously affected her observational skills. How can she not see Kelly there!"

The Vorta smiled, her plan was working perfectly. Assuming the character that they presumed was their former colleague Kelly, she moved forward and began leading Finchley, Karadis and Kilbane down the corridor.

As she walked she said "To answer your question...Sir, I was captured in the mine and taken prisoner and interred on a Dominion prisoner ship. I was brought here and have been here ever since. How long has it been since that incident now, I've lost track of all time?"

"Well, let's see, it must be what...five years since, wouldn't you say so Kilbane?"

"Yes, it must be about that now" Kilbane replied "I must admit, you look fit and well for having been a prisoner for that long."

"They've treated me well, the Dominion aren't the monsters everyone's been led to believe" the Vorta answered, smiling to herself, this was easier than she thought it was going to be.

Reaching a set of double doors. she pressed the pad and they opened up. Standing to one side, she offered to let the three of them enter first "I'll tell you all about it over a drink, in here."

Finchley, Karadis and Kilbane all entered into the room beyond and looked around. The room was large, with banks of computers, what looked like a small medical area with a couple of biobeds and science stations that were well equipped.

"This is very ni..." Finchley began to say turning to face who he thought was Kelly, but now saw as the Vorta herself.

"What the hell..." he said, reaching for his phaser. He was to late, the Vorta already had her phaser drawn and fired, stunning all three of them. Watching as they all fell to the floor, she smiled to herself, she now had three new 'subjects' to work on. The other two would be found and dealt with in time, right now, she had some work to do.

[Distant corridor]

Shon found herself alone wandering down a long dark corridor with shut up rooms on either side. The dust was long standing so she figured this part of the base was long defunct. She waited a few minutes in case Kell joined her. She did not know what, if anything the doctor had seen. The nanites however knew that was not the crews old friend. She asked the nanites now to help her. They had come to an impass. The nanites promised her that they would allow time for her shipmates to escape before the nanite bomb exploded, that was the best they could do. They had melded with Shon in the most intimate of ways and an understanding of the nature of a soul had entered their software. They did not want her to die now Shon could feel that, but their hatred of the Founder was so strong this was the only action they could take. Whilst in Shon’s brain they had lived her life through her memories. No longer did they feel alienated, lonely, but part of a whole, a Vulcan, Risan whole. *help me find them* she asked them and they obliged turning her back towards the parting.

Returning to where they had seen Kelly there was no one to be seen so she turned towards the labs phaser drawn preparing to stun, if she had to Kerr, Kilbane, Karadis and Asaa if she was there. That would give her time to think. However she was beginning to get an idea from the nanites just how duplicitous the Vorta and the Founder where and how they would stop at nothing.

[Outside the lab]

Kell was a little upset she hadn't caught the subterfuge before the phaser fired and the doors closed. She watched the dual display, confirming the others were just stunned and alive, plus Shon was finally making her way back.

Kell was half-crouched near the lab door when she know Shon should be able to see her. She reached a hand out without looking behind her, waving at Shon to stay against the wall and move slowly. She then indicated three inside the lab, and a "V" inside as well.

Shon was thankful to see Kell unharmed and not captive. She nodded a thanks to the silent information and moved slowly along the wall to the door of the lab u til the were either side of the door. Shon pointed to her weapon in order to ask Kell to draw hers also at the same time hoping it was on stun in case they had to stun the crew also.

Kell looked down and then rolled her eyes, as if just realizing she was armed as well. She plucked it from her waist and checked the setting, then focused forward.

She indicated for Kell to stay down as she opened the door and counted down from three on the fingers of one hand. Shon slowly pushed the door open.

Shon was shocked to see Kerr, Kilbane and Karadis seemingly unconscious or dead strapped to upright gurneys. Shon motioned the Kell to check them out as she moved forward towards the next room. Her nanites became excited telling Shon there was someone in the next room. She pressed the handle slowly and launched into the room. A Vorta female turned and reached for something. “Don’t even think about it," Shon said coldly and downed the Vorta with two stun blasts.

“Kell, it’s the Vorta, she’s down, I had to stun her. How is everyone?”

Kell examined each, in command order... She called out to the other room. "Finchley is suffering from a recto-cranial inversion... but otherwise appears like he was stunned." She flipped open the strap buckles as she went, switching to the other two for a quick assessment.

As Kell prepared a stimulant to get the boys back up, she noticed the split-screen display she'd had up from before showing flickering indicators on Vorta Kelly. "Your guest in there is waking up commander!"

“Thank you Doctor, I can see that. I’m looking for something to tie her up with!” Shon said smiling. Shon was unwilling to stun her again so she kicked her hard in the head. The Vorta went down and the nanites cheered inside Shon’s head. Despite herself Shon laughed. Looking around she found what looked like old data tape and she quickly hogtied the Vorta and dragged her through to the room where they all were. “I wonder if they discovered the deception?” Shon asked.

"It's hard to get one over on Kerr, so whatever it was was either very insightful or a very lucky hit on the Vorta's part. I downloaded some info on them before we departed but haven't had a chance to delve too deep into it yet." Kell finished the last stim and cast a glance around the lab, cataloguing in her mind.

Something was nibbling at the edge of her thoughts though... "Hey Shon... she can't be here all alone eh? The trio was secured and she was in that other room. If she wasn't coming after you and I, who was?" Kell stepped back over beside the door, suddenly paranoid...

Finchley stirred, and tried to move, but his body was feeling odd, heavy, his head was migraine splitting sore and he was unable to speak. His right arm was now moving of it's own free will, making circular movements then pointing straight up. He tried saying something but all that came out were slurred sounds, he was in real trouble. Total panic went through him, and he wanted to get out of the room, be anywhere but there. Leaning forward, he tried moving his legs to walk, got one step then fell straight forward, face planting onto the floor, his head bouncing back up, then down again and finally resting on it's side. The height of the fall, the blunt force of the head knock sent him into shock and all went black.

Karadis and Kilbane, not overly affected by being stunned, watched in horror as Finchley fell face first onto he floor.

"BIRD!!!!!" Karadis shouted as she reached for him and turned him over. He could only blink at her and watch as her lips moved but he heard no sounds.

"Do something!" Karadis yelled at Kell.

Kell pointed her phaser at Finchley for a second as their eyes started to widen, then pointed it at the ceiling. Hands open she said, "Just kidding... one of you over here."

Kell moved to where the Captain was lying. She moved her probe over his abdomen, along his neck, over his face. "Give him a minute." She said as she analyzed, muttering to herself.."nervous system check... lung functions good... neurons a little jumbled..." She started touching appendages and watching his reaction.

"Hey Shon, was the Captain stunned any time when you were over in the shipyards?" She wondered if this was a reaction from the stun shock, or something else the Vorta did while she was strapping them up. She started searching his body over for any other marks.

“He didn’t say anything about it, but he was out of our sight for a while. However he was in the lab with us when we were infected by the nanites.” Shon kept her eye on the Vorta who was still out cold,

Karadis looked in disbelief at Kell as she pointed her phaser at Finchley, then at the ceiling saying she was 'only kidding'.

"Is that meant to be some kind of fucking sick joke, pointing your phaser at him, he's ill!!!!!!!!!!" she shouted.

"Diagnosis is my job, and you don't know what's wrong with him" Kell replied.

Turning to Shon she said "Get her out of here before I shoot her myself!"

"And if Karadis doesn't...I will!" Kilbane said, standing beside Karadis. He to couldn't believe what the Doctor had just done.

“Look let’s all calm down, the doctor is the only one who knows what she is doing, we may have to get the Captain out of here and take the Vorta with us. Karadis, go out into the corridor and check the other labs to make sure there is no one else here. Kilbane keep watch on the Vorta.”

"Gesh...her...a..way...frim...meeee..." Finchey said, flicking his eyes at Kell "Kara...dish...gesh...me...on...my...feesh"

"Aye CAPTAIN!" Karadis replied, bending down and helping Finchley up into a standing position.

Finchley's sight cleared, but his head was still sore "We..have...a...jobsh...to...do...gesh...ish...done...Commander...thash...an...order!"

"See, he just needed some incentive." Kell moved back towards the wall, expecting something else to happen. "If we were in the sickbay, we'd give him a low-level shock, similar to the stun setting on a phaser, only more controlled in frequency, but he'd be out longer as his nervous system sync'd back up, like a reset. If it's just shock, his body will recover in a minute like I said. If not I can give him a sedative, but he won't like that. Like he said, we have a job to do and little time to get it done."

Kell's stress-face turned a bit sadder. "And if it comes down to it, while the Captain is compromised, and the XO possibly is too at time, you, Karadis, are next in line for command yes?"

"No" Karadis replied "Unless it escaped you, the Captain said this is a Black Ops mission, Starfleet and Federation rules and laws don't apply here. Until Kerr is dead, regardless of how he is, HE is still in charge, even if he's as loopy as a box of frogs. The it passes to Dex, even if she's not at her best...then if she dies, it's me...though technically, if we were on the Blackeagle it would be Kerr, then Tristen, then Dex and then me."

Kell nods. "Gotcha. All the missions he's sent me on before this were just me, so no one else to answer to but him at the end."

A moaning, keening sound began to come from the Vorta blood running down her cheek. Shon looked somewhat shamefaced and looked at Kell. “My err foot slipped” she said. Shon looked at Kerr, “well what do you want us to do Captain?”

Finchley was coming back to himself now, his headache going, the feeling back in his hands, his sight, hand/eye coordination and speech all back.

He looked at Kell "Shock therapy doesn't work in that situation Doctor...even I know that!"

Looking at Shon he said "Follow the orders you gave Karadis here, all of you, go out into the corridor and check the other labs to make sure there is no one else here, but be careful, I think there is. Leave the Vorta here with me, we have some 'business' to discuss."

"Glad to see you're back with us Captain, and thinking straight." Kell fell in behind Shon as they headed out...

Shon was beginning to feel the strain. It was as though she felt she needed to keep the team together. She no longer knew if the Captain had begun to trust her or why Karadis and Kilbane, who incidentally was a Starfleet Officer had no respect for any chain of command. If she got through this she was trying to decide if she would ask for a transfer. She laughed inside remembering she was still a walking bomb. She cleared her mind and began searching the corridor. “Karadis, Kilbane take the right side, open all doors, explore all rooms. The Doctor and I will take the other side.

Kell tried not to crowd Shon as she got into position for the first door. All this creeping about hadn't been on her medical curriculum so she was just happy she hadn't shot anyone by accident or herself. She was fine with medical emergencies, but all this sneaky combat rattled her nerves. Good thing the phaser was on safe... She hugged the wall and split her attention with her readings and Shon.

"Wait" Karadis said, "before we do this, there's something you have to know. Bir...I mean, Kerr, he's under stress, that's why he's acting 'cold'. True, he's not the most trusting of people, it takes a while to get to know him, and forever for him to trust other people. Kilbane and I have worked with him for over ten years, and it's only recently he's began to fully trust us. I know what you're thinking, you can't wait for ten years to pass before you feel he trusts you, you're his Executive Officer, it should be sooner, you've done nothing wrong, in fact, you've tried to ingratiate yourself to him, but here's the kicker....it's the fact you're part Vulcan. I never told you this, but during the war, we were part of the Intelligence Fourth Fleet, along with two Vulcan ships. We were sent in to try and take a Dominion stronghold, the Arkanian system. We got through ok, but when we went in for the final assault, we were outgunned three ships to one. Kerr was in charge of the Opulous and the two Vulcan ships were his flank cover. We attacked, seven Dominion ships came at us, and the two Vulcan Captains calculated that we had a less than forty percent chance of success, so pulled out, leaving us to face four of the seven Dominion ships left out of the original seven. We got a proper hammering, but we took out one of theirs before we had to pull back...retreat in other words. The Dominion ships gave up at the edge of their system, so we were able to get back. He went mental at the two Vulcan Captains, put one of them in Sickbay after hitting them with a metal conduit tube. He was reprimanded by the Fourth Fleet brass, but as this was Black Ops, it didn't go on his permanent record, but, he was passed over twice for promotion as a result of the assault. That 'anger' towards the Vulcans has never left him so any Vulcan he meets, he instantly dislikes. All I can say to you is, don't act like one, 'show' emotion, argue a point with him, but accept his decision. Do 'anything' that makes you unVulcan like Commander and you'll be fine."

Shon looked at Karadis a sad smile on her face. “I cannot forget half my nature. Now I know this, if I live through this I will apply for a transfer. I only wonder why, when he knew I was to be his XO he did not say something. Not all Vulcans are bad you know.” She walked on slowly intent on her job.

"Nobody asked you to put in a transfer" Karadis replied "Personally, I think it's a mistake, you ought to try and at least stick it out for a little while. He's not as bad as he seems, he's just...Kerr, that's the best way I can describe him."

Kell snorted. "For certain and for true that is. Kerr is... Kerr. He's not something you can prepare for, he is... unique. But he has your back, never doubt it, just challenge him in private if you feel you have to, even when something he says doesn't make sense... He always has a reason..."

"Challenge him...even in private? That's never been a concept that's worked in the past, ever" Kilbane replied to Kell "Opine, yes, challenge...be it on your own head. I've often found that offering a different approach or opinion works."

Kell nodded. "That is true as well. I didn't say it would come out well, or that you'd do it twice, but certainly less embarrassing than trying in front of any crew. I haven't had opportunity to do it, nor shall I of my own volition."

Kell looks over at Karadis. "Not to change the subject, necessarily, but from a medical standpoint, what was that thrall the Vorta had over all of you? She obviously chose a perfect subject to entrap you." She raised a hand, "Not that you need to tell me who that Kelly-person was, I'm just trying to figure out how she did it so we're more prepared in the future."

“Let’s save the talk for later,” Shon said. “We need to carry out this task, in silence preferably just in case there might be someone here.” She had not intended her sentence to sound as belligerent as it was but she was aware of the task and was focused on it. She was, in essence responsible for them all. She pushed the next door open slowly There was something obstructing it opening. She waved to Kell to help. Then she saw the obstruction, it looked like a foot, she gave a shove and practically fell over a humanoid body.

Kell nodded at Shon's directive. She just hoped another Vorta didn't pull the same trick again. She missed grabbing the XO as she fell forward, but then looked interestingly at the body. "Benzite?"

She passed her hand over the body, scanning, and noting the barbells that would normally hang from the lips were missing...

Kilbane stuck his head around the door and looked at the body, then looked further inside "Erm...I don't want to alarm anyone, but have we just entered the 'Little shop of horrors'?" he asked, pointing at a row of jars on a bench, most of which had body parts in them.

Karadis moved past him and approached the bench "Tellarite arm, Klingon spine, Breen torso...and a human brain!" she said out loud. Looking back round at Shon she added "A geneticist or madman's dream?"

"He's been dead for a while. The air isn't toxic, but it is pretty stale. Maybe the lab is hermetically sealed and this particular subject met his fate when he used all the breathable air." She shrugged. "I need more info to be sure, but there's no visible wounds, other than some bruising on his shoulders... and the missing barbels." She continued her analysis while the others were cataloguing the lab...

Shon looked at Kell, “it might have connection to the ‘blended’ creature Isabelle and I found in the derelict shipyards. Experimental surgery possibly trying to make a new species for whatever gain.” She shrugged. “Let’s get on with it we have a way to go.” She ushered Karadis and Kilbane out of the door.

Now out in the corridor again, Karadis moved silently along it, scanning the area ahead. There seemed to be a pattern as she looked, each doorway ahead had a colour around the outside of the frame.

"Red, blue, green...red, blue, green...red, blue, green.." she said to herself.

Kilbane now began to flap his arms around himself "Is anyone else feeling a chill in the air, I think the temperature's dropped a few degrees the further along here we're going?"

Kell confirmed Kilbane's observation. "Given everything we've seen so far, they're bound to need some cold storage for some things they can't preserve at room temperature and/or with a chemical solution or they'll contaminate it."

“We will need to keep a watch on that, thinking about biochemical weapons…” Shon noted Kardis, “is there something bothering you Karadis?” She asked moving over to stand with the Klingon woman.

"The doorways, they're colour coordinated, it must mean something, you wouldn't just do it for nothing" Karadis replied.

"In most cultures that I've come across, red is for danger, blue is for science and green is for food, Can it possibly be the same here?" she added questioningly.

Shon looked and then nodded. “You might have something there.” She looked over to the side herself and Kell were searching. All the frames were painted in blue. “Asaa can you check the next few rooms for any scientific equipment to signs of experiments?”

The doc nodded.

Shon then turned to Kilbane who stood miserably shivering. She sighed. "Kilbane double time it back to the Captain and stay with him, he should not be alone !” She ordered.

"It's doubtful to think he'd be in trouble, the Vorta was out cold and you'd hogtied them, but certainly Commander" Kilbane answered, turning and jogging off.

She turned back to Karadis and, for a second caught the smell of the Klingon woman’s sweat. It stung her nose and excited her. Shon’s pupils dilated and she coughed to hide her embarrassment . “Karadis you and I will explore the next room, red framed it might have something dangerous in there?” She smiled inwardly to herself at the internal joke and put her palm on the handle.

"I'll give you dangerous you deviant!" Karadis replied. Now that they were alone, she wanted an explanation "Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me...you've not ever explained why, or apologised. Have you any idea how embarrassed I was being found all tied up by Kerr...fucking Kerr, of all people???"

Shon looked stern “this mission is not the time to talk about this Karadis but, I am sorry you were found by Kerr but I did not think Klingons got embarrassed, just even. I do however apologize it was wrong but at the time it seemed….” Her voice trailed away. “It seemed a very un Vulcan thing to do.” She pushed an inner door open “now let’s get on with this mission!”

"Oh, I'll get even ok Commander, you can bank on it!" Karadis replied. She pushed Shon out of the way and walked into the room, then stood looking in awe...there were banks and banks of weapons, the like of which she'd never seen before.

"Toto, I have a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore..." she said wonderingly.

Shon could not speak….The room went on an on racks and boxes full of weapons and technology unknown to them. “There must be thousands here!” Shon whispered in wonder. “Enough to outfit an army.” She gently picked up a small elongated tube with what looked like a green substance contained at the finely chiselled end. “What in Surak’s…” she walked to the door. “Kell come look at this?”

Kell was still standing at the next blue door, trying to get it open, quietly. When she heard Shon call for her, she flipped it a middle finger salute and walked over to Shon where she was holding up a tube with a green substance on the end towards her.

Kell turned her head side to side, examining the compound, and the container. "Looks like whatever is inside is trying to get out." She waved her probe over the tip, quirking an eyebrow and breathing shallowly through her nasal respirator.

"Yikes. These guys don't play around. Don't let it contact your skin!" She cautioned. "Chemical weapons just tick me off grandly." She tapped her PADD a couple of times.

"Crikcus! Let's upgrade that to bio-weapon... I'd say this would either get paired with an explosive, or there's a small charge inside. If it's atomized, it would be a devastating, debilitating cloud, might be survivable if you got a minor dose, but you'd be in no shape to function for a while. But any skin or body contact with the actual solid compound will just eat a person to nothing... literally. And anyone that tried to help! It looks dormant but..."

She looked up at Shon. "I'd normally say incinerate it in a sealed container for that purpose, but we don't have ready access to the proper equipment. Can you rig an explosive to it and any others, and destroy it that way after we've gone?"

Karadis walked back over and heard what Kell said. She took one of the weapons herself and examined it "Thermal charge...short range site...what I guess is an antigen receptor, though I could be wrong. This has been designed as a 'one use only' weapon."

She turned it in her hands, looking over the design "I suppose we could rig an overload in the thermal charge unit, that would feedback to the firing chamber. In turn it would overheat, there's no safety guard there...and you'd have a satisfying 'bang!'. It would then trigger the other units and create a chain reaction. I wouldn't want to be within a few hundred meters of this when it went up though."

TBC

 

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