[Bridge - Deck One - USS Detector]
"Captain," Lieutenant JG Siashon reported from the Helm console. The Tellarite officer swivelled in her chair to face Chisulo. "One lifeform has transported to the Qashqai."
Rangi gripped the arm of her chair then stood up. "Just one?" she asked and regardless of Chisulo, hurried past him towards the helm console " Are you sure? Just one?"
"Yes Commander," Siashon replied, pointed at the sensor report on the console so that Rangi could see. The particulars of the lifeform readings indicated that it was most likely a child.
"Martin." she breathed and though relief flowed through her it was soon dampened.
She turned her head quickly to look back at Chisulo. "Can we talk to them?" she asked willing him to say 'yes.'
"Not yet, Commander." Chisulo replied with his his expressionless visage. "Please, take your seat. We will speak with them soon enough." Though the coast looked clear thus far, Chisulo had a feeling in his gut that things were not as quiet as they seemed. And his gut was rarely wrong.
Rangi did as she was asked and returned to her former place. She understood why communications were barred but it was so tantalizing just the same.
[Planetary Surface]
As soon as Shane threw the phaser into the water he was surprised as Harker threw a punch at him, catching him square in the jaw and sending him staggering backwards.
"Do you have any idea how long I've been waiting to do that?" Nicolas half-shouted, half-spat at Shane. "For years and years I've waited for this moment!"
Taken by surprise by the furious attack, Shane was defenseless for a moment. But the moment was quickly gone and adrenaline filled Shane's body as he went furious as well. With a high kick, he managed to hit Harker in the head and send him sprawling. He jumped on him immediately trying to hit him again.
Nicolas managed to push Shane off him and rolled over on the sand, quickly getting up. "I never cared much about your son, Shane. It's you that I wanted to get alone. And I knew
with all your security protecting you in your soft, comfortable office that this was the only way to do it. As for your wife, on the other hand, I'm afraid I don't intend to keep up that end of the bargain. She will suffer as you made mine suffer."
So Shane was right in his assumptions. Security surrounding him was too much to go by without a massive force, so this all was about luring him out of UNITY ... where he could be served on a plate. Through the blood on his face, Shane pierced his enemy with his stare and without further delay he attacked. He found it strange that Harker labeled Rangi as his wife, but paid no more attention to it.
Harker ducked as Shane threw another punch and quickly stepped out of the way. Delivering a bone-crunching kick to Shane's knee, he sent the SSF flag officer falling to the ground. Nicolas grabbed Shane by the shoulders and shoved him face-down into the sand, keeping him pinned down. He pressed his knee hard against Shane's spine. "If I push a little harder I can bruise your spine," he said. "Temporary paralysis; a little trick I learned in Rura Penthe. Come on, Guzman, fight back. You're tougher than this. At least put up a token show of resistance before I kill you again."
{Again?} Shane asked himself. He was quite puzzled about the strange hints Harker was giving away. The pain was very intense and he found just no power to resist any more. Being a flag officer had his disadvantages; spending the entire day behind a desk was among them. In a second he saw the image of Rangi tortured and Harker laughing maniacally. "NOOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed and with almost unnatural strength he jerked and threw Harker off his balance. Using his legs again, he kicked Harker in his chin, hard.
Harker was taken by surprise at Shane's quick move and wiped away the blood from his chin. "I'm not the Harker you think you know, Guzman. That man died a long time ago. In the world I come from, you took my wife from me. You made me watch as you killed Samantha, made me watch the life leave her eyes. I swore I wouldn't stop before you were dead, all of you!"
Shane breathed hard and wiped the blood from his face once again. "What ... the ... hell ... are ... you talking ... about?" he asked while trying to catch his breath.
Nicolas spat the blood from his mouth. "There's so much you don't know, Guzman," he said, his tone suddenly calm and serious. "You've sat behind that desk of yours for too long. The world has changed all around you."
"I never killed Samantha" Shane replied. All his thought were focused on the little type I phaser concealed beneath his trousers. He kneeled down like feeling great pain and slowly moved his left hand to where the phaser was. He needed to distract Haker ... "it was YOU who killed her. You're a dammed traitor and murderer, Samantha died by YOUR hand!". Harker was eyeing Shane's face like wanting to see a prove there that Shane was lying. But Shane said the truth and with that, he got the three seconds he needed. He pulled the phaser and fired. He missed with the first shot, but the second was more accurate.
Harker was hit in his chest and with a cry he fell to the ground. A type I phaser was too weak to kill him instantly, but the wound was lethal none-the-less. Carefully, Shane approached the lying man.
"Damn you, Harker!" Shane cried – half in pain, half in relief. "What in burning hell you think you do?"
"When the time comes, they'll make you an offer to join them," he said harshly as he fell to his knees, clawing at the sand. Harker looked up at Shane one last time. "You can do great things, Guzman, great things. They are gods among us!" were his last words as he collapsed and took his final breath.
Slowly walking over to his combat armour, Shane took out the wristband tricoder and scanned Harker's body. He appeared to be dead finally, but Shane was far from ready to believe that. He tapped his badge and said: "Yellow, sickbay, 2 persons."
Within a second, both Shane and the dead body disappeared from the surface.
[End Part Two]
Captain Tedros Chisulo
Tactical Advisor
Commander Rangi Summers
Medical Advisor
Lieutenant JG Saichon
Chief Helm
(NPC by Bren)
USS Detector
&
Commodore Shane Guzman
Commanding Officer
SB 234: UNITY & SSF 1TF
Nicholas Harker
Federation Defector