by -=/\=- Zanh Liis
80531.1230
After Consider the Following
-=Security: Chief O'Sullivan's Office=-
80531.1230
After Consider the Following
-=Security: Chief O'Sullivan's Office=-
Zanh Liis had wandered from the lobby workstations of Security and into Keiran O'Sullivan's office hours ago.
She couldn't have explained why.
Why of all the places she had on the ship to continue working -trying to think through all that was happening to make everything into some kind of sense, to move toward the resolution that would cause the least amount of suffering- why she had chosen to do it here.
In Keiran's office.
Somehow, she just felt safe here.
She had poured over the garbled bits of information that Dengar had managed to send to the ship from the surface. She had tried to warn him that they had to come home. It was a warning she could only hope that he was able to understand.
She had read everything that she could find about the split of the people of Stra II from their original home world, the major planet in the system, and she began to wonder how these people had strayed so far from the course of sanity.
Then she remembered that under the spell of a charismatic enough leader, the easily led would loyally follow that leader anywhere. Even to their own certain doom.
She wondered if her Away Teams were now suffering at the hands of those misled Strasa. Desperate people acting on the force of their most basic needs.
Driven just as desperately as they had followed Lank's father from the settled planet to an untamed new world a century ago.
At last she returned to watching the security tapes of the dinner, and thought about what Blane had said and the force that bringing up the Romulans could exert against Blik.
She had considered questioning Blik herself, but she was so uncertain that she could control herself if she was in a room with the man without Jariel or Blane or Salvek present, that she wouldn't let herself get into the situation.
So she just glared at the screen which displayed what was going on in Blik's cell.
The Strasa dignitary paced, spewing a continual line of steady complaints. About the conditions he was being held in. About how they had no proof he'd done anything wrong. About how the Federation would have Zanh Liis' command for this and anyone who helped her in this matter would suffer the consequences as well.
Liis switched the audio off.
Suddenly she was brought back to the moment by the sound of the door opening, and she saw Blane and Blakeslee approaching.
"What have you got for me, gentlemen?" Zanh switched off the feed entirely and moved to the side, allowing them use of the computer beside her.
"Well, we've got. . .this." Zander brought up the schematic and explained the situation.
"So in effect, the only way for us to be entirely sure that the net is safely knocked down is to finish doing what the original cascade failures did not." Liis repeated to be sure she had it right. "We have to destroy the command computer."
Before either man could respond, Zanh sighed and leaned back against the wall. "We can't do that."
Zander and TC were both taken aback- this may very well have been the first time they had ever heard Zanh Liis use the word "can't" about anything the crew was considering. Had she finally hit the limit of how far she was willing to bend the rules?
She confirmed their suspicions by uttering the three words that Blane had never expected her to voluntarily invoke in her lifetime.
"The Prime Directive." Zanh said reluctantly. "If we destroy their Central Power Allocation Grid, we will be completely altering the natural development of this people and this planet. We can't."
Both men understood exactly why she was saying what she was saying- they were just shocked to hear the "take no prisoners" Zanh Liis volunteer to abide by the rules so willingly when her people were still in jeopardy.
Blane nodded slowly to her. "What about the outlying stations? Do you still want to try to lock down the net from there?"
"No," Zanh said, slowly pacing across the room. "We have got to come up with another option."
As the three stood silently considering the possibilities, Zanh's badge chirped. It was the LMH.
[Captain, please don't shoot the messenger. . .] McKay began hesitantly,
"What is it?" Her brow creased.
[I have examined the security footage you sent me, I have analyzed the implant that Vol is suffering with, and I have come to the very sad conclusion that there is no way to definitively tie it to Blik. Well, not so's you'd be able to prosecute him for it.]
Liis had dreaded this, but knew it was the likely outcome. "Any updates on how to remove it from Vol or render it inoperative?"
[Still working.]
"Keep me advised. Zanh out."
Before Zanh Liis could say another word, her badge chirped again.
"Grand Central Station-" she began with a sigh, but she heard the panic in Sue Tenney's voice and stopped.
[Captain to the bridge!]
"On my way."
Blane and Blakeslee fell into step behind her and the trio approached the communications officer upon arrival.
"What?" Zanh asked pointedly.
"We're receiving a distress call from the Providence Spire," Tenney said, eyes wide. "Resident Overseer Lank reports that the Medical Center's security has been compromised, and now the capitol building itself is under attack."
Zanh's eyes widened. "So now they can communicate with us directly. Put him through."
"Audio only," Tenney advised.
"This is Captain Zanh-"
[They're overrunning the building, we can't stop- No!] Lank was heard screaming. [Get out of here! Don't you know who I am? Stay back!] Then the signal died.
"Lank?" Zanh looked at Tenney, but the young woman shrugged. The connection was gone.
Zanh spun and addressed her Second Officer. "Mr. Blane, please go and fetch Junior Overseer Blik."
"Captain?"
Her eyes had a glint in them that told Blane that she had just come to an instantaneous decision as to what they were going to do next.
"We can't hang him for what he did to Vol- so we're going to do exactly what Federation law demands," Liis said, tilting her head to the side. "We're going to send him home."
A slow smile spread across Blane's face. Talk about poetic justice. . .
"Captain!" Tenney gasped, unable to believe what she was hearing. "We're being hailed again."
"Who is it this time?" Zanh asked.
"By someone claiming to be the Chief Magistrate General of Stra Major." Tenney gulped.
Zanh and Blane stared at each other, dumbfounded.
"Seems that news of the misdeeds of the children has finally reached the ears of their forefathers." Zanh said, folding her arms and rocking her weight back and forth from her heels to her toes. "I can't wait to hear what he has to say."
--------------------------
-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012
-=/\=-Zanh Liis
Commanding Officer
USS Serendipity NCC-2012