SubAccount: Mondo'li Nari

[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

USS Challenger - Sickbay

"Thank you, Doctor Belmont," Mondo acknowledged, sharing a grateful smile for the Chief Medical Officer who had deigned to treat him personally.  Perhaps it was merely boredom or convenience, but given his upbringing Mondo could not help but feel honored that someone so high above his station would choose to treat him while underlings were available.

"The violence displayed by the so-called protesters was sudden and without apparent limit.  I could not help the sense that the government of the world tacitly approved of the riotous actions of their population.  And although the protesters had dated weapons... they did have a lot of them.  Had we not left at the moment we managed, I do not think we'd have made it away at all."

To Mondo's mind, the government had likely encouraged the rioters and possibly even supplied them behind the scenes, to add an exclamation-point to their request for the Federation to withdraw from the planet.

"I find it is frequently the case that political decisions end in violence upon the ground."

If that had not been true, Mondo would have much less to do in Starfleet service.

With that said, he held still while she employed the regenerator.  As he waited for her to complete her craft, he noted indicator lights within the room shift to yellow.

The ship was on alert.

What now, he wondered.

[USS Challenger - Sickbay]

USS Challenger - Sickbay

Blissfully unaware that the ship was moments from a space battle, Mondo stepped into sickbay.

He had just finished stowing the weapons his team had employed in the action on the planet, carefully noting the precise charge levels of the weapons and downloading their integrated sighting-system sensor data onto his personal PADD.  While the feature was optional, Mondo always set his phaser, and those of any personnel under his supervision, to record sensor stills when the weapons were fired.  Every discharge of the phaser would be accounted for in his report, and at a later time an after-action analysis could be conducted with a high level of accuracy regarding on-the-ground events.

Now, with that accomplished, he was here to have his superficial cuts tended, from when the transparent aluminum windows of the embassy had exploded inward, showering him with sharp debris.

"Pardon Doctors.  If the major injuries have been treated, I would be grateful of some attention.  I do not think my face is in need of any more ridges."

He smiled softly at his little joke, and regarded the medical personnel present.

[USS Challenger - Main Shuttle Bay]

USS Challenger - Main Shuttle Bay

The sight of the Challenger's shuttle bay was a welcome sight after the predictable deterioration of events at the Embassy.  It had been a retreating firefight back to the shuttle, and the potential for death or dismemberment had been a persistent one.  Many of the 'protesters' had been armed, and while their weapons had been dated, they'd been nothing to laugh at.

In fact, a few members of the away team had sustained injuries.  Mondo was not excluded, as the exploding transparent aluminum windows of the embassy had rained shards of metal down upon him.  But his wounds were superficial, and as near as he could tell, no one's wounds were mortal.

In the end, while the affair had been fraught with danger, it had been light on casualties.  In Mondo's mental scorecard, he would mark this event as a win.

"We'll get these weapons checked back in, and then report for the treatment of minor injuries," he advised his superior.

[Planetside - Federation Embassy]

Planetside - Federation Embassy

Mondo noticed a new movement amidst the crowds outside, and then his eyes widened when he realized what it was.

"Sir, look!  The planetary defense forces are leaving.  They are no longer even pretending to restrain this crowd.   I fear it is only a matter of time before-"

He did not finish his sentence before a barrage of energy-weapons fire struck the outer gates.  The gates held for a brief time, but inevitably they fragmented into flaming debris.  Mondo tapped his badge to warn others in the facility who were still conducting the evacuation.

This is Petty Officer Nari to all away team members.  Be advised, the planetary police forces have withdrawn, and this has emboldened the rioters.  They are moving upon the embassy in force.  We will lay down suppressive fire.

But his badge only made a rude noise.

"Are... are we being jammed?"

He turned to one of the crewmen who had accompanied them to take positions at the front of the embassy.

"Go tell the Commander what is happening here, or he'll be taken by surprise and overrun."

Energy weapon bolts were now raining upon the transparent aluminum windows.  Mondo readied his rifle.

The windows sustained many impacts, but then they too shattered and exploded inwards, unable to withstand the fusillade.   Mondo turned his head and flinched as some of the shards peppered his position.  A few superficial cuts began to bleed on his face and hands.  He turned back to assess the scene.  The crowds were surging forward.

"Stun only.  Expanding Pulses.  On my mark...  Mark."

Mondo joined the others in firing his weapon as the rioters charged into the facility.  He worked like a machine.  Taking aim, firing, shifting aim, firing, re-targeting, firing.  Dozens within the mob fell under the stun bolts.  Some others, not stunned, recoiled in fear at the possibility of being shot.

For a time, the tide was stemmed.

But gradually, the rioters recovered from their fear.  Some of them took positions behind cover and began to return fire with a wide variety of energy weapons and thrown objects.

Mondo ducked down as the railing of his overlook was partially vaporized by a disruptor bolt.  He kept firing back, but it was clear that this could not continue for long.

"Firing withdrawal!"  Mondo shouted the order, and everyone began to step back as they fired, retreating back to the shuttle disembarkation point.

[Planet's Surface - Federation Embassy]

Planet's Surface - Federation Embassy

Mondo hesitated briefly to see whether Deus preferred to reply himself, or whether communication was a duty the man preferred subordinates to handle.  After a moment of indecision, he tapped his badge to reply.

Sir, Petty Officer Nari reporting.  The Consular security personnel at our position have been relieved.  They, and some civilian members of the Embassy staff, are heading back to the shuttle staging area as we speak.

I should add that we have been informed of escalating tensions by the security officers who preceded us, in the nearby civilian protest crowds.  Apparently, some members of the mob outside even fired haphazardly at the building.  The officer I spoke to believed that this would only escalate further.

And... observing the crowds outside... I must say that seems to be an accurate estimation of the situation.

In fact, as Mondo observed the crowds roiling like stormy seas outside the embassy's outer gates, he could not help the impression that the native planetary police forces were not doing much to inhibit the protesters.

[USS Challenger --> Planet's Surface - Federation Embassy]

USS Challenger --> Planet's Surface - Federation Embassy

"Our presence is just a precaution," Mondo assured Leela as the shuttle began its descent, "Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, these extractions go off without any difficulties."

Mondo had, of course, just invented that statistic.  But it cost him nothing to reassure the Science officer.

The trip down went quickly, and Mondo's group was among the first to disembark as the shuttles were rotated down for drops and pickups.  Commander Briggs quickly made contact with one of the senior officers on the scene, while Mondo and Ensign Deus moved to replace some of the lower-ranking security personnel on site.

An Andorian Petty Officer nodded to them as they approached, "Are you our relief," she asked.

Mondo nodded, "Yes, I am Petty Officer Nari, this is Ensign Deus.  We came in on the Challenger.  Is there anything we should know before you go?"

The Andorian nodded, "I'm Petty Officer Tcheka, this is Crewman Donkan." She nodded to a Tellarite security crewman standing nearby.  "It's like the sun rose on a whole new world this morning," she said.

"I imagine the sun rises quite a bit on a world like this one," Mondo attempted to inject something more lighthearted into the conversation than the mob outside.

"You are not wrong," she said, "But today is something new entirely.  It started with protests, became violence.  Now they've begun firing off weapons, and a few in the crowd even took shots at the building.  Nothing too serious, yet.  The duracrete and transparent aluminum exterior won't breach unless they start concentrating fire.  But that could come any time now, as far as I'm concerned."

Mondo nodded, "Well, you will not be here to see it.  Your shuttle awaits."

Tcheka smiled, "We appreciate the assist.  Good luck."

Mondo returned the smile, "We shall be right behind you."  Then his gaze turned to the large front windows of the embassy complex, and the angry rioters firing shots into the air.

"... more or less."

[USS Challenger - Main Shuttlebay]

USS Challenger - Main Shuttlebay

When Ensign Deus arrived in the shuttlebay, Nari was already standing.  However, he stiffened slightly and faced his superior officer to demonstrate his readiness.

A second later, Mondo's PADD beeped.  All of the standby security personnel were carrying the small Type-C PADDs that fit neatly on their belts.  As anticipated, the official order was coming down to assemble in the shuttlebay for deployment.

Acknowledging the written order with a keypress, Mondo tucked the PADD away.  What seemed like a mere minute later, the Executive Officer appeared.

"Thank you, Sir," Mondo replied to the unexpected praise.  It was good to see that the Exec was in good spirits. Some familiar faces followed Commander Briggs into the shuttlebay.  It turned out that Mondo's shuttle would be the Jarvis.  Ensign Mel'tk, whom Mondo had not previously met, would be piloting.  Ensign Kaz was being assigned to them from Sciences.  Personally, Mondo would not have elected to risk valuable Science personnel on a diplomatic extraction assignment.  He wondered, though, if she might be using her computer training to securely erase the embassy datafiles.

Such things were need-to-know, and Mondo didn't.  He was here in case this hot pickup got any hotter.

At least everyone was armed.  There were no misguided gestures, here.

"Sir," Mondo nodded to the pilot, and then he acknowledged Kaz with an "Ensign."

He and the other security personnel swiftly moved to their assigned shuttle, taking their seats before liftoff.

[USS Challenger - Armory]

USS Challenger - Armory

Mondo was waiting in his lane for the call to assemble in the transporter room, but it seemed the universe had other plans.

"Word just came down from the bridge," Thompson reported, "There's something sideways about the local stellar activity.  We'll be doing a shuttle drop instead of a beam-in.  Word is that the locals are getting restless.  Type III's are authorized for all security personnel."

Mondo looked towards the crewman and nodded, slinging on his rifle and clipping his tricorder and Type-II hand phaser to his belt.

With that accomplished, he headed down to the shuttlebay to await further deployment orders.

USS Challenger - Main Shuttlebay

Mondo had not often had the opportunity to visit the Challenger's shuttlebay.  The ship had more than one, and they were all spacious, accommodating several shuttles and shuttle types.

The situation here was a far cry from the Saber class' cramped bays, where the few shuttles the ship carried had to be raised and lowered whenever one was needed.  Here, on the much larger Challenger, several shuttles were able to wait on standby on the flight deck, ready to launch without delay.

After taking a look around, Mondo found a spot out of the way and waited.

He estimated it would not be long, now.

[USS Challenger - Deck 10 - Phaser Range]

USS Challenger - Deck 10 - Phaser Range

Mondo walked into the phaser range, where five other security crewmen and petty officers were already assembled.  None of them were here to engage in any shooting activities, today.  Rather, the phaser range was often used as a staging ground for security personnel who were on rotation for away-team duty.  The range was just up the hall from Transporter Room 1, allowing for a short jaunt prior to beaming down.  Staging in the transporter room itself would make the room too crowded for comfort.

"Thank you, Mr. Thompson," Mondo acknowledged as he was issued a Type I, Type II, and Type III phaser weapon.  The weapon he ultimately carried on assignment would be dependent on the emerging mission parameters.  Right now, it could not even be said with certainty that any of them would be beaming anywhere.  They were merely on rotation, standing by, in case they were needed.

In addition to the weapons, Mondo was issued a very small first-aid kit that could be attached to his duty belt, and a tricorder.

In his experience, the tricorder was the device of more common utility...  And thank goodness for that.  Violence was not something to be craved, he had learned.  He'd seen too much of it already in his career.

As a youth, training under his Aunt, he'd often wished for the chance to prove his mettle in combat.  At the Technical Services Academy, he'd craved the opportunity to show Starfleet that they'd been right to place their faith in him.

It had not taken long for the shine of such aspirations to become tarnished with regret.

Sometimes, he wished that he had a talent for technology or science, beyond the basic operating principles of Starfleet equipment, or his somewhat more in-depth knowledge of weapons technology.  He was a pragmatic man, though.  His own aptitudes, and those of his ancestors who had helped to weave the cloth of his soul, pointed him in the clear direction of physical action.

And so, he would do his duty.  But it was a solemn affair.

At least the Chief Medical Officer on the Shran had once taken the time to certify Mondo in some basic emergency field medicine techniques.  It was a small step beyond the first-aid certifications of the Academy, but it made Mondo feel that he might be able to save lives as well as take them, should a crisis develop.

Despite having just recently performed a full armory check, Mondo examined his equipment to make sure it was in prime operating condition.  The drills of the Academy were still fresh in his mind, even years later.  He had endured the tutelage of a particularly strict Tellarite drill sergeant, who'd assured him: 'Evil Demons sneak into the armory and sabotage equipment when no one is looking.  Always check any weapon when it is issued to you.'

After Mondo finished his examination, he laid his assigned articles on a table in one of the shooting lanes.  If he was selected for an away mission, he would leave any weapons that were not indicated by the mission profile, and then quickly go to the transporter room for beam-down.  Thompson, who was the issuing crewman today, would then go to each lane and check the un-used equipment back into storage.  The current system allowed a security officer or crewman to be on-site and ready for action in less than one minute, with all of the equipment the mission might require.

[USS Challenger - Armory]

USS Challenger - Armory

There was an old Hupyrian belief, now only shared by a portion of the population, that souls moved in cycles.  A Hupyrian would be born, live their lives, and die... only to be re-born again into a very similar life.  Each life brought lessons that one was supposed to learn.  If those lessons were not learned, the life would have to be lived again.  And again.

And again.

The Nari family were not generally believers in the Soul Cycle, and Mondo never had been.  No, they were believers of the Ancestral Soul.  This faith told adherents that the souls of dead family members from generations past were infused into the souls of newly born family members.  The collective wisdom of the clan was part of the fabric of each new member, and every person in the clan could dig deeply within themselves to evoke the strength and lessons of generations past.

The afterlife, for them, was becoming an essential thread in the fabric of each new soul.  A thread that would persist until the end of the clan itself.

But lately, Mondo had come to believe that there might be truth to both systems of faith.  He found himself moving in circles within his own life, orbiting between the same two vessels: The USS Shran, and the USS Challenger.  He was now entering his second life aboard the USS Challenger.  Before, he had served in the thick of the war against the rogue Admiral Leyton.  Now, he returned to find Leyton finally captured.  The rebellion ended.

The most terrible threat of the decade was finally put to rest.  Leyton himself, oddly enough, had moved through his own cycle.  This had been his second attempt to seize the Federation from its best ideals.

Was it over, finally?  Or was this just the beginning of a new cycle?

What was the lesson which Mondo had been expected to learn?

In some ways, he felt like the Challenger itself.  An Excelsior-class vessel, taking another cycle of life in a new incarnation.  But not merely a relic reborn.

No, she was not the same soul born again.  She merely carried a single thread of the old soul, woven into this new body.  There were old bones in her, true.  But there was new flesh on those bones, and even new bones knitted alongside the old.

She very much resembled the old Excelsior class ship that was her namesake.

But she was not the same ship.

Just as Mondo was not the same man he'd been when he'd first joined Starfleet.

He glanced down at his left arm.

It looked the same as the old arm.  The one he'd been born with.

But it was not the same arm.

It was completely different.

Just as he was.

Just as the ship was.

Come around again.  Yet born for the first time.

Mondo tapped his fingers upon the Armory's door interface, and the portal yawned open.

Then Mondo stepped inside to do what he'd done many dozens of times before.

It was time to count the weapons, check them for good function, correct any unacceptable variations from spec, and then set them ready to be used in the mission ahead.

Hopefully, they would remain un-fired.

Hopefully, his return to the Challenger would not be for another lesson of blood.

[USS Shran - Bridge]

USS Shran - Bridge

Mondo turned away from the tactical console he had been studying.  There was much about the situation which he did not understand.  This was not unusual.  Servants were not routinely informed about ongoing operations.  But if this ship was being stolen for an illegal operation, then there was no reason to pretend to be the cowed servant he had been posing as for the past several years.  Everyone here was a criminal, and none of their roles mattered.  The authorities would not be enforcing roles or discipline.

"I do not understand much of what is transpiring.  I can see we believe the timeline has been altered, or is in flux.   I should not be aware of it, but even I must confess that I feel it.  Somehow.

But how do we know we must go to Earth?  Why is inserting Tholians into a popular convention going to be important to getting a resolution?  Why do we need to place people in loose-fitting full-body robes?  Is this operation going to require cultural infiltration?

What is actually causing the timeline shift, and how are we planning to fix it?

What do we actually know?  And what is the plan, exactly?"

Mondo's eyebrows lifted in surprise at the suggestion that he could be a tactical officer.  Who would ever let a servant operate a weapons console?   And yet, as he glanced up towards the tactical station, there was something familiar about it.  Perhaps in another life, he might indeed be what the Captain claimed.

But whatever surprise this held was dwarfed by the surprise of the Captain's announcement.  They were stealing a ship.  On a mission to travel through time.  To change the fate of the galaxy.

Mondo'li was dumbfounded.  It was as though he'd awoken into a backwards universe this morning.  Nothing made sense any more.

There was talk between these two announcements about human slavery.  The ideas trickled in slowly to Mondo'li's numbed brain.

Finally, the Captain asked him if he'd ever wanted to look more human.  Mondo became indignant at the question.

"No, Sir.  I am quite content with my physical appearance."

He glanced around, wondering what he should be doing.  His sense of purpose was waning.

He edged closer to the tactical console, having another look at it.   He had the vague sense of having operated such a console before.

Another memory from a life never lived?

[USS Shran - Bridge]

USS Shran - Bridge

Mondo had been shaken by the sensation he'd felt within his own mind as he spoke to Anna Lynn.  He was sure that her name was Anna Lynn, despite her being a Vulcan.  There was no good rhyme or reason for this growing certainty, but it grew all the same, indifferent to the lack of factual fertility in the soil.

Then, when someone in the lounge had declared that 'Something has altered the timeline,' he started to believe that he was not nearly as crazy as he felt, for feeling as he felt.  The impression of a half-remembered other existence did not seem so ludicrous.  It was as if his mind was oscillating between two worlds, and two versions of himself.

And so, abandoning his mission to poison the station, he instead secreted himself among the servants assigned to the Shran.  Mondo'li had been serving in the Alliance for a long time, and thus there was no objection raised when he indicated to the Hospitality Sergeant that he'd been selected for duty on the bridge.  Or perhaps the lack of objection was because everyone else was experiencing the same confusion that he was.

Now, he approached the Captain's chair, a coffee service of pot, creamer, sugar, and cups perched and balanced on a silver platter.  "May I offer you refreshment, Sir?"

He looked down at the Commanding Officer of the Shran:  A representative of his people's enemy.

And yet, somehow, the hatred he'd felt all of his life was hard to grasp.  This person was not his enemy.  There was a universe where the Hupyrian rebellion was in the past.  Where oppressive Ferengi overlords did not rule the majority of the quadrant.

A universe where all here were friends.  Where he trusted them, and they valued him.

Insane.

He knew it was insane.

But still... he felt it inside.

He believed it was true.

[Starbase Columbus - Lounge]

Starbase Columbus - Lounge

Mondo'li nearly jumped as the small Vulcan came up to him.  He had been nearly finished.  Two swift moves, and he'd have completed the sabotage of the entire starbase.

But now, something the Vulcan girl said to him resonated in the depths of his consciousness.  'Ossifer.'

What was an Ossifer?

Somewhere inside, he knew.  Closing his eyes, he tried to draw out the memory.  He felt like his mind was drawing thoughts from two sources.  He felt the confusion of not knowing, but he also felt the certain knowledge.

...The knowledge that 'Ossifer' was a mispronunciation of 'Officer.'  The knowledge that this was not a Vulcan girl, but something else.  A machine of some kind.

No... ludicrous.  Machine people?  Then there would be no servants.

He had a mission to complete.  Hupyria was relying on him.

But... he could not do it while being so closely watched.  Vulcans were smart.  She would notice.

"Just routine maintenance, Miss," he lied, "Allow me to get that orange for you..."

He paused, feeling that he'd done something wrong.  Should he be speaking to her?  Something felt wrong about speaking to her.

But... why?

When he'd sworn his oath to Starfleet, he had not taken a vow of...

Starfleet?

Mondo closed the access panel to the replicator and tapped out a request for an orange.

Starfleet?  Whose Starfleet?

...Not the Ferengi Alliance...

No... something else...

He took the replicated orange and held it out to the girl.

"Your orange, Miss... Anna?"

Anna?

That was not a Vulcan name.

"Anna Lynn?"

[Starbase Columbus - Lounge]

Starbase Columbus - Lounge

Mondo blinked at the girl as she changed her appearance and then excused herself.  With the revelation that she was a station asset- some kind of automated administrative assistant- it was not entirely shocking that she could do so.  But he was impressed at how realistic her appearance was.  He would never have known she was a synthetic person had she not confessed it to him.   Though... it was somewhat more troubling to learn that she did not recognize Mondo.  Were his records not in the main computer?

Soon enough, she was gone, and Mondo's attention turned towards loud toasts to the prosperity of the Ferengi Alliance.

Now his mind returned to the true reason he was here.

The Hupyrian People's Unity Front had managed to get him assigned to the station as a servant.  His job was to insert a viral isolinear chip into one of the station's replicators.  Once it was installed, its program would spread throughout the system.  Then the replicators throughout the station would begin to replicate neurotoxic gas.  The entire population of the station would be slain in short order, and the Hupyrians would be able to occupy the facility without any resistance.

Soon, Hupyria would no longer be under the oppressive yoke of the Alliance.

Soon, all Hupyrians would be free.

Turning again towards the replicator, Mondo boldly opened its access panel in front of the whole party.  Nobody would question a servant conducting menial labor.  That's what they were for, after all...