S6: E1 - The Prime Recommendation

[Abas Th'vyrrol]

[NPC Post: Teacher Muriel Atkins]

[USS Challenger - Schoolroom]

"Sorry to bother you, doctor, I have one of Maddy's parents calling and asking for an update on her, a Lieutenant Wu? He also asked about the other children as well." Muriel stood next to the medical officer, leaning closer so her commbadge would be able to pick up his voice. Many of Maddy's classmates seemed to gravitate towards them as well, finding the pale man's reassurance and his ability to make everything better comforting. Some of the braver ones even looked like they were on the cusp of raising hands to ask more questions about the spaceship and planet he had mentioned. "Lieutenant, are you still there? I have the doctor on the line now, Maddison's here too, she's looking much better after her medicine!"

[School]

While those around him continually referenced Abas as a doctor, it wasn't technically accurate. He didn't hold any doctoral licensure, nor was he a registered MD in any jurisdiction he knew of. No, he was in fact a nurse in licensure, with his medical certifications from his time in the Andorian Guard and time on his home planet. Regardless of that fact, he still had a duty to care and was more than capable of handling minor bumps and scrapes, as well as quite a bit of battlefield traumas one might come across.

However, when Abas heard a Lieutenant was on the other end, that changed things. Officers could get particular, especially when their children were involved. Ideally, he'd let one of the other medical staff in the room - one of the officers, probably, deal with the situation. However, the teacher had come to him, so he would answer and deal with the repercussions later. "Sir, this is Petty Officer Th'vyrrol. All of the children are present and accounted for, no lasting impacts," he stated, keeping his tone level. "Same effects as the rest of the ship, looks like the second wave was blocked as intended."

Abas didn't react or note the hands being raised, not that he could see them anyway. With no further seeming actions - and the gaggle of children all seemingly fine - he simply waited for additional orders or the response of the Lieutenant to determine his next course of action.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger -  Port Nacelle >>>  Starboard Nacelle (spacewalk)]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Grelek had fallen silent after the question about his singing, appearing to struggle in coming up with an answer, a first for Alex. "Nevermind." He took pity on the Vulcan, asking instead, "Status report on the transceiver repair?"

Listening closely, Grelek quirked his head as the report filtered in. "The repair team is reporting the portside transceiver operational. Chief ch'Verret appears to be having some issues with his safety tethers, but is proceeding with moving back to the workbee."

A horrible mental image of the engineer drifting off into space flailing his arms helplessly crossed Alex's mind, though he didn't let that translate into his voice. "Very well, keep a sensor lock on the Chief. And pass on a bravo zulu from me."

"Grelek to ch'Verret, acknowledged. Lieutenant Wu asked me to tell you 'bravo zulu'. I am uncertain of the meaning behind it, but he seems to assume you would understand."

The Andorian was just as uncertain as the Vulcan as to what the two words meant.  Lahr supposed it was a congratulations of sort.  Bravo being a term he knew as celebratory.  Zulu... well... maybe it was a nickname?

"Um.. ok... thanks. I think."

Whatever it meant, Lahr really didn't have the attention to care while he was attempting to reconnect with the workbee.

He'd released his tethers and was floating slowly away from the transceiver, his back towards the workbee.  He knew any shift in his body position - like if he tried to glance behind - would only cause him to drift in the direction of his movement.  He needed to remain perfectly still and let Hicks adjust the arm position as need to make the connection.

"Just a little more...."

Lahr felt a slight bump behind at his back and then heard the clamp lock. Lahr let out a pent breath.

"ch'Verret you are locked onto the arm.  Discovery, workbee-A3 requesting permission for new flight plan.  Crossing the dorsal, 5 meters above the hull, with a trajectory from portside nacelle toward the starboard nacelle. Direct line. "
.
.
.
Once approved, Hicks flew them across wasting no time.  Once more, she set the Workbee in place so that Lahr was directly in front of the access panel.  This time however she edged the workbee in closer. So that if she kept steady, he might not even need to unhook at all.  That wasn't proper procedure however - and both he and she could get in trouble for doing things outside of proper procedure.

However... all outward recording devices were non-functioning at the moment, so Lahr decided for the sake of expediency would risk it.

"Attaching first tether." he called out as he reached for his tool to open the panel.   It opened easily.

"Attaching second tether"   he announced while in reality was already started on pulling and resetting the many sets of isolinear chips in the transceiver panel.

Hicks seemed to have caught on, and while Lahr seemed distracted with his task, called out to keep the lie going.  "Arm clamp detached. ch'Verret, time get to work. No slacking off." she even taunted.

Lahr muffled a chuckle and paused long enough to show Hick a finger.

"You wanna trade spots? I'll gladly show you my ace-piloting skills instead of this sorry task."

After a short time Lahr, to keep up the ruse, called out that he had the panel open and was starting on resetting the chips.  In fact he was already half way through the reset.  Another minute or two and he would be done.

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Outside Capital Hall - Kormaga - Magana - Land]

When Neva spoke, Doctor Zorr pulled out his tricorder and scanned her.

"Yes, your neural transmitters are all over the place Lieutenant, let's have you sit down in the shuttle so I can check you out properly."

As the group moved toward the Mjolnir, Kyan's order came through and for a second everyone froze. It was against everything taught at the Academy to leave someone behind, but the order was clear. Adding motivation was the sudden appearance of Magani soldiers, with weapons drawn and running their way! This new threat was more than enough to get the away team moving and as they were only steps away from the shuttle, they were easily aboard before the soldiers could reach them.

As Ardy had kept the shuttle on hot standby, it only took her seconds to lift off, which was good, because the soldiers had begun firing on the Mjolnir as it took off. Although it grated to abandon Kyan, they'd been given a course and a quick look at the sensors showed a pair of Magani atmospheric interceptors heading their way for addition incentive to get moving.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Shuttle]

There was only so much Ardy could try to say about the situation before she  probably made even more of a mess.

Getting back into the shuttle, Ardyn nodded to the ones still onboard. "œAlright.  Shuttle is operational and ready to pick up all personnel to medevacuate"¦ "œ She looked outside of the shuttle, only to notice several guards coming on her position.

She opened a call to everyone both on the Challenger and the ground team. Change of plans guys.  I'm launching now.  There are some guys here and they don't look friendly.  We're going to have to retreat to some other safer spot. Preparing evasive maneuvers!" she barked in warning as they made their way into the atmosphere, energy blasts from both ground soldiers and fighters trying to hit them.

So that's how they were going to play.  She turned back to the people still onboard. She knew there were injured here who needed immediate medical help, and more who needed to get out ASAP,  but that would mean nothing if they were all atmospheric confetti.   "œ Alright.  We've got hostiles incoming.  Hold on tight. This is going to get  bumpy!"

Steering the ship into a sharp pitch, she deftly maneuvered the shuttle in a sharp dogfight position to dodge the oncoming fire, fingers flying across the different consoles.  If there were a safe position they could get to where they could evacuate the others still on the planet, that would be great,  but right now, she had to focus on not ending up making the shuttle Swiss cheese. 

[Kyan Mackenzie]

"So the truth of it is revealed! Your words of help and friendship are all lies. You wanted your thoughts read, well, you will get your wish you impudent child thing. Let's see how your species stands up to Mind Ripping. Call for the An-Shok! Tell them no mercy!"

Meanwhile, in a small office elsewhere in the capitol."¦.

Unknown to the President, her staff, or Kyan, Mikel had clandestinely pulled out his com device and when things had begun going south, he started live streaming. Millions of Landser eyes were glued to screens across Magana and elsewhere. Two of them belonged to a young Landser man named Geran, who was the assistant director of public outreach for the President. In his cramped office, deep within the bowels of the Capitol building he watched the exchange between the small alien and Magana's head of state. He had no choice. It was on every broadcast station. Geron gasped when she mentioned the Mind Ripping. Aside from being an invasive telepathic technique that usually caused irreparable harm to those subjected to it, it was highly illegal.

And if he was shocked to hear his boss basically order the Mind Ripping of an alien visitor, he nearly passed out when she unknowingly admitted the existence of the An-Shok to the world. She was killing her career for a certainty, and possibly getting herself and a lot of other people a one way ticket to prison. The An-Shok, like Mind Ripping, were illegal. More than a century ago they had been a dominant political group in Magana and in some other countries. But after the Magana-Soma Ta war the group was disbanded and their leaders were jailed. Magana had lost that war after other nation states saw the atrocities committed by the crimson clad butchers and rallied to the defense of the smaller nation state. The treaty that followed was heavy handed and in many ways the people of Magana, none of whom were alive to witness or take part in the conflict.

Now the An-Shok were nothing more than a conspiracy theory for the vast majority of Landsers. Most people didn't think that they still existed. But over the past several years, their influence behind the scenes had grown considerably. The recently chosen Master of the Land Moot was from Magana, and had worked in the government there before winning his current seat. While he'd never been particularly cozy with them, the An-Shok had helped him get chosen. K'Ren was a different story. Her family had deep ties to the organization. Her father was an Avowed Brother in the An-Shok, as her grandfather and his father had been. When the soldiers in red uniforms emerged and hauled the little alien away, Geran was on his feet and out the door before they even had him out of the room.

He had to get to K'Ren and warn her. Failing that, he had to get out of the capitol. Heads were likely to roll after this, and he didn't want his to be one of them.

In the executive study, off the President's main office.

Kyan didn't struggle as he was hauled off. He still harbored a fleeting hope of being able to salvage the situation, even though it looked as though his temper had cost him any chance of that. "œAnd yer like tae get fire too." He said to himself. "œ"¦.if ye make it back at all." Getting fired didn't bother him. He'd been fired before, and the only reason he even got this job was that there wasn't anyone else. The truth was he wasn't good at being civil. He never had been, and probably wouldn't get the hang of it for a long time.

If he lived long enough to work at it anyway.

A few moments after the goons in the red uniforms hauled him in, one of them pulled a chair over and he was deposited onto it. The two holding him let go but still flanked him on either side. Another stood in front of him, lording over him. "œWhat is your purpose on our planet?" he asked, peering down his nose at the captive Onlie.

"œSure an I told ye what it was before." Kyan answered. "œYer Fold Space engine is causing space time shockwaves or sommat, an it's dangerous"¦ to us an yerselves. We came tae warn you so we did."

"œWhat is your position on the alien ship?"

"œI'm First Officer"¦for now The last part went unsaid. "œSecond in command." He added in case the title wasn't clear.

The one in front of him smiled. "œSo you have knowledge of the ship's defenses, and the authority to order them to surrender the vessel."

Kyan's surprise at that question was evident without telepathy. He shook his head. "œNo. Even if I could, I'd nae do that. Yer blue arse is out the window if yer after thinking I'd help ye take our ship."

He saw the interrogator nod toward the one on his right just before a field of stars erupted in front of him. Shaking his head, Kyan tried to raise his arm to his head but it was slammed back down on the arm rest.

"œNow then"¦ "œ

He was interrupted by Kyan's com badge chirping, followed by a voice that was familiar but that Kyan couldn't place.

Challenger to Commander Mackenzie, how do you copy?

It wasn't Galloway calling which was odd. But that wasn't important. He needed to relay the situation to them, but the Landsers wouldn't just let him do that. As his ear rang from the smack he'd taken a few moments ago, Kyan worked on a way to get a message out. "œY'know"¦" he began, the play still coming into form.. "œIt'd be better if I answered that so it would, they'll be after sending more folks down tae figure out why I'm not talkin."

After pondering this for a moment, the interrogator retrieved Kyan's badge and held it out. "œSpeak to them. Tell them everything is fine."

One of the guards let go of his arm and he reached out and tapped the badge, which was weird.

Mackenzie here. Ye can tell Captain Galloway that I'm still following Regulation forty six A so I am. Things are good here. I made contact with the government. They got nice hospitality here, sure and they do"¦ like New Zealand, on Earth it is. If anyone else comes down, dinnae send no one from Seldonis III. They'd nae like it. Oh"¦ and clean up me codes. I may be wantin tae use em later so. Tht's it. Mackenzie out.

Kyan hoped that they would get the right meaning from that. He tapped the badge again and smiled up at his captor. "œSo what else do ye wanna talk about?" he asked.

Outside the capitol

Where just an hour prior the crowds had been there in fear of the alien presence on their world, they had been wholly replaced by throngs of Landsers with a different viewpoint. Consisting of mostly younger protestors, this crowd bore signs decrying their president's criminal actions and calling for her removal. They were loud and their chants could be heard throughout the government complex.

[Alexander Wu]

"Sir, this is Petty Officer Th'vyrrol. All of the children are present and accounted for, no lasting impacts," he stated, keeping his tone level. "Same effects as the rest of the ship, looks like the second wave was blocked as intended."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

It felt like an eon before he heard from Th'vyrrol, though it was really only a matter of minutes as Alex dealt with the other matters. Maddison and the other children being safe and in good hands took a crushing weight off his shoulders, and he felt inordinately grateful towards the crewman. "Understood, thank you. If Ms. Atkins doesn't require your assistance, you can report back to sickbay." There were still several injured according to their last report, including some who had collapsed during the first temporal pulse and hadn't regained consciousness.

"So the truth of it is revealed! Your words of help and friendship are all lies. You wanted your thoughts read, well, you will get your wish you impudent child thing. Let's see how your species stands up to Mind Ripping. Call for the An-Shok! Tell them no mercy!"

"Sir, I think we might have a new problem." Booker suddenly spoke up, the alarm in her voice evident. "We've intercepted a broadcast that seems to introduce a new faction we hadn't seen before, someone called the An-shok. The language used in the message seems far more threatening than before. Something about words of help and friendship being lies, it sounds like surface negotiations have failed. They also referred to an 'impudent child thing', and if we take into context the original message, that could only be Commander Mackenzie."

Well that's not good. There was a brief sensation of deja vu, with Alex previously having sat in a very similar chair and hearing about then-Lieutenant Mackenzie getting into trouble. I guess he's still alive and his normal self if he's irritating the Landsers. Before he could decide what to do with this new information, Booker spoke up again, "Incoming message from the Mjolnir."

Change of plans guys.  I'm launching now.  There are some guys here and they don't look friendly.  We're going to have to retreat to some other safer spot. Preparing evasive maneuvers!"

Merde. Ardyn's voice was unmistakable, and unless they were under attack, she wouldn't be flying evasive maneuvers. Alex's list of possible actions was suddenly much smaller, and much more time sensitive. And if their people were in danger, his priority was to see they got to safety, diplomacy be damned. "Grelek, get that repair team back in, we can't raise shields with them out there. Schultz, I saw we have two type-9s on Challenger, tell flight control I need their two best atmospheric shuttle pilots sitting in them. And Davenport, send some of your people to run weapons too. Booker, ask Mjolnir if they're able to return to Galloway's location or the ship."

"Grelek to ch'Verret, return onboard immediately, no delay."

"Challenger to Mjolnir, what is your current condition? Can you return to Challenger or reach Captain Galloway?"

it seemed like the port transceiver had been repaired just in time, as yet another message came flying in, hot and cryptic.

Mackenzie here. Ye can tell Captain Galloway that I'm still following Regulation forty six A so I am. Things are good here. I made contact with the government. They got nice hospitality here, sure and they do"¦ like New Zealand, on Earth it is. If anyone else comes down, dinnae send no one from Seldonis III. They'd nae like it. Oh"¦ and clean up me codes. I may be wantin tae use em later so. Tht's it. Mackenzie out.

Mackenzie, in voice and spirit, finally. The manner in which he'd passed on his current condition wasn't at all reassuring, however. Alex thought he caught the general gist of it. 46A, someone unfriendly was party to their conversation, and New Zealand hospitality, Mackenzie considered himself a prisoner, probably of those same people listening in, people who weren't likely to abide by the Seldonis convention. The situation was bad enough that he'd asked them to scrub his command codes, which weren't something any Starfleet officer generally gave up willingly. "Lieutenants Booker and Randell, it is of my professional opinion that Commander Mackenize is compromised, and have interpreted his last orders as such. Do you concur?"

The young lieutenants looked startled to be asked, but nodded nevertheless. "Very well, this will need all three us." And this is one reason why the Captain isn't supposed to leave the ship. "Computer, suspend Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie's command codes under suspicion of his capture and current status as a prisoner of war, authorization Wu-Alpha-Kilo-Two-Two-Five."

"I concur, Booker-Gamma-Hotel-One-Seven-Nine."

"I concur, Randell-Sierra-Mike-Zero-Two-Six."

With that done, Alex moved onto the next task immediately, trying to maintain that rapidly dissolving perception of control. "Tactical, what are our options?"

"Not much from up here. Transporters are still offline, since we can't use them here anyways. I don't recommend phasers for any sort of orbital strike, if we hit one of those temporal pockets in the atmosphere, who knows what we'll end up hitting or when. Torpedoes are possible, but it'd take several minutes to plot in navigational data so they don't fly into those same pockets. It's doable sir." Davenport sounded more confident than she looked, but it wasn't as if they had many other options.

"Okay, call up a replacement and get started on the torpedoes, as soon as your replacement gets here, report to the Cutty Sark and prepare for launch." Alex turned next to Randell with another idea, though this one being far more objectionable than their original intention. "Is the tractor beam still operational?"

"Yes sir." Randell gave him a confused frown. "I don't think it'd be a good idea using it on the fold-space device however, we just don't know enough about how it works to know what effects a graviton beam would have."

"We won't use it on the device." Alex remarked grimly, solidifying his idea into a viable option. "Schultz, adjust our orbit and put us in a position where we can intercept the Landser's crew vehicle. Mr. Randell, change of plans, we're going to let them launch, but hit them with the dampening field as soon as you get a tractor lock on their capsule. Maybe if the Landsers don't believe our words, they'll believe the eyes and voices of their own people."

"And worst case scenario, we'd have collateral for a prisoner exchange." Randell realized, speaking aloud what Alex had been thinking.

"Exactly." His critical directions given, Alex finally hailed the Captain, hoping the other senior officer on the surface wasn't in the same, or worse, situation than Mackenzie. "Challenger to Galloway, we've made contact with Commander Mackenzie, he appears to have been captured and is in immediate danger. Mjolnir's last transmission indicated they are under attack. Do you require extraction?"

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[School]

While those around him continually referenced Abas as a doctor, it wasn't technically accurate. He didn't hold any doctoral licensure, nor was he a registered MD in any jurisdiction he knew of. No, he was in fact a nurse in licensure, with his medical certifications from his time in the Andorian Guard and time on his home planet. Regardless of that fact, he still had a duty to care and was more than capable of handling minor bumps and scrapes, as well as quite a bit of battlefield traumas one might come across.

However, when Abas heard a Lieutenant was on the other end, that changed things. Officers could get particular, especially when their children were involved. Ideally, he'd let one of the other medical staff in the room - one of the officers, probably, deal with the situation. However, the teacher had come to him, so he would answer and deal with the repercussions later. "Sir, this is Petty Officer Th'vyrrol. All of the children are present and accounted for, no lasting impacts," he stated, keeping his tone level. "Same effects as the rest of the ship, looks like the second wave was blocked as intended."

Abas didn't react or note the hands being raised, not that he could see them anyway. With no further seeming actions - and the gaggle of children all seemingly fine - he simply waited for additional orders or the response of the Lieutenant to determine his next course of action.

[Schoolroom]

[As Maddy]

Maddy looked at the teacher and the nurse as he was leaving. She couldn't tell why, but something was really bad out in the greater scheme of things.  Bad enough for the little girl to forget about the issues with her own head and even her teacher's attempts to get everyone back to learning things. if she tried really hard, she could "hear" the people on the planet below.  "œUmmmm"¦. What's going on?  There's a lotta people talking really far away and they don't sound happy. "œ

[Ian Galloway]

[Shuttle]

There was only so much Ardy could try to say about the situation before she  probably made even more of a mess.

Getting back into the shuttle, Ardyn nodded to the ones still onboard. "œAlright.  Shuttle is operational and ready to pick up all personnel to medevacuate"¦ "œ She looked outside of the shuttle, only to notice several guards coming on her position.

She opened a call to everyone both on the Challenger and the ground team. Change of plans guys.  I'm launching now.  There are some guys here and they don't look friendly.  We're going to have to retreat to some other safer spot. Preparing evasive maneuvers!" she barked in warning as they made their way into the atmosphere, energy blasts from both ground soldiers and fighters trying to hit them.

So that's how they were going to play.  She turned back to the people still onboard. She knew there were injured here who needed immediate medical help, and more who needed to get out ASAP,  but that would mean nothing if they were all atmospheric confetti.   "œ Alright.  We've got hostiles incoming.  Hold on tight. This is going to get  bumpy!"

Steering the ship into a sharp pitch, she deftly maneuvered the shuttle in a sharp dogfight position to dodge the oncoming fire, fingers flying across the different consoles.  If there were a safe position they could get to where they could evacuate the others still on the planet, that would be great,  but right now, she had to focus on not ending up making the shuttle Swiss cheese.

[Magana Airspace - Land]

Ardy could see the two interceptors closing rapidly. Fortunately, with the shields up, the Landser aircraft could not track the shuttle on radar, thus their missiles could not lock on. However, Mjolnir was still visible to the eye and the interceptors had cannon that didn't need radar. Whatever Ardy was going to do, she was going to have to do soon as the fighters were very close to cannon range.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Meanwhile, in a small office elsewhere in the capitol."¦.

Unknown to the President, her staff, or Kyan, Mikel had clandestinely pulled out his com device and when things had begun going south, he started live streaming. Millions of Landser eyes were glued to screens across Magana and elsewhere. Two of them belonged to a young Landser man named Geran, who was the assistant director of public outreach for the President. In his cramped office, deep within the bowels of the Capitol building he watched the exchange between the small alien and Magana's head of state. He had no choice. It was on every broadcast station. Geron gasped when she mentioned the Mind Ripping. Aside from being an invasive telepathic technique that usually caused irreparable harm to those subjected to it, it was highly illegal.

And if he was shocked to hear his boss basically order the Mind Ripping of an alien visitor, he nearly passed out when she unknowingly admitted the existence of the An-Shok to the world. She was killing her career for a certainty, and possibly getting herself and a lot of other people a one way ticket to prison. The An-Shok, like Mind Ripping, were illegal. More than a century ago they had been a dominant political group in Magana and in some other countries. But after the Magana-Soma Ta war the group was disbanded and their leaders were jailed. Magana had lost that war after other nation states saw the atrocities committed by the crimson clad butchers and rallied to the defense of the smaller nation state. The treaty that followed was heavy handed and in many ways the people of Magana, none of whom were alive to witness or take part in the conflict.

Now the An-Shok were nothing more than a conspiracy theory for the vast majority of Landsers. Most people didn't think that they still existed. But over the past several years, their influence behind the scenes had grown considerably. The recently chosen Master of the Land Moot was from Magana, and had worked in the government there before winning his current seat. While he'd never been particularly cozy with them, the An-Shok had helped him get chosen. K'Ren was a different story. Her family had deep ties to the organization. Her father was an Avowed Brother in the An-Shok, as her grandfather and his father had been. When the soldiers in red uniforms emerged and hauled the little alien away, Geran was on his feet and out the door before they even had him out of the room.

He had to get to K'Ren and warn her. Failing that, he had to get out of the capitol. Heads were likely to roll after this, and he didn't want his to be one of them.

In the executive study, off the President's main office.

Kyan didn't struggle as he was hauled off. He still harbored a fleeting hope of being able to salvage the situation, even though it looked as though his temper had cost him any chance of that. "œAnd yer like tae get fire too." He said to himself. "œ"¦.if ye make it back at all." Getting fired didn't bother him. He'd been fired before, and the only reason he even got this job was that there wasn't anyone else. The truth was he wasn't good at being civil. He never had been, and probably wouldn't get the hang of it for a long time.

If he lived long enough to work at it anyway.

A few moments after the goons in the red uniforms hauled him in, one of them pulled a chair over and he was deposited onto it. The two holding him let go but still flanked him on either side. Another stood in front of him, lording over him. "œWhat is your purpose on our planet?" he asked, peering down his nose at the captive Onlie.

"œSure an I told ye what it was before." Kyan answered. "œYer Fold Space engine is causing space time shockwaves or sommat, an it's dangerous"¦ to us an yerselves. We came tae warn you so we did."

"œWhat is your position on the alien ship?"

"œI'm First Officer"¦for now The last part went unsaid. "œSecond in command." He added in case the title wasn't clear.

The one in front of him smiled. "œSo you have knowledge of the ship's defenses, and the authority to order them to surrender the vessel."

Kyan's surprise at that question was evident without telepathy. He shook his head. "œNo. Even if I could, I'd nae do that. Yer blue arse is out the window if yer after thinking I'd help ye take our ship."

He saw the interrogator nod toward the one on his right just before a field of stars erupted in front of him. Shaking his head, Kyan tried to raise his arm to his head but it was slammed back down on the arm rest.

"œNow then"¦ "œ

He was interrupted by Kyan's com badge chirping, followed by a voice that was familiar but that Kyan couldn't place.
It wasn't Galloway calling which was odd. But that wasn't important. He needed to relay the situation to them, but the Landsers wouldn't just let him do that. As his ear rang from the smack he'd taken a few moments ago, Kyan worked on a way to get a message out. "œY'know"¦" he began, the play still coming into form.. "œIt'd be better if I answered that so it would, they'll be after sending more folks down tae figure out why I'm not talkin."

After pondering this for a moment, the interrogator retrieved Kyan's badge and held it out. "œSpeak to them. Tell them everything is fine."

One of the guards let go of his arm and he reached out and tapped the badge, which was weird.

Mackenzie here. Ye can tell Captain Galloway that I'm still following Regulation forty six A so I am. Things are good here. I made contact with the government. They got nice hospitality here, sure and they do"¦ like New Zealand, on Earth it is. If anyone else comes down, dinnae send no one from Seldonis III. They'd nae like it. Oh"¦ and clean up me codes. I may be wantin tae use em later so. Tht's it. Mackenzie out.

Kyan hoped that they would get the right meaning from that. He tapped the badge again and smiled up at his captor. "œSo what else do ye wanna talk about?" he asked.

Outside the capitol

Where just an hour prior the crowds had been there in fear of the alien presence on their world, they had been wholly replaced by throngs of Landsers with a different viewpoint. Consisting of mostly younger protestors, this crowd bore signs decrying their president's criminal actions and calling for her removal. They were loud and their chants could be heard throughout the government complex.

[Interrogation Room - Magana - Land]

After Kyan had replied to the hail from Challenger, he'd been dragged to a cell below the capital hall. Kyan had to admit, the Landsers were professionals. Their strip search had found every weapon he had concealed on his person. Had they searched any more thoroughly, he'd have had to consider that he was dating them. Once they were certain he was unarmed, he was manacled to a chair with the two An-Shok men standing in front of him. One stepped forward, placed a hand on his head and that's when the room exploded from this presence, not his own, inside his head. Kyan had been in a lot of fights and been injured several times, but even if he combined how much all of those previous injuries had hurt, they did not hurt as much as the fire burning in his skull right now. Through the pain, he could only hear four words thundering without end.

"Tell me the truth!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

"Challenger to Galloway, we've made contact with Commander Mackenzie, he appears to have been captured and is in immediate danger. Mjolnir's last transmission indicated they are under attack. Do you require extraction?"

[Land Moot Great Hall]

When he heard Wu, Ian was immediately on alert as he knew he wouldn't have been contacted unless things had gotten out of hand. Hearing that Kyan was in trouble, he sighed.

"Well, it's dropped in the bloody pot now."

He tapped his combadge and spoke softly.

"We're nae detained for the moment, but it sounds like that could change. We're in the Great Hall of the Land Moot and will try ta get outside. Launch the Scobee and be prepared for a rapid departure. Your priority is the ship and ta get word of the fold space effect ta Starfleet Command. That is an order. If'n it comes ta a choice of the away team or the ship, we are expendable, you are not. Acknowledge."

Ian gestured to Tora and Blackfeather to follow him as he rose. One of the Landser guards noticed and spoke.

"Supplicants must await the ruling of the Land Moot in chamber."

Thinking furiously, Ian replied.

"Apologies. No disrespect is intended, but among our kind, we must bathe in the sun's rays six times a day and it is time for us ta offer obeisance ta our Deity. There must be some exceptions allowed for religious requirements."

The guard looked flustered and spoke on a radio to his superior. After a tense moment, the guard said.

"I must escort you."

"Acceptable. My thanks."

As Ian headed for the exit, he looked in Jettis' direction. The two An-Shok stood close behind him and that was a complication to the plan Ian was still figuring out, but he knew Blackfeather was as good a security non-com as was in Starfleet and would know how to follow his lead.

As the three plus one reached the closest point to where Jettis was standing, Ian caught Blackfeather's eye and nodded toward the An-Shok. When Blackfeather nodded back, Ian exploded into action. He drove the palm of his hand into their guard's nose with all the strength he had. Fortunately, the nose was a weakness Landser's shared with humans. Blinded by pain, Ian was able to deliver a vicious combination of punches and kicks that left the guard a puddle on the floor of the Great Hall.

As Ian fought, Blackfeather had drawn his phaser and stunned both members of the An-Shok. Jettis' long life had left him anything but a fool and he was ready to move as soon as Ian brought up the 'bathe in the sun' nonsense. When his captors crumpled, even though he was still handcuffed, he was moving before the second brother hit the floor.

There was a brief pause as the sudden burst of violence in the nearly sacred Great Hall was such a shock to the Landsers that it gave the four Starfleet personnel time to get a head start before outrage filled the air. Leading the way for the exit of the Great Hall at a full sprint, Ian had time to think.

"I hear New Zealand is beautiful this time of year."

[Kyan Mackenzie]

Kyan had been in a lot of fights and been injured several times, but even if he combined how much all of those previous injuries had hurt, they did not hurt as much as the fire burning in his skull right now. Through the pain, he could only hear four words thundering without end.

"Tell me the truth!"

Over the course of his life, Kyan had been injured in just about every way possible. He'd endured the typical childhood injuries that came with a rough and tumble upbringing until the grups all died, and then after he'd had those same injuries made worse by the lack of experienced doctors to treat them. In Starfleet he'd broken more bones than he could name, been burned with a disruptor and suffered more than a few concussions. Lacerations were also commonplace occurrences. After enduring all of that, he'd developed a pretty high threshold for pain. He couldn't recall the last time he'd screamed, let alone cried over an injury.

He was proud of that.

You gotta have something to hang your hat on right? Kyan was small, even for his physical age. He wasn't scrawny, but he could pass for nine easier than eleven. And that meant that he was physically weak compared to every single adult that he encountered. He could lift all the weights in the world but he had a ceiling in the strength department and it wasn't very high. He was also fragile, like anyone else his age. Luckily kids are springy, but that wasn't much comfort when your arm was dangling at an odd angle. But Kyan had some advantages too. He knew what he could do and didn't lie to himself about the things that he couldn't do. He learned how to play to his strengths and keep others from exploiting his physical limitations. A big part of that had been learning how to block out pain and keep going. Nowadays it was second nature. Many times he'd been seriously injured on a mission and still managed to accomplish his objectives.

This was different. Kyan had taken telepathic defense courses before. He was prepared for a telepathic invasion of some sort, but this was like nothing he'd been exposed to in the past. It felt like there was an animal inside his head, clawing at his skull from the inside. He could almost hear it scraping its claws on the bone. He tried to raise his hands but the manacles didn't reach. He pulled harder until his wrists bled. He screamed but the voice in his head drowned it out.

"œTell me the truth!"

He had told the truth. The Landser had to know that. How could he not? He knew everything. He was everywhere. In every memory, every thought, and every corner of Kyan's consciousness the snarling blue visage thundered his demand for the truth. He offered no reprieve, nor did he threaten punishment for defiance. He simply demanded. But he demanded something he already had. There was nothing else Kyan could do but sit chained to a chair and endure the most painful thing he had experienced in his four and a half centuries. It wasn't only in his skull, it was everywhere. It was suffocating and overwhelming. And it went on, no matter what Kyan did. He tried to give the Landser every memory that he could, but nothing satisfied him. He just kept repeating the demand, which was like a clap of thunder every time.

"œTell me the truth!"

After a few minutes, Kyan stopped trying to raise his arms. Then he stopped screaming. Finally the tears that had tracked down his face were intermingled with blood. It trickled from his eyes, then his nose, and finally his ear. Then he was limp. Still, the Landser persisted. He squeezed harder. He yelled louder.

A Landser woman in civilian attire frowned at the console in front of her before speaking up. "œHis vital signs are spiking E'ren. He's going into neurogenic shock. You're going to kill him!"

The other one looked over his shoulder at her, his cool expression and casual tone belaying the seriousness of her outburst.

"œThen he'll die."

In the Situation room down the hall"¦.

General Wey'nir winced when the screaming started in the next room. He was a soldier, like his father was, and his before him. He was proud of his family's history, even if his great grandfather had been on the wrong side of the Som-Ta conflict. For several years now Wey'nir had known about the existence of the An-Shok. But he didn't know that they were being used by the Magana government"¦ or vice versa. Before today he'd never seen one of them in uniform. And now they were here, in the capitol"¦ killing an alien in the next room. It was surreal to say the least.

"œWhat's wrong general?" One of them spoke up from beside him. "œDo you not approve of the way we deal with those who would enslave us?"

Wey'nir turned to face the red robed man. He bit back a retort and took in the An-Shok's appearance. His face was gaunt and his hair was styled in a traditional mohawk. His beady eyes almost danced with delight. "œIt is a great day for Magana, and for Land-Ta."

"œIs it?" Wey'nir asked incredulously. "œHow's that? It seems to me that you're torturing someone in there who may very well be trying to save us. How do you know his people bear us ill will?"

"œThey lied to us. They tried to spy on us. Why would they do that?" The smarmy face smiled. "œBut we have demonstrated to them that we will not be conquered. "œWhen he dies, we will give him back to his people as a message."

Wey'nir was incredulous. "œSo you intend to kill him then. This isn't an interrogation, it's a murder."

"œIt's the preservation of our race!" the An-Shok thundered. "œAnd I do not like your tone. Consider yourself relieved."

Before Wey'nir could respond, the doors burst open and a breathless Geran stumbled through, surprising everyone, including the President, who had been conferring with 2 other An-Shok across the room. Apparently the screams of someone being tortured in the next room didn't bother them. The tall woman's robes fluttered as she rose from her seat. "œGeran." She smiled. "œI'm glad you're here. We need to prepare a public statement. The smile fell from her face when he began speaking.

"œMadam President"¦ "œ he sputtered, hunched over with his hands on his thighs, gulping air. "œThey"¦. The newscasts. It was all recorded. They all saw you."

K'ren's face was as pale as her cyan complexion would allow. She knew what this meant.  "œWh"¦What do they know?" she stammered, looking back at the An-Shok.

Geran's response was quiet, but deafening. "œEverything."

Outside"¦..

A Landser man in a brightly colored suit stood next to Mikel, who had Eely'ot and G'erti peeking out from around his legs. All around them the crowd was becoming more agitated. The man had a microphone in his hand and another, less smartly dressed, Landser was filming them.

"œI'm standing here with the young man who filmed the video inside the capitol. What is your name?" he asked, putting the microphone in Mikel's face.

"œUmm.. I'm Mikel and"¦ and this is my brother and sister, Eely'ot and G'erti." Mikel's eyes darted nervously from the camera to the restless crowd.

"œAnd what can you tell us about what happened, about the aliens?"

Mikel told him everything. He told them about how his brother had found Kyan hanging in their family's lumithorn tree, and how he and G'erti had brough him inside. He explained how Eely'ot had paralyzed the little alien and how he'd used his own meager healing skills to remove the neural block. He described the memories that he'd seen. He told the newscaster and those in the crowd who had stopped to listen how Kyan had tried to keep them out of any danger. Then he reiterated what they had all seen themselves; how President K'ren had dismissed the alien's warning and ordered him tortured by the An-Shok.

"œAnd they're in there right now!" He raised his voice so more people could hear. "œHe tried to help us and those criminals are going to kill him!"

"œWhere are the rest of them? The furry one and the female?" the newscaster asked, trying to continue an interview that was quickly becoming a call to action."

This time it was G'erti who spoke up, stepping around her older brother and raising her voice to be heard by more than just the microphone. "œHis name is Kyan! He's nice! And he sent them away so they wouldn't get hurt. He could have left too but he stayed so they could get away from that Cave Moose K'ren!"

That was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. After G'erti spoke, it was if a dam broke. The crowd washed over the interviewer and the Landser kids and began streaming into the capitol building.

Several Minutes later, in the interrogation room"¦.

"œThe crowd is inside the building!" an An-Shok brother proclaimed, barging into the room. "œWe must leave"¦NOW."

The Landser with his hand on Kyan's head turned to look at him. He was sweating now, but he didn't release his grip. "œMy work is almost done. Don't let them in."

"œE'ren what are you doing? It's over!" The female doctor pleaded. "œHe was telling the truth! You would have seen it if he was lying."

E'ren used his other hand to shove her away. "œI'm sending them a message!"

A thud behind them caused the doctor to look over. General Wey'nir stood in the doorway over a fallen An-Shok brother. "œRelease him." The general ordered. "œIt's over."

"œYou do not give me orders." E'ren snarled, turning back to his victim. Then he added cooly, "œAnd if you interfere with me, it will kill him."

Wey'nir caught the doctor's eye. When she shook her head, the general drew his sidearm. "œLast chance." He growled, pulling the cocking mechanism back. The metallic click was audible to everyone in the room, including E'ren, who laughed.

"œYou wouldn't shoot me in the back. You're a traitor, not a heretic."

Wey'nir deftly flipped the weapon, now gripping the barrel. He took two stepps and brought the grip down on the top of the An-Shok brother's head, rendering him unconscious before he hit the floor. Scrambling to her feet, the doctor looked at he monitor. She turned to Wey'nir. The glassy look in her eyes told him what he wanted to know, and her voice put his fear into words. "œHe's dying general."

Wey'nir holstered his weapon. He told himself that if the little alien was dying, it meant he hadn't yet. It was a glimmer of hope, but that was enough. "œWhere is the communication device? The one he wore?" he asked urgently.

The doctor looked to where Kyan's uniform lay shredded in the corner. The silver and gold delta was there, tossed aside after the An-Shok bound him to the chair. She retrieved it and handed it to him.

Wey'nir tapped it but nothing happened. Again, and still nothing. Finally, he grabbed Kyan's hand and pressed the delta against the clammy skin on his palm. The soft chirp that it made sent a wave of relief through the old soldier. He almost smiled before remembering the urgency of the situation. As he spoke, his voice carried none of the authority with which he usually communicated. It was replaced by a desperation that he hadn't felt in a long time. Alien or not, the child alien was a soldier, like him. He didn't want to see him die like this.

Alien Spaceship, this is General Wey'nir of the Magana Militia. Commander Kyan is here in the capitol. I have rescued him from the An-Shok. He has been gravely hurt and we can't help him. He doesn't have much time. Please send help for him immediately. I will bring him outside.

Without waiting for a reply, the General released the manacles and hoisted Kyan's limp form onto his shoulder. "œLet's go doctor." He called over his shoulder as he left the room.

[ShranLahr ch'Verret]

CPO ShranLahr ch'Verret
[USS Challenger -  Starboard Nacelle (spacewalk)]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Merde. Ardyn's voice was unmistakable, and unless they were under attack, she wouldn't be flying evasive maneuvers. Alex's list of possible actions was suddenly much smaller, and much more time sensitive. And if their people were in danger, his priority was to see they got to safety, diplomacy be damned. "Grelek, get that repair team back in, we can't raise shields with them out there. Schultz, I saw we have two type-9s on Challenger, tell flight control I need their two best atmospheric shuttle pilots sitting in them. And Davenport, send some of your people to run weapons too. Booker, ask Mjolnir if they're able to return to Galloway's location or the ship."

"Grelek to ch'Verret, return onboard immediately, no delay."

The reset of the portside transceiver had gone without a hitch.  Lahr had been just about to call in and begin his  'untethering' scenario so at least it looked like he and Hicks had followed protocol, when the comm from Grelek came.  That wasn't a good sign.

"Understood. Oh... and starboard side transceiver has been reset and is good to go. "

Lahr, from his position still attached to the workbee's arm, gave Hicks the hand signal to back up.  "Time to go, Clarisse."

The work beebacked up 5 meters, then pivoted towards the shuttlebay.

"Workbee-A3 is headed back to the shuttlebay.  Open hanger doors."

Two minutes later the workbee was passing through the shuttle bay forcefield and touching down on the deck.  Lahr made sure to keep his feet up until the workbee had come to a complete stop.  Then and only then did he lower his feet to the deck and call for his unclamping.   He was released from the workbee's arm, took two steps away before a belated sensation of vertigo struck him.  The joys of spacewalking.

Thankfully, Ensign Jones had been anticipating this and she caught his arm, allowing him to not fall flat on his face.
"Good job, ch'Verret.  Let me give you a hand with your EV suit."

With assistance, Lahr was stripped of his protective suit and then asked to do a simple balance test to check his equilibrium before being allowed to move on to the next work task.   Unfortunately, Lahr failed the balance test and could barely walk.

"You need to go to Sickbay... get that checked." Jones remarked.

Lahr's antennae sagged more than they already were.  He'd just left Sickbay.  Last place he wanted to go was back there again.   "I'll be fine. Just gimme a minute to sit and readjust."

Ensign Jones looked skeptical.  She glanced at her PADD which already had their teams next set of orders.  She let out a sigh.  "Fine.  Crewman Maranx-ii stay with ch'Verret.  If he's not up on his feet in 5 minutes.  Call for Medical to pick him up and check him over.  The rest of us are headed to Deck 9 Forward Torpedo Bay Control."

[Zhukdrashar Mrekrerhas]

[Shuttle]

There was only so much Ardy could try to say about the situation before she  probably made even more of a mess.

Getting back into the shuttle, Ardyn nodded to the ones still onboard. "œAlright.  Shuttle is operational and ready to pick up all personnel to medevacuate"¦ "œ She looked outside of the shuttle, only to notice several guards coming on her position.

She opened a call to everyone both on the Challenger and the ground team. Change of plans guys.  I'm launching now.  There are some guys here and they don't look friendly.  We're going to have to retreat to some other safer spot. Preparing evasive maneuvers!" she barked in warning as they made their way into the atmosphere, energy blasts from both ground soldiers and fighters trying to hit them.

So that's how they were going to play.  She turned back to the people still onboard. She knew there were injured here who needed immediate medical help, and more who needed to get out ASAP,  but that would mean nothing if they were all atmospheric confetti.   "œ Alright.  We've got hostiles incoming.  Hold on tight. This is going to get  bumpy!"

Steering the ship into a sharp pitch, she deftly maneuvered the shuttle in a sharp dogfight position to dodge the oncoming fire, fingers flying across the different consoles.  If there were a safe position they could get to where they could evacuate the others still on the planet, that would be great,  but right now, she had to focus on not ending up making the shuttle Swiss cheese.

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | The Capitol | Land | L7-425977 System]

Zhukdra'shar proceeded to don his seatbelt to prevent himself from being thrown around, in case their pilot attempted a rather aggressive maneuver. He gritted his teeth as she gave a sharp steer to the ship, before making sure that everyone else had properly secured themselves. Fortunately, they had, though still, a chill went down his spine as he realized that the Bolian Doctor, Zorr, was looking somewhat pale. He just hoped that he would be able to resist the journey.

Turning towards the pilot, he proceeded to groan in displeasure at the movements of the vessel, "Keep thyself from engaging the... the hostile vehicles. We are in quite poor relations with the Landsers thus far... I do not want to experience our troubles becoming even worse..."

He partly warned and advised. Zhuk was also feeling somewhat dizzy now, but he could simply not allow his body to give in to the nausea. That would certainly reflect poorly on him, and embarrass him to no end. There was also the matter of causing a chain reaction within the relatively small Mjolnir. That would also be a pity.

His green eyes returned to the screen in front of him, and quickly, the Lieutenant searched for a way to assist Ardyn. It took him a moment before he finally noticed something,

"There is... a narrow mountain pass that conforms a small valley. It stands fifteen kilometers from our current position. I believe... we may lose our pursuers if we venture within."

[Ardyn Jaeger]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

It felt like an eon before he heard from Th'vyrrol, though it was really only a matter of minutes as Alex dealt with the other matters. Maddison and the other children being safe and in good hands took a crushing weight off his shoulders, and he felt inordinately grateful towards the crewman. "Understood, thank you. If Ms. Atkins doesn't require your assistance, you can report back to sickbay." There were still several injured according to their last report, including some who had collapsed during the first temporal pulse and hadn't regained consciousness.

"Sir, I think we might have a new problem." Booker suddenly spoke up, the alarm in her voice evident. "We've intercepted a broadcast that seems to introduce a new faction we hadn't seen before, someone called the An-shok. The language used in the message seems far more threatening than before. Something about words of help and friendship being lies, it sounds like surface negotiations have failed. They also referred to an 'impudent child thing', and if we take into context the original message, that could only be Commander Mackenzie."

Well that's not good. There was a brief sensation of deja vu, with Alex previously having sat in a very similar chair and hearing about then-Lieutenant Mackenzie getting into trouble. I guess he's still alive and his normal self if he's irritating the Landsers. Before he could decide what to do with this new information, Booker spoke up again, "Incoming message from the Mjolnir."

Merde. Ardyn's voice was unmistakable, and unless they were under attack, she wouldn't be flying evasive maneuvers. Alex's list of possible actions was suddenly much smaller, and much more time sensitive. And if their people were in danger, his priority was to see they got to safety, diplomacy be damned. "Grelek, get that repair team back in, we can't raise shields with them out there. Schultz, I saw we have two type-9s on Challenger, tell flight control I need their two best atmospheric shuttle pilots sitting in them. And Davenport, send some of your people to run weapons too. Booker, ask Mjolnir if they're able to return to Galloway's location or the ship."

"Grelek to ch'Verret, return onboard immediately, no delay."

"Challenger to Mjolnir, what is your current condition? Can you return to Challenger or reach Captain Galloway?"

it seemed like the port transceiver had been repaired just in time, as yet another message came flying in, hot and cryptic.

Mackenzie, in voice and spirit, finally. The manner in which he'd passed on his current condition wasn't at all reassuring, however. Alex thought he caught the general gist of it. 46A, someone unfriendly was party to their conversation, and New Zealand hospitality, Mackenzie considered himself a prisoner, probably of those same people listening in, people who weren't likely to abide by the Seldonis convention. The situation was bad enough that he'd asked them to scrub his command codes, which weren't something any Starfleet officer generally gave up willingly. "Lieutenants Booker and Randell, it is of my professional opinion that Commander Mackenize is compromised, and have interpreted his last orders as such. Do you concur?"

The young lieutenants looked startled to be asked, but nodded nevertheless. "Very well, this will need all three us." And this is one reason why the Captain isn't supposed to leave the ship. "Computer, suspend Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie's command codes under suspicion of his capture and current status as a prisoner of war, authorization Wu-Alpha-Kilo-Two-Two-Five."

"I concur, Booker-Gamma-Hotel-One-Seven-Nine."

"I concur, Randell-Sierra-Mike-Zero-Two-Six."

With that done, Alex moved onto the next task immediately, trying to maintain that rapidly dissolving perception of control. "Tactical, what are our options?"

"Not much from up here. Transporters are still offline, since we can't use them here anyways. I don't recommend phasers for any sort of orbital strike, if we hit one of those temporal pockets in the atmosphere, who knows what we'll end up hitting or when. Torpedoes are possible, but it'd take several minutes to plot in navigational data so they don't fly into those same pockets. It's doable sir." Davenport sounded more confident than she looked, but it wasn't as if they had many other options.

"Okay, call up a replacement and get started on the torpedoes, as soon as your replacement gets here, report to the Cutty Sark and prepare for launch." Alex turned next to Randell with another idea, though this one being far more objectionable than their original intention. "Is the tractor beam still operational?"

"Yes sir." Randell gave him a confused frown. "I don't think it'd be a good idea using it on the fold-space device however, we just don't know enough about how it works to know what effects a graviton beam would have."

"We won't use it on the device." Alex remarked grimly, solidifying his idea into a viable option. "Schultz, adjust our orbit and put us in a position where we can intercept the Landser's crew vehicle. Mr. Randell, change of plans, we're going to let them launch, but hit them with the dampening field as soon as you get a tractor lock on their capsule. Maybe if the Landsers don't believe our words, they'll believe the eyes and voices of their own people."

"And worst case scenario, we'd have collateral for a prisoner exchange." Randell realized, speaking aloud what Alex had been thinking.

"Exactly." His critical directions given, Alex finally hailed the Captain, hoping the other senior officer on the surface wasn't in the same, or worse, situation than Mackenzie. "Challenger to Galloway, we've made contact with Commander Mackenzie, he appears to have been captured and is in immediate danger. Mjolnir's last transmission indicated they are under attack. Do you require extraction?"

[Lieutenant Zhukdra'shar Mrekrerhas | The Capitol | Land | L7-425977 System]

Zhukdra'shar proceeded to don his seatbelt to prevent himself from being thrown around, in case their pilot attempted a rather aggressive maneuver. He gritted his teeth as she gave a sharp steer to the ship, before making sure that everyone else had properly secured themselves. Fortunately, they had, though still, a chill went down his spine as he realized that the Bolian Doctor, Zorr, was looking somewhat pale. He just hoped that he would be able to resist the journey.

Turning towards the pilot, he proceeded to groan in displeasure at the movements of the vessel, "Keep thyself from engaging the... the hostile vehicles. We are in quite poor relations with the Landsers thus far... I do not want to experience our troubles becoming even worse..."

He partly warned and advised. Zhuk was also feeling somewhat dizzy now, but he could simply not allow his body to give in to the nausea. That would certainly reflect poorly on him, and embarrass him to no end. There was also the matter of causing a chain reaction within the relatively small Mjolnir. That would also be a pity.

His green eyes returned to the screen in front of him, and quickly, the Lieutenant searched for a way to assist Ardyn. It took him a moment before he finally noticed something,

"There is... a narrow mountain pass that conforms a small valley. It stands fifteen kilometers from our current position. I believe... we may lose our pursuers if we venture within."

[Shuttle]

Good news: They got ahold of the Challenger. For a hot moment, Ardyn was worried that the ship couldn't hear them due to the temporal  and atmospheric interference.  Bad news: They had at least two different  enemies on their tail, guns blazing as they spun and weaved high above the city.  "œI'll definitely try to, but I make no promises.  If we can't , I might need you to man the guns ." She motioned to the Caitian in security yellows nearby her.

He recommended this narrow pass. It seemed like as good an idea as any, especially  given the aerial patterns the fighters were displaying

  "œThis is Mjolnir to Challenger. We have confirmed two fighters on our tail.  May be more on route. I'm headed towards this mountain pass to try and lose them before hopefully getting over to Galloway and the others to extract. They're making it kind of  - difficult to try landing right now, but if I get an opening, I'll get as many of our team as I can.  "œ

She banked hard to starboard around a tall building spire, causing one of the medics to shout in surprise in the back as stuff shifted. It couldn't be helped as she sped ahead towards the narrow passage in the distance that Zhuk mentioned.  She felt the ship shake as one of the crude weapons hit the shields. They were primitive, sure, but they were persistent.  She twisted around

"œHow are you guys in the back?" she asked, noticing the Bolian's thoughts about regretting eating his lunch today, really hoping he wasn't going to puke.

[Alexander Wu]

"We're nae detained for the moment, but it sounds like that could change. We're in the Great Hall of the Land Moot and will try ta get outside. Launch the Scobee and be prepared for a rapid departure. Your priority is the ship and ta get word of the fold space effect ta Starfleet Command. That is an order. If'n it comes ta a choice of the away team or the ship, we are expendable, you are not. Acknowledge."

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Asking Alex to consider the away team expendable when his future wife was in that said team seemed a bit callous, but Galloway likely had many other things on his mind. Nevertheless, he didn't intend on abandoning anyone, and the Landsers thus far hadn't shown they could do anything to harm Challenger, at least nothing they didn't already plan for. "Acknowledged, Challenger out."

"Launch the Onizuka and Smith." Alex ordered, turning around to greet Davenport's replacement, a fairly sizable Klingon, as he came onto the bridge. "Lieutenant Davenport, let me know as soon as you get onboard the Cutty Sark, your task will be to retrieve the Captain and his team. Welcome to the bridge, your name?"

"Petty Officer Koroz, sir."

"Excellent, continue Lieutenant Davenport's targeting work with the torpedoes. I want firing solutions on the 'Land Moot', the Landser's space launch site, and the location where Commander Mackenzie's commbadge was last located." Worst case contingencies were not desirable, but Alex needed to have them, just in case. Like Galloway had ordered, he couldn't allow any harm to come to the crew.

  "œThis is Mjolnir to Challenger. We have confirmed two fighters on our tail.  May be more on route. I'm headed towards this mountain pass to try and lose them before hopefully getting over to Galloway and the others to extract. They're making it kind of  - difficult to try landing right now, but if I get an opening, I'll get as many of our team as I can.  "œ

"Lieutenant Booker, relay orders for the Smith, they are to rendezvous and provide support to the Mjolnir. Advise them that they are authorized to use whatever means necessary to defend our people." Alex wished he could send both of the Type 9s to back Ardyn up, but at the rate things were progressing, the Cutty Sark would also need an escort.

"Mjolnir, this is Challenger, I'm sending the Smith to assist you. Weapons are approved for self defense, try to aim for disabling shots as best you can. Return to the ship when able, the Cutty Sark will go get the Captain."

Alien Spaceship, this is General Wey'nir of the Magana Militia. Commander Kyan is here in the capitol. I have rescued him from the An-Shok. He has been gravely hurt and we can't help him. He doesn't have much time. Please send help for him immediately. I will bring him outside.

Tabernac. Alex was struck with a moment of indecisiveness as an alien voice came over the bridge, using Mackenzie's commbadge. They knew the commander had been captured, and from this 'Wey'nir', that he had been injured, apparently at the hands of the An-Shok. But there was no way of knowing if this was their way of setting up a trap to try and capture more prisoners. Even Mackenzie himself had given warning in his last message to not send anyone else down.

But what if? What if this was a Landser General who was telling the truth, that Mackenize was grievously hurt, and maybe, just maybe, he was willing to keep an open mind and help? What if this was a glimmer of hope that their mission, which had gone so sideways off the tracks, could somehow be salvaged, not over phasers but a pot of coffee?

"Bridge, this is Lieutenant Davenport, I'm onboard the Cutty Sark, ready to launch."

He needed to make a decision, now. Alex threw his skepticism to the wind and resolved on the side of hope. "Davenport, change of plans, dump the Argo, you're going to need more room for passengers. Your new orders are to proceed to Mackenzie's last location, a General Wey'nir will meet you with the Commander. I'm sending a doctor to go with you, he's apparently been hurt. Wait one."

"Do we have any pediatricians onboard?" He asked the others, unfamiliar with the medical staff and knowing that their XO had certain physical differences in anatomy. "Doctor Kartos." Booker suggested immediately, "Not only is he a pediatrician, he's also worked with Onlies for, well, apparently forever." Alex was moving on the fly now, trying to organize all the moving parts and changing priorities as they presented themselves. "Good, page sickbay, get him to the shuttlebay, posthaste. And have a medical team in there for when they get back."

"Sickbay, this is the Bridge, Doctor Kartos to the Cutty Sark immediately. Medical team to the shuttlebay to standby for casualties."

"Davenport, I'm sending you Doctor Kartos. When you get to the surface, invite General Wey'nir to come onboard. Maybe he'll believe our intentions if he sees it with his own eyes and then he can convince his people of it. Be careful, set phasers to stun, Onizuka will escort you down."

If the Cutty Sark was going to pick up Mackenzie, that meant someone else was needed to fetch the Captain. And Alex was running out of shuttles. "Mjolnir, this is Challenger. Ardyn, change of plans, once you're clear of those fighters, I need you to go pick up the Captain and his team. It'll be cramped but you should all fit. Get to him as soon as you can, I have a feeling he's going to need a ride sooner rather than later."

Finally, he responded to the alien who'd used Mackenzie's commbadge to reach them. He had to trust that this Landser was more moderate than some of his compatriots, and that he didn't just send another six crewmembers to languish in an alien prison. Alex had to believe that the majority of Landsers would want to make peace before things fell entirely apart. And he had to be Starfleet at it's best, giving them every opportunity to do so.

"General Wey'nir, this is Lieutenant Wu of the Federation starship Challenger. I have sent a ship to come retrieve our Commander, be advised that they have been given permission to defend themselves if necessary. They have also been instructed to extend an invitation to you directly, to come to our ship so we may present our evidence in proving that we mean you and your people no harm, that we came with only the intention to warn you about the dangers you face with your space travel technology. If you have any scientists or others with you who would wish to personally verify our claims, then they are welcome as well."

"Launch detected from the surface." Randell warned, despite the timer he'd previously set still counting down. "Whatever happened down there must've given them reason to expedite. Intercept in ten minutes."

"We can still salvage this. We need to show them that we meant no harm, that we're here to help them, not to interfere." Alex could only do so much to set the table, now they needed to welcome their guests and hope Galloway was on his way back to try diplomacy again, this time on their turf. "As soon as they're in tractor range, deploy the dampening field and lock onto their crew capsule, bring them into the main shuttlebay."

[Ian Galloway]

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

Asking Alex to consider the away team expendable when his future wife was in that said team seemed a bit callous, but Galloway likely had many other things on his mind. Nevertheless, he didn't intend on abandoning anyone, and the Landsers thus far hadn't shown they could do anything to harm Challenger, at least nothing they didn't already plan for.
"Acknowledged, Challenger out."

[Outside Land Moot Great Hall]

When the away team exited the building, Ian produced his phaser one from under his tunic and after adjusting the setting, used the weapon to fuse the doors closed. It wasn't much, but it would delay immediate pursuit. It was all too obvious that two humans, an El Aurian, and a Cardassian would not be able to remain unnoticed, so the next best thing was to move with the attitude that you had every right to be where you were. Squaring up his shoulders, Ian proceeded across the open quad and headed for the corner of the nearest building. Of course every Landser they met along the way eyed them with great curiosity, but none of them tried to stop the small party of aliens. Once out of sight, Ian tapped his combadge.

"Galloway ta Challenger, we've exited the Land Moot Hall. We're nae under immediate pursuit, but we'd appreciate a lift as soon as one can be arranged."

It was then that cries behind them could be heard. Ian gestured to the others and said.

"Run!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[Shuttle]

Good news: They got ahold of the Challenger. For a hot moment, Ardyn was worried that the ship couldn't hear them due to the temporal  and atmospheric interference.  Bad news: They had at least two different  enemies on their tail, guns blazing as they spun and weaved high above the city.  "œI'll definitely try to, but I make no promises.  If we can't , I might need you to man the guns ." She motioned to the Caitian in security yellows nearby her.

He recommended this narrow pass. It seemed like as good an idea as any, especially  given the aerial patterns the fighters were displaying

  "œThis is Mjolnir to Challenger. We have confirmed two fighters on our tail.  May be more on route. I'm headed towards this mountain pass to try and lose them before hopefully getting over to Galloway and the others to extract. They're making it kind of  - difficult to try landing right now, but if I get an opening, I'll get as many of our team as I can.  "œ

She banked hard to starboard around a tall building spire, causing one of the medics to shout in surprise in the back as stuff shifted. It couldn't be helped as she sped ahead towards the narrow passage in the distance that Zhuk mentioned.  She felt the ship shake as one of the crude weapons hit the shields. They were primitive, sure, but they were persistent.  She twisted around

"œHow are you guys in the back?" she asked, noticing the Bolian's thoughts about regretting eating his lunch today, really hoping he wasn't going to puke.

[Magana Airspace]

The two fighters pursued the Mjolnir down the pass with the lead fighter's cannon blazing away, but the simple chemically propelled explosive projectiles had absolutely no effect against the shuttle's shields. The narrow pass was only a few miles long and this forced Ardy into the open again. However, in open sky, the Mjolnir had speed the Landser fighters couldn't hope to match. Thus when Ardy went full power, the interceptors quickly began to lose ground and eventually, they reached the edge of Magana airspace and had to break off leaving Ardy a clear path to the Land Moot.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[USS Challenger - Bridge]

"Launch detected from the surface." Randell warned, despite the timer he'd previously set still counting down. "Whatever happened down there must've given them reason to expedite. Intercept in ten minutes."

"We can still salvage this. We need to show them that we meant no harm, that we're here to help them, not to interfere." Alex could only do so much to set the table, now they needed to welcome their guests and hope Galloway was on his way back to try diplomacy again, this time on their turf. "As soon as they're in tractor range, deploy the dampening field and lock onto their crew capsule, bring them into the main shuttlebay."

[Bridge - USS Challenger]

There were several tense seconds as Lieutenant Booker concentrated on targeting the tractor beam to avoid the temporal fractures that had become part of the Landser orbit. Finally, Alex could see the beam lance out a snare the crew capsule. There was a heart stopping moment when it looked like the Landser craft would break up under the stress of being tractored, but Booker reacted quickly and routed a portion of the ship's structural integrity field to the capsule to reinforce the fragile craft. Crisis averted, the Landser capsule was successfully brought into the shuttlebay.

Whether the first contact with the Landsers could be salvaged or not was as yet unknown, all Alex knew now was he'd given the best orders he could with what he had to work with. All he could do was wait to see if the individual commanders he'd dispatched could accomplish what he'd sent them to do.

[Jettis Jyur]

[Land Moot Great Hall]

When he heard Wu, Ian was immediately on alert as he knew he wouldn't have been contacted unless things had gotten out of hand. Hearing that Kyan was in trouble, he sighed.

"Well, it's dropped in the bloody pot now."

He tapped his combadge and spoke softly.

"We're nae detained for the moment, but it sounds like that could change. We're in the Great Hall of the Land Moot and will try ta get outside. Launch the Scobee and be prepared for a rapid departure. Your priority is the ship and ta get word of the fold space effect ta Starfleet Command. That is an order. If'n it comes ta a choice of the away team or the ship, we are expendable, you are not. Acknowledge."

Ian gestured to Tora and Blackfeather to follow him as he rose. One of the Landser guards noticed and spoke.

"Supplicants must await the ruling of the Land Moot in chamber."

Thinking furiously, Ian replied.

"Apologies. No disrespect is intended, but among our kind, we must bathe in the sun's rays six times a day and it is time for us ta offer obeisance ta our Deity. There must be some exceptions allowed for religious requirements."

The guard looked flustered and spoke on a radio to his superior. After a tense moment, the guard said.

"I must escort you."

"Acceptable. My thanks."

As Ian headed for the exit, he looked in Jettis' direction. The two An-Shok stood close behind him and that was a complication to the plan Ian was still figuring out, but he knew Blackfeather was as good a security non-com as was in Starfleet and would know how to follow his lead.

As the three plus one reached the closest point to where Jettis was standing, Ian caught Blackfeather's eye and nodded toward the An-Shok. When Blackfeather nodded back, Ian exploded into action. He drove the palm of his hand into their guard's nose with all the strength he had. Fortunately, the nose was a weakness Landser's shared with humans. Blinded by pain, Ian was able to deliver a vicious combination of punches and kicks that left the guard a puddle on the floor of the Great Hall.

As Ian fought, Blackfeather had drawn his phaser and stunned both members of the An-Shok. Jettis' long life had left him anything but a fool and he was ready to move as soon as Ian brought up the 'bathe in the sun' nonsense. When his captors crumpled, even though he was still handcuffed, he was moving before the second brother hit the floor.

There was a brief pause as the sudden burst of violence in the nearly sacred Great Hall was such a shock to the Landsers that it gave the four Starfleet personnel time to get a head start before outrage filled the air. Leading the way for the exit of the Great Hall at a full sprint, Ian had time to think.

"I hear New Zealand is beautiful this time of year."
----
[Outside Land Moot Great Hall]

When the away team exited the building, Ian produced his phaser one from under his tunic and after adjusting the setting, used the weapon to fuse the doors closed. It wasn't much, but it would delay immediate pursuit. It was all too obvious that two humans, an El Aurian, and a Cardassian would not be able to remain unnoticed, so the next best thing was to move with the attitude that you had every right to be where you were. Squaring up his shoulders, Ian proceeded across the open quad and headed for the corner of the nearest building. Of course every Landser they met along the way eyed them with great curiosity, but none of them tried to stop the small party of aliens. Once out of sight, Ian tapped his combadge.

"Galloway ta Challenger, we've exited the Land Moot Hall. We're nae under immediate pursuit, but we'd appreciate a lift as soon as one can be arranged."

It was then that cries behind them could be heard. Ian gestured to the others and said.

"Run!"

[Land Moot Great Hall -> Courtyard ]

Jettis had remained silent for most of this 'hearing'. Or rather, any attempts to speak had resulted in the guard that hovered oppressingly over his shoulder landing a blow to his back to silence him. He cussed quietly, before resigning himself to letting the others argue on his behalf.

It was strange, looking into such a large crowd and feeling nothing. Once he'd realized the Landsers were telepathic - strong ones at that - he'd firmly shut down any communication in or out of his brain. Hanging on to whatever control he could for as long as he could. A resolve that wavered as another bout of nausea hit him, whether it be from Af-Kelt, being far too close to temporal disturbances for far too long, or simply from losing his battle earlier with his captors.

His mind had drifted off slightly, wondering if he could convey a message to Theresa. No, the ship was much too far. Besides, she'd still be in classes at this point, unaware he'd departed the ship. His thoughts weaved as his mental control slipped, before something suddenly snapped him back to reality.
Eyes darting over to Galloway, his head tipped imperceptibly. Bathe in the sun's rays? The brief confusion washed off when he realized what the Captain was doing. And never had he been so grateful that he was indistinguishable from a human, because it seemed the guard assumed the same would go for him without so much as an argument. Catching his glance, he resisted the urge to turn around to look at the guards flanking him. Two, by the footsteps he assumed.

The flurry of motion was all the confirmation he needed, pulling away as he heard the guards drop in a split section of action. His manacles would have to be dealt with later, he decided, as he took off to escape the building. Pausing as the Captain had the sense to block off the main exit, he shot a wary look over his shoulder.  "Glad to finally see a friendly face. Apologies for the lack of discretion on the mission." The usual playful grin that accompanied it was more of an exhausted grimace, but present nonetheless. This was certainly going to be a fun mission report to write up. And probably a prompt court-martialing.

That was, if he made it back in one piece. Picking back up to run when shouts were heard, Jettis spared to drop his walls a fraction. He had no idea where they were running, but hopefully he could help guide them away from any potential ambushes or nearby crowds and pursuers.

[Kyan Mackenzie]

[General Wey'nir | Magana Capitol complex, Land]

The old general barrelled through the corridors of the capitol with Kyan slung over one shoulder and the Onlie's com badge in one hand. The doctor followed closely behind attempting to attach small circular sticker like leads to Kyan's head as they made their way through the lower levels of the building. Along the way, government staff, local police, and even a few of the protesters from outside stood aside as they passed. Wey'nir was still an imposing figure even now, well into his sixth decade.

Having taken the stairs to get back to the ground level, they emerged in the central lobby, which was awash in protestors and the dozen or so soldiers attempting in vain to keep them at bay. Wey'nir was relieved to see his own men, and none of the red robed An-Shok. After pausing to catch his breath; Kyan was light but still a burden to carry up three flights of stairs; Wey'nir shifted the Onlie's limp form to his other shoulder and surveyed the scene. With K'ren gone and chaos erupting all around them, there would need to be order restored.

"œSoldiers." He bellowed, "œto me."

Confused looks and protests turned to swift obedience when the Magana soldiers saw who it was giving the order. Nearly as one they moved to their commander, leaving the throngs of their fellow citizens to finally enter the capitol uncontested. They formed a tight circle around the general and the doctor, who continued to take reading, frowning each time a new one popped up on her monitoring device. As the crowd flowed around them like an island in the middle of a river, Wey'nir surveyed his troops. His eyes stopped finally on a sergeant, the highest ranking of them. What he was about to say was difficult. K'ren had taken until today to prove herself unfit to lead. The Vice President had taken considerably less time. To Wey'nir's knowledge he hadn't done anything illegal, but he was no leader. He was a puppet. Still, the law was the law and he would see it followed. Finally he issued the order.

"œSergeant. I want you to go find the Vice President. Bring him here immediately. Tell him that President K'ren has fled the city and that we will be enacting continuity of government."

The sergeant answered, but  it wasn't what Wey'nir necessarily wanted to hear. "œGeneral the Vice President"¦ he"¦"

"œHe jumped off the balcony outside his office." One of the men behind him finished. "œHe's dead."

The Private's words struck him like a hammer. The realization of what they truly meant came slow for him. It didn't seem real. Wey'nir had spent his life leading Magana soldiers. He wasn't a politician and had considered retiring when K'ren had appointed him as the Military Chief of Staff. But the motto of the division that he had commanded rang in his ears then. "œDuty First". Grudgingly, he had accepted the post and all that it entailed. One of the things that his post entailed was that he was second in the line of succession. At the time it seemed insignificant. No Maganan Head of State had ben deposed or left office early in his lifetime, nor for nearly a century. But that was over now. We'nir heaved a tired sigh. "œThen Sergeant, I want you to go and find me a priest."

The non-commissioned officer nodded gravely. "œAt once General." Then he stepped back, saluted, and was lost in the crowd.

"œGeneral." The doctor spoke up with a wavering voice after another set of scans was finished. "œYou need to put him on the floor."

"œIt's fine." Wey'nir replied, his mind swimming with the things he would need to do once the priest had sworn him in. "œHe isn't heavy."

She shook her head. "œNo, it's not that. He's gone into the final stages of Neurogenic shock. I'm going to need to keep his heart and lungs working until his people get here. He needs to be lying on his back." She looked to the soldiers. "œIs there a medic here?"

A young soldier raised his hand.

The doctor nodded. "œGood. I want you to go and get me some shock paddles and an Autobreather. Hurry."

Like the Sergeant, the medic voiced his compliance and was gone. Wey'nir took he Onlie off his shoulder and laid him gently on the cold polished stone. When he'd done that he stood, watching impotently as the doctor knelt beside him and placed more sticker-like leads on the boy's bare chest, avoiding the angry scratches where the An-Shok had cut away his black and red uniform jacket and ripped open the undershirt beneath it, which was still tucked into what remained of his trousers. They'd sliced those up the outside of his legs to search for weapons, which made them angrier still because they found some.

The doctor sat back on her knees and wiped her forehead as she waited for more scans, or the inevitable. Whichever came first.

"œWhat's your name doctor?" Wey'nir said finally, taking his eyes off the broken alien and onto his fellow Maganan.

"œEvanji." She replied, keeping her own eyes on her patient. "œEvanji T'rell."

Wey'nir gave a solemn nod. "œThank you Evanji."

She finally looked up. It was an odd statement her her ears, being thanked"¦ for giving her name? "œFor what?" she asked after a moment.

"œFor your courage." Wey'nir answered. "œYou might have saved him"¦ and us too. Your country is in your debt."

"œNo one is in my debt." She replied, returning her focus to Kyan. "œI'm a doctor. This is my job."

The old general's reply was cut off when the sergeant returned dragging a very irritated young man in a flowing crimson robe by the wrist. "œWhat is the meaning of this!? I am Brother Laris of the An-Shok! You will"¦." The brother's eyes became hard when he saw Kyan lying on the floor and a doctor tending to him. "œThere are Landsers injured and you waste time on this invader? How da"¦."

The barrel of Wey'nir's side arm pressed against his chest gave him something more urgent with which to concern himself.

"œGet out your book and swear me in or I'll execute you for treason right here." The steel in the white haired soldier's eyes spoke volumes, but still the An-Shok priest persisted.

"œThe President is"¦"

"œGone. She fled like the criminal that she is. The Vice President is dead by his own doing." Wey'nir growled. "œObey or die, and I do not care which you choose."

Seeing no alternative, the red robed brother produced a book from one of the folds in his crimson robe. His gaunt hands shook slightly as he thumbed through the pages. He finally came to the proper page and looked up at the soon to be president of Magana with malice in his eyes. "œRaise your hand." He demanded.

The general holstered his sidearm and  raised his right hand.

"œMake the obligation."

Wey'nir touched two fingers to his brow and lowered his arm to the side in a sweeping gesture, keeping his fingers extended.

"œRepeat my words."  He hissed. "œTo all assembled, hear my pledge"¦"

Wey'nir projected his voice, stopping many of the protesters when they heard his words over the din of the cowd. "œTo all assembled, hear my pledge"¦"

"œI shall preserve the Land from which we came."

The river of Landsers that moments ago had been rushing around them came to a halt as everyone stood around the circle of soldiers to see the new leader of their country being sworn in. A murmer rippled through the mostly silent spectators as some wondered aloud what happened to K'ren.

The An-Shok priest grew more uncomfortable as the onlookers increased in number. But a glance at the soldiers and Wey'nir's weapon were reason enough to continue. "œI will defend the people against all who would harm them."

"œI will defend the people against ALL who would harm them."

The priest paused briefly. "œI will uphold the laws of Magana and the edicts of the creators."

"œI will uphold the laws of Magana. The Creators be damned."

This drew a gasp from some in the crowd, but a raucous cheer from most. The Creators were the preferred dieties of the An-Shok. Most Maganans either practiced another religion or none at all. The priest looked like he wanted to say something, but bit his tongue and continued. "œThis I vow on my sacred honor."

Wey'nir took a deep breath. There wouldn't be any going back after he finished it. These were his last moments as a soldier. He wanted to hang on, but looking down at Evanji and Kyan, he knew he couldn't afford to delay. "œThis I vow"¦ on my sacred honor.

"œYours is their voice." The priest finished, replacing his book.

"œMine is OUR voice." Weynir replied, finishing the oath as written. Then adding with the hint of a smile"¦"œAnd you are under arrest for crimes against Magana and Land."

A soldier stepped forward and seized the priest, who sputtered protestations as he was dragged away through the cheering mass of Magnans. Wey'nir supposed he ought to say something to the crowd, but the words weren't there. What could he say? What was there to say? Luckily he didn't have to. Kyan's com badge chirped and Wey'nir held it up to his ear, mopmentarily forgetting the crowd as he listened.

"General Wey'nir, this is Lieutenant Wu of the Federation starship Challenger. I have sent a ship to come retrieve our Commander, be advised that they have been given permission to defend themselves if necessary. They have also been instructed to extend an invitation to you directly, to come to our ship so we may present our evidence in proving that we mean you and your people no harm, that we came with only the intention to warn you about the dangers you face with your space travel technology. If you have any scientists or others with you who would wish to personally verify our claims, then they are welcome as well."

Wey'nir knelt and tapped it once again with Kyan's hand.

Lieutenant Wu, this is Ge"¦.This is President Wey'nir"¦.

The soldiers smiled and the crowd cheered at that. Wey'nir waited for quiet before continuing.

I eagerly await your arrival. Please make all haste. We will do all we can to help Commander Kyan until you arrive. Wey'nir out.

Once he'd finished, Wey'nir finally spoke to the assembled crowd. "œMy countrymen. There is no time for soaring words and speeches. That can come later. Duty must come first. My friends, gather your fellow citizens and go home in peace. You have been heard. Now we will show these new arrivals who we are. One of their people lies here dying because some among us have allowed fear and hatred to rule them. That stops now. Go home in peace. I will speak to you soon.

The crowd began shuffling out without much delay. Wey'nir watched them go for a moment, and then turned to the soldiers. "œNow go and find me a scientist with knowledge of the Great Work. Bring them here"¦ and be quick about it."

When the soldiers had saluted and left, Wey'nir bent down next to Evanji. "œHow long." He asked, watching as she attached the leads for the shock paddles to Kyan's chest.

"œMinutes." She replied sadly. "œI hope they hurry."