Hakamura and Ensign Suzanna Tsugochi escorted the two Adamsburg civilians, a man and a woman, to a small room off of the bridge, which served as the captain's ready room. The lander did not have a formal room for that purpose. This room had a small table to serve as a desk, a couple of chairs and a replicator. Thorpe, leaving Bayanhong in charge and simply telling her to hold their position, had arrived in the room prior to the arrival of the civilians.
The two were in their twenties, relatively pale skinned, with brown hair that was kind of bushy and unkempt. The clothing was soiled, as if they had been crawling in the dirt and had inadequate opportunities to clean themselves. They looked like they could use a shower, as they were simply disheveled and dirty. Both were eagerly drinking mugs of water that had been provided for them. Thorpe quietly looked up at them, as the security officers gestured for them to sit down. Hakamura and Tsugochi stood by the door. "Identify yourselves," Thorpe said, the tone of his voice implying that he was giving an order.
"I'm not part of Starfleet, and I'm not bound by your orders," the man said.
"This is the thanks I get for rescuing you, and getting you out of the line of fire from what looked like Dorans."
"Starfleet is responsible for this whole mess in the first place."
"Interesting," Thorpe said softly. "My ship was light years away from Charamand when the miners struck the alien structure and the whole town vanished."
"But it was the fault of Starfleet that they did not find the structure in the first place. That's their job."
The woman spoke up, "There's no point going over this. The coward in the science uniform said the same thing."
That one comment got Thorpe's attention. "What do you mean, 'coward in the science uniform'?" They just had to be speaking about Matsubara in this situation, and Thorpe did not like at all how they referred to her.
The man continued, "She was a coward because she did not join in the revolt. She hesitated, and she held us back. Had she agreed to help us, then we certainly would have made it to the transit platform before the Dorans came back from their raiding party. As it was, they brought back even more captives."
"Actually, they did not," Thorpe started. "When we arrived, we heard about the first raid, and immediately fortified the transit station at our location. When the Dorans attacked again, they were driven back quickly. They grabbed nobody."
"Then the failure of the revolt was even more catastrophic. We could've freed ourselves, but the coward was not part of it. She was a collaborator. She got the other science officer and the Odonan to go along with her, but the security officer was brave. He fought gallantly."
Based on this, Thorpe had to assume that Stanislava, the "other science officer" and Kayaha, "the Odonan," were okay, while the security officer in question was Ensign Warner. His status was uncertain, but not good. "What exactly happened?"
The civilian was almost too happy to talk about that. "The Dorans had sent their better fighters on the raid, leaving behind poorly trained and motivated guards. We took the opportunity. We overpowered them, and took their weapons. We destroyed the fertilizer shed and apparently their food reserves as well, and then went for the transit station. We didn't make it."
"How many casualties?"
"I do not know, but many, on both sides."
"The revolt was a most foolish thing to do," Thorpe started.
"Don't lecture me, Starfleet captain," the man said more loudly, as he stood up. He immediately sensed the presence of Hakamura behind him, and thought that the man probably could disable him in a dozen different ways. "The revolt was the only thing we could do. The Dorans fully intended to work us to death, and then grind our bodies into debris and add us as fertilizer. Then they were going to go back and grab some more, and keep on doing this because they're too damn lazy to grow their own food. Idealism isn't going to save us. That coward didn't realize that, and I don't think you realize that."
"I'm still of the impression that the revolt would have failed. Nevertheless, at least I have a picture of what is going on down there." Of course, Thorpe thought about Matsubara, and how she might be alright. He did feel a little relieved at that news. He thought about the sensor images of the extensive fire and the damaged section, which might have been a consequence of the revolt, but he was also aware of the sensor readings, which indicated no other lifesigns on the outside. Most of the initial captured group might have joined the revolt, thinking they had nothing left to lose after a day or two as slave farm workers, and they died as a result. The Dorans were left without the fertilizer, which was likely necessary in these barren and overworked soils, and might not have had much food left either. Then there was Takoo's toxin, which could knock out what the Dorans had growing in the fields. It was a situation, he thought, and a messy one at that. "Anyway, thank you for the information that you have decided to provide. Lieutenant Hakamura, give these two the chance to take a shower and get a decent meal."
"Aye, sir..."
* * *
"Hamuto," the Doran leader spoke up, without looking up. One of the younger women, operating one of the consoles, looked up and approached the three older women, although even Matsubara could tell that Hamuto was not approaching willingly. She and the three leaders exchanged words in the language that the translator could not handle, and this went on for the better part of several minutes, with the language sounding increasingly angry with each minute. Finally, Hamuto turned to face Matsubara, and said, "You will follow me." She simply gestured for Teklensho to follow. Without any words being exchanged, the three went down to what Matsubara assumed was a lower layer in the structure. They ended up in a small room, with Hamuto issuing further instructions to her Doran compatriot. "You will guard the captive, and you will not proceed until I return."
"Understood," Teklensho replied, and then watched as Hamuto left.
"So the women rule," Matsubara said, once they were alone.
"That is the way it is with us. This method has served us well. The men are the warriors, and the women are the intellect that keep the system operating. We work to our strengths. All societies are like that."
"So that's why you took me to that water extraction machine, because as a woman I could figure it out?"
"Yes, perhaps."
"Can you understand the language that Hamuto and the others were speaking?"
"No. It's the woman's language."
Matsubara thought about that for a moment, and recalled how on Earth, some more primitive cultures had specialized languages understood by only women or only men. It was unusual, but not unheard of. She changed topics, and said, "Now what? What's going to happen next?"
"This is one of the exits, to the outside."
"So if I go through the door, I can contact the lander, and perhaps even go on board?"
"But I cannot open the door," Teklensho said. "Undoubtedly, Vekharis has keyed it to Hamuto's code only."
"Vekharis, is she the one that has been doing the speaking back there in the control centre?"
"Yes."
"She's your leader?" Matsubara asked.
"For now. The actual leadership rotates among members of the leadership group. Each one becomes leader in a situation best suited to her skills. In a crisis situation like this, Vekharis assumes the role, since she is most capable in dealing with threats."
That just got Matsubara suspicious, so she asked, "We're here at this exit to the outside, waiting for Hamuto to return. I'd imagine she's getting Stanislava and Kayaha. Any idea what this Vekharis might have in mind-or can't you say?"
"She asked you if there is a way to defeat your ship. You could not provide an answer because you do not know our capability. I believe that by having you go outside, those on your ship will see you, and they will land in order to allow you to come on board. As the ship lands, warriors who will be stationed in appropriate locations, will storm on board and capture it."
"Or they could be repulsed like at the transit station."
"But they will try."
Clearly, Matsubara thought, the Dorans had not heard of transporters, but she was still cautious, and thought that if the captain-if he was on board-would lower the shields so that the three of them could beam on board, the Dorans might still attack. Like she had said, she had no idea of the abilities the Dorans had here. What she had to do was to make sure that the lander did not fall into the trap. She subtly tapped her commbadge, to open a general link to the ship, although it would not actually work until they stepped outside.
Sure enough, a couple of minutes after leaving them, Hamuto returned, escorting both Stanislava and Kayaha. Nobody said anything beyond the younger woman's stern voice saying, "You will follow me." The Doran woman led the group towards the heavy door that led outside. She held her wrist, exposing the bracelet, against the sensor, causing the heavy door to part in the middle and slide open. Outside, it was still night, since the band of light around the horizon was gone, and the exterior was dimly lit only by some distant light and the light spilling out of the exit. Matsubara could not help but suppress a yawn. Sleep had seen so distant, and a good sleep was even more distant. And yet... there was the lander, and salvation was close at end, except for one small detail.
They walked outside. Matsubara, knowing that the commbadge was still open, said in Japanese but in a hushed voice, "Captain, don't land, don't drop the shields; it's a trap."
"What was that?" Hamuto asked, looking back.
"Just a little saying, something to say when luck needs to be on my side." They were outside now, and Matsubara could look around. The spire and the structures that surrounded it were barely visible, but the lander came into view, and it was recognizable.
* * *
"Captain," Bayanhong remarked, "I'm picking up lifesigns, now emerging from an entrance to the operations structure. Two humans, two Dorans, one Odonan."
"Helm, move us into position," Thorpe started. He was thinking of the need for equivalent demonstrated technology. If the Dorans had not demonstrated transporter ability, then he could not either, unless he had to.
Hakamura reported, "Sir, I'm picking up an open comm signal."
Before anybody could say anything, they heard Matsubara's voice through that open link. "Captain, don't land, don't drop the shields, it's a trap."
"What's that?" Takoo said.
"That's Commander Matsubara, speaking in her native language," the captain replied.
"What did she say?"
"This is a trap." Thorpe hated to say that. He could see the sensor readings, and by that voice alone, just knew that it was Matsubara. She was so close to him right now. He could simply order the shields to be lowered and the three-if not all five-could be beamed on board. And yet, Matsubara possibly knew something that he did not know. She was saying that the lander could be heading into a trap, and what the Dorans wanted him to do was to lower the shields. He had to think fast. Was there a way? Could he land, and take the risk that the Dorans might attack? Might there be hidden weapons, or even transporter capability inside the structure?
Through the sensor display, he noticed that Ochi had brought the lander around so that the ship more or less faced the five emerging from the structure. It was at moments like this that Thorpe thought that the lander should have outwards-sloping windows on the bridge. Then he could see them. Instead, he asked, "Bayanhong, conduct some scans. Is there anything that you can determine, any kind of threat?"
While the acting science officer did as she had been told, Takoo, still standing beside the captain's chair, said, "Maybe we should give them a few threats of our own. I'd imagine that if we spread the toxin over their crops, such as they are, we could wipe out their food supply."
"Would that work?" Thorpe asked.
"Maybe."
"Would it work if the situation was reversed and it was your people who were being threatened?"
"Maybe, or maybe not, but it would get our attention," the Odonan replied. "It would get us talking."
"And yet, I'm not comfortable with that. The threat approach doesn't seem like a typically Federation approach to the problem."
"Then what would be?"
"I'm not sure."
Bayanhong ended that discussion by reporting, "Sir, I can't detect any obvious threat, but there are a lot of sensor-blind areas, and they could be hiding pretty well anything in them."
So that was it, Thorpe thought to himself. Matsubara and the others were right down there, ready to be rescued, except that the Dorans had put them into that position in order to spring the trap. Either Matsubara knew of the plan ahead of time, or else she had strong reasons to suspect it. He had no idea what kind of danger the science officer would be in if he did not lower the shields and beam her and the others on board, and he had no idea of what kind of danger he was putting himself, the lander and the crew on board if he did drop the shields. A part of him was telling him to take the chance, and another part was telling him that basically, Matsubara was warning them off. It was the hardest thing to do. For now, he was just going to sit here, and see if the Dorans were going to tip their hand.
"Bayanhong," the captain continued, "keep scanning, and see if anything is going to happen."
* * *
The five had walked about twenty metres out from the building, by which time the light from the open doorway and surrounding windows had all but faded into darkness. The group had spread out a little, with Hamuto in front and Teklensho behind. They watched as the lander came around, and gracefully and silently completed a turn until it was facing them. Matsubara had never seen the lander quite like this. It was only a part of the Athena, and it yet it seemed to be so large and so powerful. She hoped that the message had gotten through to the captain, and that he was not taking a chance by either landing or dropping the shields. If the ship landed, she thought, it would take the Doran warriors some time to cover the distance to the lander, but they could be firing and she and the others would be in the crossfire. If the lander dropped the shields, the Dorans might have another surprise in store. It was not worth the chance. In addition, simply getting on the lander was not enough. They still had to activate the outbound function.
Finally, Hamuto said, "They're just sitting there. Why aren't they landing?"
Matsubara, standing about two metres behind her, said, "It's possible that the captain fears that this is a trap, a trick of some kind."
"I see."
"That's what it is, isn't it?"
"That's possible," the Doran woman said. "Then again, it's highly likely that your little saying was not a statement of luck, but a warning to the ship. I wouldn't be surprised if you can communicate with your ship, and it's certainly possible that your people have more than one language. Despite our isolation, we are not as dim-witted as we might seem to be. Even if nobody on board can speak your second language, I'm sure they have the ability to translate."
"I see. Then why are we still out here?"
Hamuto, still facing forward, said, "To be honest with you, this was an attempt by Vekharis to get rid of me. She was hoping that you were more simple-minded than you have demonstrated, and that your ship would land. It's highly unlikely that our warriors would get on board the ship, since it would have heavy weapons on board and only a few entry points that can be easily defended, but in the process, we'd be caught in the crossfire. Vekharis would be short one opponent."
"And exactly why does Vekharis oppose you, or more accurately, you oppose Vekharis?"
"It's a difference in opinion in how things should be run here. We have developed a society that may satisfy some kind of militaristic, controlling urge in us that was bred into us, but it was not an efficient society. We have the leaders, the educators, the warriors, the mechanics, and they all attempt to enslave those people who somehow stumble on the alien technology. It might make us feel proud-or more precisely, make certain people in the leadership feel proud, but it has done nothing for us, except to perpetuate the myths that others have of us."
"What do you mean?"
"Remember, we were genetically modified and bred to be efficient and loyal warriors, playing both sides in a conflict that spanned the ages and over many worlds. Then, the warring sides found peace, and no longer had need for us. We were limited in what we could do, we were told. It was dangerous for us to remain in our society, so we were banished here. Some of us thought we could build a new society here, or on another world, but the leadership did not want that. They used the excuse that the races that banished us to this location would track us down and destroy us."
"But not if you went to a point in the galaxy that was quite distant from where you came from."
"Try explaining that to the leadership. Actually, I think they know, but they realize that if we were to follow this approach, and settle on a planet where we can actually build a culture, they would have to give way to us. People that think this new way-and at times, I have come to believe that-would end up in charge, and those who follow the old ways would be cast aside. Of course, look at what following the old ways has done. We're stagnant. We're nothing but warriors that can only grab and steal and enslave. It didn't work. We were defeated by a small group of people from a starship, with better weapons, with technology, things we can never achieve as long as we live here."
"Despite all the technology around you?" Stanislava asked.
"What happened at the location your people emerged in was clearly beyond the technology available here. The technology here is quite impressive, but it is not the technology that we can use to survive and flourish here. It enslaves us as much as we enslave those who show up here."
"So what's the solution?" Matsubara asked.
"We need to move to a better world. That does not mean we all have to move, and have to change everything about us, but if we could find a world with better land, we could grow more crops. We would not need to have slaves. We could retain our presence here as well, and become more of the race than we are. The leadership refuses, and believes in the very myths about us that got us banished here in the first place, and one of those days, those myths are going to get us killed. Just look at this." She waved her hand in the general direction of the centre of the ring of structures, where the fire was still spewing smoke into the night air. "We made ourselves extremely vulnerable, and now we're paying the price."
"You know, it is possible that we can help you," Matsubara started. "I don't know if you can read the map, but there is something in those maps that we know about the galaxy, and it helps us in understanding the maps. We can determine where you came from, and where you can go so that nobody could honestly believe that those that banished you here could find you. If you turn on the outbound functions."
"Your people can go home too," Hamuto added.
"Is that a bad thing?"
"I honestly... don't know."
* * *
Thorpe and the others on the lander could hear the conversation through Matsubara's open commbadge. The only problem was that they could understand her words, as the words spoken by the Dorans came through untranslated. The Dorans who had been captured in the attack had translation equipment with them, but the lander left before the engineers could interface that equipment with their own and acquire the translation matrix. Now Thorpe thought his haste to depart might have been a mistake. "What is going on there?" Takoo said.
Thorpe had been trying to think about the alien words with each utterance. "I'm not sure. I think that the Dorans suspect that we realize that this might've been a trap, and that we're not going to land or lower the shields. Damiko seems to be suggesting that we can help the Dorans relocate to another planet, where they might have better prospects at growing crops."
"They control the complex, so what's the problem?"
"Well," Bayanhong said, "when you've got slaves, and you're on top, you might hate to give up that leverage. How often do slave societies end voluntarily? Usually, they have to be pushed."
"Given the uprising that the Dorans saw here, they might be pushed."
"So what do we do?" Takoo asked. "Do we just continue to hover here?"
Thorpe did not reply immediately. He was thinking about Matsubara, and how it would be very desirable to get her onto the lander and out of immediate danger. He had come this far to find her and to make sure that she was alright, and now, she was basically telling him that he still had to wait. It was hard. It was hard to resist the impulse to do the rash thing. It would be so easy to release that toxin, and to tear apart the structures with the pulsed phaser arrays on the lander until the Dorans gave in, but that would be somehow wrong. He continued to hesitate, and feared giving the wrong order at the wrong time-and he was quite aware of this tendency.
"We wait," the captain finally said.
"For how long?" asked the Odonan woman
Turning to face Takoo, Thorpe said, "It's been my impression that the Odonans are the patient ones, capable of waiting out situations. On the other hand, if you have a concise plan that will convince the Dorans to let Damiko and the others go, and activate the outbound function on the structures, and settle this in some kind of peaceful and decent matter, I'm listening."
"We should at least replicate enough of the toxin, and set up a method by which to spray or apply it. We might never use it, but it might be useful as a threat, or even a bluff."
Thorpe thought about that as well, and finally said, "Very well, but remember, nothing is to be deployed without my approval."
"Of course..."
* * *
The five of them could have stayed out there forever, Matsubara seemed, but the night air was chilly, and they were all starting to feel that chill. Hamuto looked like she was doing her best to control the shivering. To her, it was quite obvious that the alien starship was not going to land or lower its shields, and standing out here was useless. Vekharis was not going to satisfy her personal agenda on this particular evening. Hamuto was also thinking in the long-term, and how the long-term solution favoured her and those who thought like her.
She finally spoke up, "We should return inside. The ship is not going to land, and let you climb on board. The scheme is not going to work tonight."
As the group headed back inside, Matsubara asked, "What next?"
"This is really hard, since it requires that we change something about ourselves, and change of this kind does not come along easily. Yet, I don't see what choice we have. We will have to confront Vekharis and those that think like her."
Once they were back inside and Hamuto closed the door, Matsubara and the others could feel a little of the warmth come back into their bodies, although the conditions inside the structure were by no means comfortable. The two Dorans led the whole group back to the control centre, but only Matsubara was allowed to enter. Both Stanislava and Kayaha had to remain outside, in the presence of the numerous guards that the Dorans had placed around the control centre. Matsubara was pretty sure that more were here than the short time ago when she last passed through.
Stepping inside the control room, Hamuto spoke up, saying, "Apparently, the aliens are not the fools that you wish them to be. The ship did not land, and did not lower its shielding. Your attempt to destroy the vessel has failed."
"We must find a way," Vekharis started. "There must be some way to defeat the alien ship." She stood up again, and said, "We attempted to lure the ship into position by using the aliens as bait, but what if we use threats instead?" Hamuto stayed back, and was gestured to move back by the Doran elders, while Vekharis and the other two again spoke in their unusual tongue. Finally, the older woman said, sharply, as she pointed at Matsubara, "Seize her!" Two of the male guards grabbed the woman and pushed her against one of the few sections of the wall that did not contain electronics. "Ujando, adjust the shielding levels around this complex so that electromagnetic signals can get through." Another of the young women sitting around the table quickly worked to carry out those orders, without acknowledging them. To Matsubara, Vekharis said, "You can now communicate with the ship. You will inform them that unless they lower their shields and be prepared to bring you on board that we will kill you. You will do so in a language that our translators can understand." To emphasize the point, the two guards aimed their directed-energy weapons at her head. For the first time, Matsubara became genuinely worried, and could feel it in how her heart was starting to pound noticeably faster, and her breathing was rapid. She could feel the sweat rise on her brow, despite the cool and dry conditions.
Matsubara tapped her commbadge. "Captain, are you there?" she finally said.
"Yes," he replied, almost excitedly. "How are you?"
She decided to be truthful. "Well, I'm standing here in this control centre, and two men are holding guns to my head."
"What do they want?"
"They want you to lower the shields, and, I guess, beam me on board." What Matsubara did not say was that she did not expect to be beamed on board, but something else would happen.
After several seconds, Thorpe spoke again, his voice just slightly on edge. "Can the person who is in charge hear me?"
Vekharis said something, and Matsubara translated, "Yes. She can understand you too."
"Good. I just want to make one point clear. If the Dorans attempt to beam onto the lander anything, like an explosive device, I must warn them that would be a very bad idea. This ship is equipped with a non-conventional warp drive system, powered by antimatter. In the case of explosives being beamed on board, the antimatter on the ship will explode in such as way, through the warp converter, that the resulting explosion will basically create a new and larger crater here. I doubt anything would survive."
Vekharis said something to Ujando and then faced Matsubara, asking, "Is that true?" Once she turned away from Ujando, that woman made some subtle adjustments to the controls.
"Quantum-implode self-destruct, yeah, it's true. I think that the captain is underestimating what could happen to this crater if that does happen, though."
Vekharis sat down again. She did not know if she should take the chance. It seemed very likely that races could modify or design their ships so that if they were attacked and destroyed, their destruction could be designed to take out as much of the surroundings as possible. She was suddenly at a loss at what to do, and end this situation. She thought about the current circumstances, how the uprising had resulted in many deaths and much destruction, and how only two of the various structures were occupied and how both were now inaccessible. In her mind, she believed that another assault on either of the structures might work, but first she had to get rid of her current problem.
Hamuto stepped forward.
"You are out of line," Vekharis started.
"No, we must discuss this." The two women spoke in the normal Doran language.
"There is nothing to discuss."
"There isn't?"
"No," the older woman said. "Once we have the situation under control, we will be able to get back to normal."
"But will we? I know our history. I know that each time we have one of these crisis, we are gradually weakened. I know that we have become increasingly reliant on slave labour to farm this land, which is increasingly barren, even with increasing amounts of fertilizer. As we become more reliant on the slaves, the number out there diminish. Right now, aliens are at just two of the locations, and we can't get to either of them. Now what? Do we go out there and dirty our hands and strain our backs? Are you volunteering? Are your warriors?"
"The warriors will do what they always do," Vekharis said. "In the morning, I will authorize two raiding parties, one for each of the two remaining occupied locations. We will succeed this time, simply because we know to expect resistance. The other times, we were surprised. This time, we will not be. Our warriors are the best in the galaxy."
"That was in another life," Hamuto said, "back when they had equipment and training and practice. These people are generations removed from that. Skills have been lost. It's not instinctive, it's something that is learned, and we have not learned it because it's lost knowledge. We're slipping backwards here, and you're too stubborn to realize that."
"You can be banished for such statements," Vekharis remarked loudly.
Matsubara, despite the fact that two men were holding weapons to her, spoke up, "If I may say something. I believe that Hamuto is right. It's time that your people need a change."
"Kill her!" Vekharis yelled.
One guard was too stunned by the sudden, angry words that he did not fire, but the second one did, right at Matsubara's head. She ducked in time, but still got a glancing blow, which knocked her against the wall and down a little. The second guard fired clumsily, and his shot hit some of the wall panels, causing sparks to fly in all directions. Matsubara broke free of the grips, and managed to get away from the guards in the only direction she could, towards the table. The first one fired, hitting her in the chest. Her whole body glowed as the momentum knocked her into the central table, scattering a couple of the operators. Within a second, the glow was gone, and Matsubara got to her feet, gingerly. The room was in silence.
Finally, the first guard said, "I do not understand that. The weapon... it should've worked."
Teklensho spoke up, saying, "Based on what I heard, the people at the location raided earlier had similar technology. The warriors could not kill them."
"Impossible, I believed at the time," Vekharis said, "but I saw it with my own eyes here."
Hamuto added, "You see what we're up against?"
Vekharis did not say anything for a moment, as she was thinking about the situation. She had no answers. She had no way to end this situation. She hated to think of the one thing that just might work, but it would not solve their situation. Maybe she could get rid of the problem by actually doing what these aliens wanted. She could authorize the activation of the outbound functions, and let these people go away. Then, they could reset the system and await the day some other race somewhere else would accidentally activate an active system and end up here. That could take years, decades even. If she let these people go back, the knowledge that they contained might be spread through the galaxy and other beings might avoid activating these structures. Ultimately, that was not a solution either. Of course, she could also give in to Hamuto's suggestion and settle on some planet somewhere. That would solve one problem, Hamuto and people who thought like her, but not another.
Finally, the Doran leader said, "I am at a loss at what to do."
Matsubara, getting over the effects of being assaulted by the weapon, said, "You can at least consider the idea of settling on another planet, one better suited for life than this place."
"That is... heresy."
"Why?"
"We were banished here. If we return to the galaxy, we will be hunted down by those who exiled us here. We have no way of knowing where we would end up."
Matsubara walked over to the main map, and asked, "Which one of these did you come through originally?"
Hamuto provided the answer, pointing out the location. Matsubara removed her tricorder, which prompted several weapons to be aimed at her, at least until they realized that it was not a weapon in her hands, and consulted her interpretations of the diagram. "If you came from that particular one, and if my interpretation of its location is correct, and I have every reason to believe it is, you will have nothing to fear from those that banished you. I'd hate to say this, but the races responsible for that are long gone. That whole section of space was taken over by the Borg hundreds of years ago."
"They're gone?"
"Completely wiped out," Matsubara replied. She was not completely sure if that particular segment of the Delta Quadrant was held by the Borg, but it seemed likely. "In addition, you definitely do not want the Borg to stumble across these structures in the galaxy. If they come across here, that's bad for you."
"We can stop them."
"No you can't. That you haven't encountered them yet says that the Borg have not found this interesting technology, but it's only a matter of time."
"I see," Vekharis said.
"Ever more," Hamuto continued, "you see what we must do? We must at least consider this idea."
Matsubara, as she heard this argument, realized that this discussion among the Dorans was not recent, but had been going on for a long time, but it was also clear that, despite the opinions of the Vekharis and the others, the Doran hold on this planet and its technology was slipping. It might not be the Borg that came along and assimilated them that ended their reign here, but it could well be the Federation. It was actually possible that the Dorans might end up settling on some other world, but with a connection to this location, while the Federation could gain greater control of this technology, and with their much greater resources, learn and exploit it. It was even possible that they could reactivate some or all of the galaxy-wide transportation system that this technology allowed. It was all possible, Matsubara thought. She was pretty sure that Thorpe was thinking along those lines, and she was worried that Vekharis might have been as well.
Finally, Vekharis brought up just that point, "If we agree to this, and establish ourselves on another world, and even if we prosper there and can build a true society, that would mean that her people would be left with this technology, and their intentions are unknown."
"There's just one thing you're forgetting," Matsubara said. "If we wanted control, and if we wanted this technology, we could've already seized it. We have the ship, and it's my understanding that on board is a method, that if deployed, will basically wipe out your agriculture. We know the location of this structure, and could easily send those same people that defeated your warriors to this location, and take over."
"If you're capable of doing this, then why haven't you?"
"It's not our way," Matsubara said. "We're not the kind that simply attacks, and simply takes. We try to understand the point of view of the other side. We know that your people have been banished here, and you're fearful of attacks should those who banished you find you in the galaxy. We try to understand that. Our feelings are genuine. We don't simply want to wipe you out. We want for you what we want for all races in the galaxy, to prosper and continue with their kind, and their culture. If that would help all of these people who are here, who are here accidentally and not because they've been banished, return home, that is an additional benefit. If we can learn more of this technology, and share what we learn with those who are with us, that too is an additional benefit. This is the best action for all of us."
* * *
On board the Athena lander, Captain Thorpe and the rest of the bridge officers listened in to the conversation, although all they understood were the words from Matsubara and the background sound effects. They heard her mention the quantum-implode self-destruct feature on the lander, and they heard what sounded like an attack on the science officer, which gave Thorpe a few breathless moments. However, she appeared to be unfazed by whatever happened, and in turn told the Dorans where they came from. She also implied that the location was in the Delta Quadrant and that the Borg had taken over that region of space.
"I keep worrying that she's in some kind of danger," Thorpe remarked. Because Matsubara was with the Doran leaders and talking, now it was right to focus on her, since at this moment, she was at a greater risk than any of the others.
Rocha spoke up, "Maybe we should formalize the threat with the toxin the Odonans developed."
"It's too bad that the sensors are blocked from detecting her and beaming her on board the lander, and we can't even risk a blind transport."
Takoo added, "Had we taken the Bluestar, then we would've had access to the subspace transporters, and we would've gotten around this problem by now."
"But we did not."
Those on the lander bridge, through the open commlink, which was likely open since one of the Doran operators kept the blocking for that channel turned off, heard Matsubara continue to talk about her ideas, to try to convince the Dorans that she and her compatriots were not trying to exploit the situation, but to help the Dorans, and at the same time, help themselves return home.
Takoo said, "I still believe that the threat angle would work. It might convince the Dorans just how untenable their current situation is."
"Or it might not," the captain replied.
* * *
After spending some time conferring with the other two older women, Vekharis stood up again, and said, "Based on some discussions among ourselves, we have come to the conclusion that perhaps this is an avenue that we must explore. It might be possible to establish some agricultural communities on other planets, while maintaining a presence here. However, since you are merely an officer and your captain carries the real authority, I would wish to speak with him. I wish to meet with him, and see what his views are on this matter, and what we can possibly offer each other in this endeavor."
"I can relate the message to him," Matsubara said. "However, you'll need to turn off the field that is blocking the communications signal."
"It has been turned off for some time," Vekharis replied. "After I ordered Ujando to turn the fields back on, she did so for only a short time." Ujando was surprised that the leader had realized what she had done, and held her head in shame. "Those on that ship have been hearing what we have said in this room for some time, or at least they have heard your words but possibly not understood ours. You can go ahead and inform the captain what I have suggested."
Matsubara went ahead and repeated the information from the alien leader.
* * *
"I don't trust them," Bayanhong said, sounding firm.
"What do you mean?" asked Thorpe.
"They're still trying to get you to lower the shields on the lander so that they can attack."
"I see. At some point, we're going to have to trust them, if we're going to recover Damiko and the others and get them to turn on the outbound function."
"An idea," Takoo spoke up. "How about we meet them on a neutral site? That would force them to trust us to some degree too. We wouldn't be meeting on their turf, and they would not be meeting on ours."
Bayanhong asked, "What neutral turf would there be, besides some other inbound structure? They might know the structures much better than we do, and could arrange a trap there."
"Not really," Takoo said. "I've noticed no significant difference between the locations where my people ended up and where yours did. My people know the structure inside and out. They've found nothing that could threaten us at a neutral site."
Thorpe spoke up, "I'll take Zhi Len's word on this one. I'll agree to meet them, but on a neutral site. Lieutenant Hakamura, transmit our response..."
* * *
Vekharis heard the response come through Matsubara's commbadge, and she gave her answer in some detail, which the science officer began to relay to the lander. "Sir, they agree. In fact, not only did they agree, but they named a particular location, since they believe this one leads to a world that is most likely to be satisfactory. Apparently, the Dorans would like to explore this with us, should we meet... and establish some trust."
"But why did they pick a particular location?" Thorpe asked.
"According to Vekharis, a small group came through that location, six in number. They were apparently advance-team surveyors, and due to a problem on their ship, ended up making an emergency landing on a planet other than their intended destination. The planet was unoccupied, and likely remains so. The Dorans are worried that if they pick a random location, and I understand this, that they might show up on a planet that is heavily populated and developed by some other race, and which just had not happen to dig in the right location."
"Did she name this race?"
"The Salosians."
"Will you be accompanying whomever the Dorans are sending?"
"I believe so."
"Very well. Stand by."
* * *
On the lander, Thorpe signalled for Hakamura to mute the signal. The first thing he asked was, "Commander Bayanhong, is there anything on a race called the Salosians?"
Bayanhong, as soon as she had heard the term from Matsubara, had begun to search, but nothing came up. "Negative, sir. The computer returns no information on any race within ninety percent of what Damiko had said, Salosians. I'm assuming that nobody there is referring to the Talosians. That's not surprising, considering that this transport system is galaxy wide, and we really don't know all that much of the galaxy."
"Of course. We'll just have to take them on their word. In a sense, they're right. They might not want to risk appearing on some world that is already occupied. Maybe many of these worlds already are, like Norg and Charamand. If there's one that they are pretty convinced is unoccupied, it might be the first one they want to explore. I understand that too. In addition, to explore this location, they would have to turn on the outbound function. Maybe they'll turn them all on."
"Unlikely."
"Perhaps, but how well do the Dorans really know this technology?"
"You've got a point there, captain," Bayanhong said. "So we're doing this?"
"We'll do this," Thorpe finally said. He had the feeling that Matsubara would be accompanying the Dorans on the mission to the Salosian location, which meant that he would soon be reunited with her. All of those dark fears, the uncertainty, and even the dread that they might be separated or lost, were beginning to fade. The chances that he had taken and what he had expected of his crew might soon bring him what he really wanted. He wanted to be reunited with Matsubara, and he wanted to get her and everybody else back home. Strangely, he thought, this was within his grasp. "Hakamura, re-open the link."
"It's open," the security officer replied, as he tapped at the icons on his panel.
"Damiko," Thorpe said.
"I'm still here," came the reply.
"Inform the Doran leader that we will meet her at the location of her choosing. I don't believe that we'll be able to track the group through the transit system, since it involves some kind of transport, and we can't relate the transit system map to what we see from space. Once you arrive, remain outside, where we can scan for you."
"Understood, we'll comply."
* * *
Matsubara was asked to leave the control centre, and ended up standing outside in the corridor with Teklensho, Stanislava and Keyaha. She summed up what had happened in there, which prompted Teklensho to remark, "That seems almost incomprehensible that Vekharis has agreed to this. For so long, she and the people who support her have wanted to keep things as they are, and not try to settle on another planet. Now I wonder why she had changed her mind so quickly."
"You think there's something more to this?" Matsubara asked.
"I'm not sure."
Stanislava asked, "What do you know about the Salosians?"
The Doran answered, "I've heard of that... I think."
Matsubara explained, "I believe that Vekharis said that they were surveyors who somehow ended up on the wrong planet and somehow activated the machinery. They came over here, just six of them or something like that, and once captured by the Dorans to become agricultural slaves, they apparently committed ritualistic suicide."
Teklensho, pondering those words, added, "Somehow, I think that something is missing here. I mean, when I was very young, I heard the story once. It's not something we like to repeat, but I think there were more than six of them, and they somehow attacked, or resisted, or something. They did commit suicide, though. I remember that point."
"Why would Vekharis give a different story? Are there written records of this?"
"What I heard was passed down orally."
"Which tends to exaggerate the story, and make it seem more than it was," Stanislava said. "The guys on the outside of the chain of command, like Teklensho, might've heard the word-of-mouth version, filled with battle and heroism on the part of the Dorans, while Vekharis and her group might have access to records that the rest of the Dorans do not."
"That's possible.'
The doors to the control centre opened again, and Hamuto and another guard walked out. She approached the group, and said, "Vekharis has spoken. We will undergo this mission. We will meet the human captain, and discuss options beneficial to both of us, and we will explore the other location. Our leaders has decided that the one named Matsubara will not accompany us on this trip."
"What?"
"That is the decision of Vekharis, and I am enough on her negative side that it would not be wise for me to oppose her much longer. The other two aliens will accompany us. Teklensho, you will continue to watch this individual and act as her guard. She's not to leave the crater under any circumstances."
"I understand."
"This is impossible. We should all go."
"Either we do this as Vekharis says, or we might not get the chance to do it again anytime soon."
"Very well," Matsubara said, with some sadness. She was not going. She was not going to see Thorpe soon, and sleep in a proper bed and eat proper food. She did her best to hide her anger, knowing that they still had a lot of work to do. "I should inform the captain," she finally added.
"I've been told that the blocking fields are back up..."
