Chapter 8 - The Vengeance Of Circumstances
Jack stood on the Chamberlain's Bridge as Hank and Melissa each went to their stations.
"Check again for Zachary." Jack ordered.
Hank shook his head. "He's no longer aboard."
Jack turned to Hank. "How and when?"
"When is impossible to tell. There have been some alterations to the Computer tracking systems. However, there is also a shuttlecraft missing."
Jack turned to Timothy Blackwell who sat at the Science Station in Zachary's place.
"Mr. Blackwell scan for shuttlecraft or ionized gas trails."
Blackwell nodded. "Aye, sir."
Melissa checked her Ops Station. "Captain, I've shut down the primary internal sensors and initiated the backup systems."
Jack turned to her. "Run a diagnostic on all shield and weapons systems."
He turned to Hank. "No sense taking the chance he fouled something else up."
"Jack, if he is the spy for the G'voda, we can't let him escape."
"I know."
Simmons walked onto the Bridge. "Captain McCall, what is going on?"
"It appears Admiral, that Mr. Zachary may be our spy. It seems he killed Cynthia Pederson and then left the ship in a shuttlecraft."
"How can someone just leave a starship?" the admiral asked.
"He set up a PADD connected to his Comm Badge and had it convince the computer he was still aboard." Hank said.
Blackwell turned to Jack. "Captain, I've found a vapor trail matching that of a science shuttle on a heading of 134 mark 39."
Jack turned to Negev. "That course, Mr. Negev. Warp Nine point seven."
Negev repeated the order to Conn Officer s'Felis and a few moments later the starship had changed course and jumped to high warp.
***
A half hour later, everyone on the Bridge awaited any sign of the missing shuttle and the man who piloted it.
Admiral Simmons stood next to Hank watching the Tactical Display. Jack made his way slowly around the Bridge. He decided walking slowly was better than pacing. It was the only way he could keep his mind clear for what was to come. He couldn't allow himself to think about Pederson or Zachary.
Hank looked up. "Got him!"
Jack moved quickly to his command chair. "Prepare to drop out of warp, standby tractor beam."
"We should be in range in two minutes," Hank said.
Melissa turned to the captain. "He's hailing us, sir."
"On screen," Jack said.
Zachary's face appeared. "Captain McCall, don't bother."
"Zachary, don't make things worse for yourself. There's no place to go," Jack said.
Zachary laughed. "I'll try to keep that in mind, Captain."
Simmons stepped forward. "This is Admiral Simmons. You've killed someone, Zachary. Don't make any more mistakes."
The Science Officer sighed. "Yes, that indeed was a mistake. If Cynthia had done what she was supposed to she'd be alive now. Why do people always have to do the wrong thing?! Why can't they just stay in their place?!"
Jack gave Simmons a glance. "Let me handle this, Admiral," he said in a whisper.
Simmons nodded and Jack turned back to the viewscreen. "Duncan there's no point to this."
Zachary's eyes went wide. "But there is! Everything was going perfectly until that idiot Pederson fouled it up."
He took a deep breath. "I had only one of those devices that killed. I had intended on using it on that bitch you're married to."
Jack took breath to keep from lashing out.
Zachary smiled. "Oh, I was looking forward to actually watching her agony. I wanted to savor every scream of pain; every cry for a mercy that would never come."
He sat up in his seat on the shuttlecraft. "Well, I got the Danorans punished. I guess I can't have everything, but it would have been wonderful to finally see the smug arrogance of Mei-Wan McCall beg for the pain to end."
His laughter filled the Bridge. Melissa shook her head at the insanity in his voice.
"Please apologize to your dear wife, Captain. If I get another chance I will try to make sure her death is at least as agonizing as the one Pederson went through," Zachary said.
Jack jaw tightened. "You're insane, Zachary."
"No!" he screamed. "The Federation is insane! It allows innocent civilians to die for political expediency! It allowed the Danorans get away with their crimes and when I insisted something be done about it they did nothing!
"You know I'm right, McCall! What have they done to the Glazylans? Nothing! They just postponed a trade agreement with them! Are you willing to allow those who killed people you cared about go scot-free?"
Jack pushed away his own anger about the things Zachary said about Mei-Wan. He had to get him to return to the ship. "Duncan, this won't bring your daughter back."
Zachary's twisted face seemed to revert to normal for a moment. The rage was subdued. "No, I can't, but I made sure those that killed her paid for it."
Something on Zachary's shuttle sounded an alarm. He reached down to shut it off and smiled. "Sorry, Captain, but my ride is here."
Jack turned to Blackwood. "Anything?"
"No vessels, sir." Timothy Blackwood glanced at another display. "Sir, there is a large space-time distortion two hundred kilometers ahead of the shuttle."
Jack turned to Hank. "On viewscreen!"
Space itself twisted and contorted until a bright flash of light exploded outward. A few seconds later, a gargantuan vessel roughly cylindrical that bristled with structures along its surface, emerged from the mass of energy. Its hull had wide gaps where glowing energy blazed so brightly it seemed more a shiny solid than non-material energy.
Jack closed his eyes. "The G'voda."
Simmons watched the viewscreen closely. "Captain McCall, I hereby authorize you to use any and all means to stop Zachary from reaching that ship."
Jack turned to him. "Any, Admiral?"
"Yes."
Jack turned to Negev. "Drop out of warp and go to red alert!." He looked to Hank. "Arm torpedoes and target the shuttlecraft."
Hank took a deep breath. "But…"
"You heard me, Mr. Evans!" Jack replied.
Hank quickly activated the weapons systems. "Shuttle targeted."
Jack did not hesitate. "Fire torpedoes."
Ten torpedoes left the Chamberlain and sailed across space. Twenty seconds later, a mere two kilometers from the hull of the science shuttle they detonated.
Jack turned to Hank. "What the hell happened?!"
Hank shook his head.
Blackwood turned to Jack. "Captain, the larger ship has extended some sort of field around the shuttle."
Jack looked at Simmons. "Admiral, I don't think…"
Simmons cut him off. "Hail the G'voda vessel!"
Jack turned to Melissa and nodded.
Melissa activated the communications system. "Hailing them."
Simmons walked down to stand next to Jack. "We have to make contact."
"Do we attack if they don't?"
Simmons thought a moment. "They have destroyed a Federation Member world. We would be justified in attacking them, but I don't want to start a war if it can be avoided."
Hank shook his head. "I think it's a little late for that, Admiral. They already have."
Simmons frowned. "That kind of thought process may work for an independent trader off cruising space on his own whims, Mr. Evans. But the Federation operates a bit differently."
Hank watched his tactical display. "I could still power up the primary weapon system."
"No, Mr. Evans. We will fire only if fired upon," Simmons replied forcefully.
Jack looked over at Negev who appeared concerned by the admiral's choice of tactics.
Melissa turned to Simmons. "Admiral there has been no reply to our hails."
Jack turned to the Science Station. "Mr. Blackwood, could our primary weapon system tear through that shield around the shuttle?"
Blackwood looked at the displays of his scans. "Unknown, Captain. The energy signature is completely different from any shield I've seen before."
Jack turned to Simmons. "Admiral?"
"If you think you can stop Zachary without hitting the G'voda ship, then go ahead." Simmons said.
"Too late," Hank said.
They turned to look at the main viewscreen and saw Zachary's shuttle go inside the ship that dwarfed it. The massive G'voda vessel turned slowly about as a sea of twisted energy again formed behind it.
Simmons sighed heavily and shook his head.
Jack turned to Negev. "Pull us back away from the G'voda vessel. I don't want to get buffeted by the tidal forces of that wormhole." He turned to Simmons. "Unless the admiral wants us to follow."
Simmons frowned at Jack. "I think that's enough, Captain."
Jack stepped away from the Admiral as the G'voda ship sailed into the heart of the wormhole and a moment later was gone.
Jack turned to his Executive Officer. "Secure from red alert, Mr. Negev."
Simmons looked at Jack. "Captain McCall. Come with me to the Ready Room."
The admiral walked toward the exit without even waiting to see if Jack followed.
***
Two hours later, Jack walked into his and Mei-Wan's quarters. He found her sitting on the couch drinking a cup of tea and staring into space. She didn't look at him when he entered.
"He got away?" she asked.
Jack nodded and sat down in the chair across from her. "Zachary was the spy. He was working for the G'voda. We still don't know why except that it had something to do with revenge against the Danorans for the death of his daughter."
Mei-Wan didn't react except to drink some of her tea. "Melissa told me that he wanted to kill me instead of Cynthia."
Jack looked at Mei-Wan. "Yes."
She shook her head. "It's amazing how Starfleet has been so concerned about your psychological condition, but they didn't seem to take notice of Zachary."
"Hank and Simmons are going over Zachary's evaluations now with Akala. Evidently he had been seeing her for Counseling ever since he came aboard."
"How did he even meet the G'voda in the first place?" Mei-Wan asked.
Jack leaned back in his chair. "That's just one of the million questions we still have about this mess."
She took another sip of her tea. "What about his office? Why was the power off?"
"He overloaded all the systems in there. Best we can figure he wanted to cover his tracks and keep us from finding out how he manipulated the computer system. Hank thinks it was to protect other G'voda operatives in Starfleet."
She looked into her cup and whispered, "I can't believe Cynthia is gone."
Jack watched Mei-Wan for almost a minute in silence.
"Mei, I was wrong to want you to stay here. You should join the expedition."
She turned to him with wide eyes. "What?"
"I mean it. Contact the Archaeology Council and tell them you've changed your mind." He looked at her, pleading, "Please, Mei."
She shook her head. "I can't."
He sat up. "Mei, on that planet, in the nebula, you'd be safe. Zachary couldn't find you."
She closed her eyes. "Jack, he may have said all that about killing me just to get at you."
"You didn't see him. He's gone completely insane. I'm certain if he got another chance to kill you he would."
She looked at Jack. "You only want me to go to protect me."
"Yes."
She shook her head. "There's no way of knowing what would have happened if I had gone on the expedition. You can't blame yourself for something neither of us knew about."
"Cynthia Pederson is dead. Zachary wanted it to be you. I think I know enough," he said.
"I'm not going," she said.
"Admiral Simmons is insisting that you go."
Mei-Wan set her cup down on the table in front of her. "Why?"
"The Archaeology Council has been pressuring him to order you to go and now with this Zachary business, he's 'requested' I ask you. This expedition could mean a lot to the Federation," Jack said.
Mei-Wan stared at Jack. The decision she wanted to make all along was now being forced upon her. But she was afraid the price would be more than she could bear.
"And what about us?" she asked.
Jack thought and looked at her. "Is there still an 'us'?"
Mei-Wan fought back the emotions boiling up within her. "I want there to be."
Jack nodded, but said nothing.
She shook her head. "I don't want to lose you."
He sat down next to her, taking her delicate hand in his. "Mei, I love you, but I'd rather have you in his bed than in a grave."
Mei-Wan looked directly into Jack's eyes. "No," she whispered.
"Please, just go."
He stood and left the room. Mei-Wan stared at the wall; a tear rolled down her cheek.
No! she thought. No, Jack!
She wiped the tear from her face, but the pain continued to grow.
Mei-Wan walked over to the Comm Panel in their quarters. She touched the control and the device came to life.
"Computer, establish a link to Andrea Lofgren at the Federation Archaeology Council," she said fighting back the flood of tears that demanded to flow.
It's over, she thought.
The Computer replied, "Establishing communications link. Please standby…"
TO BE CONTINUED…
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Dark Horizon Story and Characters Copyright ©2003 Michael Gray
