Chapter 4 – The Old Dance
Zaylie and Loftus walked through the crowded town square. The local Baku seemed pleased to have so many visitors at once.
“Some of these people are from the Virginia,” Loftus whispered to Zaylie.
“How can you tell?”
“The fear in their eyes,” Loftus said. “They're always on guard. Dameron likes his crew that way.”
Zaylie turned to her. “You seem to know a lot about him.”
Loftus nodded as they stopped at a Baku woman tending a loom spinning a collection of fabrics into a blanket.
“Care to...”
“Well!” came a shout from behind them. “If it isn't my favorite Bajoran flower!”
Zaylie turned to the source of the voice.
Loftus froze. The memories came flooding back. His hands all over her, touching her in...
No. I won't run.
Loftus turned finally.
“Zuld,” Zaylie nearly spat.
Loftus refused to meet the eyes of the tall Cardassian wearing the rank of a full Starfleet commander.
Zuld frowned. “You? What are you...” He hesitated only a moment. “Oh, that's right. You're stationed aboard that ship too.” He turned his attention back to Loftus. “Has she told you about us?”
“You?” Zaylie asked, confused.
“We used to be quite the item aboard the Virginia during the Dominion War,” Zuld said, his voice far too syrupy. “It was said our love would...”
“Go to hell, you piece of shit,” Loftus said.
Zuld, still smiling, feigned injury. “How shall my wounded heart ever recover?”
“You can't wound what isn't there,” Loftus said.
Zuld laughed. “Open your flower again, and I'll show you how much heart still beats in me.”
Loftus shook her head, frowning. “Go to hell.”
He turned to Zaylie. “Then perhaps I'll enjoy myself with this little creature.”
Zaylie laughed. “Go enjoy yourself with a plasma injector.”
Zuld's smile faded. “Ask my little flower if it's a good idea to anger me, Burton. Go ahead, I'll wait.”
“I thought I told you to go find a plasma injector,” Zaylie said. She glanced at his rank pins. “Sir.”
“I could tear your throat out in front of all of these people and not one of them would report it,” Zuld said.
“You don't have the courage for a stand up fight,” Zaylie said. “Aren't you more the sneak attack with an unmarked ship type?”
That seemed to catch Zuld off guard.
“Be careful with that tongue,” Zuld said. “Insinuations about a superior officer can have negative effects on one's career.”
“I'm not insinuating.” Zaylie stood her ground, and kept her gaze focused on the monster in front of her.
After a moment, he smiled, then turned to Loftus. “I guess you have been instructing this one in your bitchly arts. You should both watch yourselves. The Galaxy is changing... for the better.”
He turned from them, walking away.
Loftus, without looking at Zaylie, said, “Follow him, but discretely. I want to know where he goes on this planet.”
“Aye, ma'am.”
And with that, Zaylie left Loftus who stared at the ground in front of her, wondering how after all this time that monster could still get to her.
***
Jack stared at Xaphon as she and Dameron ate their food. “So why are you here?”
Xaphon peered up at him and smiled. “Our mutual interests.”
“No, I mean at this moment,” Jack replied. He turned to Dameron. “This has something to do with my mission, doesn't it?”
Before Dameron could speak, Xaphon did. “My people fought the monsters in the Geryon system to a standstill five hundred years ago, but at the cost of most of our forces. Afterward, they retreated to their solar system, and erected the shield which now protects them from final justice.” She leaned toward Jack. “They have had five hundred years to build more terrible weapons based on what you call the Omega molecule. One day soon they will come for us again, and I suspect for you as well.”
Jack watched Dameron frown.
“All of our past encounters with worlds developing Omega were easily dealt with because those planets were doing blind research,” Dameron said. “This is a world which has had the technology for centuries, and has had opportunity to develop it in ways we can only imagine. This is the clearest and most lethal threat we have ever faced concerning Omega.”
“Which we notified the Federation about as a part of our negotiations,” Xaphon added.
Jack nodded.
Dameron continued, “Starfleet Intelligence had learned your former wife was offered an invitation into the Geryon system. How, and the nature of her contact with the beings in the system is still unknown, as is her reason for going there.”
Now Jack was certain where this was headed.
“And you want me to go there, using Mei as a means to enter their system.”
Dameron slowly smiled. “Yes.”
Jack shook his head. “Commodore...”
But Dameron wouldn't let him finish. “Captain, this world is the most serious threat the Federation has faced since the Borg. Given there aren't a swarm of Borg vessels pounding away minute by minute against that null-warp field means they've likely learned to avoid the world... the hard way.”
Jack narrowed his eyes. “A lesson we should probably heed.”
Dameron leaned back a moment, then slid a PADD across the table to Jack. “If it were just up to you and me , we might very well come to that conclusion. However, these orders say otherwise.”
Jack picked up the PADD and began reading. T his was bad.
“As you will see,” Dameron said, “Those orders are signed by the Federation President and the CinC of Starfleet.”
“Damn it,” Jack murmured.
“And you'll also notice they are clear—in compliance with the Omega Directive you are to use all means necessary to eliminate the Omega molecule technology held by the people within that system. All other orders and directives are hereby rescinded.”
Jack had just scanned that section as Dameron recited his orders.
“Of course, if you feel you cannot follow these orders, I will immediately transfer to your vessel, taking temporary command.”
Jack nodded. “I doubt you would be able to talk Mei-Wan into letting you into the system.”
“I share your doubts, ” Dameron said with a smile. “Which is why it would be better if you went.”
Jack hated situations like this, and more he hated having no time to think it through.
“I'll go.”
Dameron seemed to take a few seconds to take a measure of Jack. “I shall inform the President.”
“Understand one thing, Captain Jack McCall,” Xaphon said. “You will be dealing with the most lethal species you have ever encountered. The Borg do not confront them. But you must. The fate of the Galaxy depends on you.”
***
Zaylie made her way back to the village square, finding Loftus sipping on a glass of golden wine as she sat on a bench at a wooden table.
“You're back earlier than I expected,” Loftus said.
Zaylie sat across from her. “He went into what seemed to be something similar to a brothel.”
“Can't say I'm surprised by that. He meet with anyone along the way?”
“No,” Zaylie replied. “He went straight there.”
“Did he see you?”
“I don't believe so.”
Loftus nodded.
“You going to tell me what this is about?” Zaylie asked.
Loftus took a long drink. “There are some things better left unknown.”
“I know he's a shithead, and a monster, and a...”
“Correct on all points as well as dozens more that I can imagine you'd say.”
“He mentioned you had history,” Zaylie said slowly, trying to be cautious. “Were you...”
Loftus nodded. “I was young, and I thought... okay, if a Bajoran and a Cardassian can both wear the uniform, maybe we can bridge everything that had stood between our peoples for so very long.”
“I take it things didn't work out?”
“They never do with Zuld,” Loftus said. “It didn't take him long to become abusive.”
“But the regulations...”
“You've been aboard that goddamn ship. You know what it's like,” Loftus said. “Dameron follows the rules he wants to, and sends the rest out an airlock.”
Zaylie nodded. She caught the eye of a waitress, and motioned her over. “Can I get one of what she's having?”
The waitress nodded and walked away.
“So what about you?”
“What about me what?” Zaylie asked.
“I know you and your friends caught a ride aboard the Virginia, but I don't know a lot more.”
The waitress returned with Zaylie's drink.
She took a sip, and smiled. “Oh, this is good.”
Loftus grinned.
“We were just supposed to be aboard for transport to the next ship in the chain to bring us to the Chamberlain,” Zaylie said. “But Dameron decided to put us to work while we were there.”
“It doesn't happen often, but that is within the purview of a CO.”
“Which is why we didn't think much of it at the time,” Zaylie said. “I think his intent was to crush as much of our idealism as possible.”
“Dameron gets off on that.”
“Anyway, we went down to this planet, and found out the colonists had been killing some of the indigenous beings there. They had insisted they were just animals, but my friends and I discovered they were intelligent, and had a complex culture. Of course, we brought this to Dameron's attention emphasizing the Prime Directive implications. He sent us back to the ship to keep us out of it. We decided to act.”
Loftus smiled. “Good for you!”
“We forced Dameron to finally capitulate.”
Loftus laughed. “God! I bet he was pissed as hell!”
“To say the least,” Zaylie replied. “He ordered us off his ship.”
“That's got to be a first. Usually, he doesn't quit until he breaks someone.”
“We were in an unusual situation as far as our assignment.”
Loftus nodded. “So that was it?”
Zaylie shook her head, taking another drink. “On the last leg of our journey to the Chamberlain, our runabout was attacked.”
“I had heard something about that,” Loftus said. “Any idea who was behind it?”
“The review of the attack came to the conclusion it was a Cardassian pirate vessel,” Zaylie said.
“Zuld.” Loftus stared into her drink. “The Cardassian pirates are known to have more respectable allies scattered throughout Cardassian society, and they often do favors to guarantee the Cardassian government, such as it is, looks the other way. I know Zuld has several contacts back home, and this sounds exactly like the kind of thing he'd pull.”
“I thought that too,” Zaylie said. “But no one at Starfleet Command was willing to listen to my opinion on the matter. They accused me of being paranoid.”
“That's standard operating procedure aboard the Virginia,” Loftus said.
“Something needs to end the fear everyone lives under on that ship.”
“Dameron has cultivated friends in high places. Several admirals and a couple of Federation Council members are very tight with him.”
Zaylie shook her head. “This is not the Starfleet I was told about at the Academy.”
“I'm sorry we let you down,” Loftus said. “The Dominion War seemed to bring with it a big patch of the ends justifies the means thinking. We were all willing to bend the rules to get done what needed to be done. I know there were times I did that myself. And... the captain did as well.”
Zaylie looked at Loftus. “And in the process, you became someone not as noble as you thought you were.”
“Survival is a potent thing. Though, it isn't an excuse.” Loftus took another drink. “I'm offering it as more an explanation.”
“I'm willing to stand up for the things I believe in,” Zaylie said. “I hope that doesn't put me too out of step with the rest of Starfleet.”
“If it does, embrace it all the more,” Loftus said. “Maybe it's time your generation took the lead, and let us old soldiers retire someplace where we can't cause any more trouble.”
“Don't get too down on yourself,” Zaylie said with a smile. “I've learned a lot from you.”
“Such as?”
“How to deal with a captain who can be...”
“Be careful now.”
“... crotchety from time to time,” Zaylie finished.
Loftus nodded. “He can be that.”
“I think that's what surprised me the most about him. Based on his record, I had this impression he had adopted a make the decision and move on style of command. I never expected him to be the type to second guess himself so much.”
“Beware of the ones who don't second guess themselves,” Loftus said. “They will get you killed for a stupid cause, or convince you to flush your career down the toilet for their own agenda.”
***
Jack and Dameron walked back into the main square of the Baku village. The sun still shined brightly in the sky above.
“I understand your former first officer almost mutinied over the people of this world,” Dameron said.
“No,” Jack said, intent on protecting Negev, his former exec. “We talked it out, came to an understanding.”
Dameron nodded. “I don't think you should trust your current executive officer. She served aboard the Virginia during the war. I found her to be quite unreliable.”
“Commander Kadan has been extremely reliable in that role.”
“Well,” Dameron began with a smile. “I guess people can change after all.”
“Sometimes they just need the right environment.”
Dameron stopped walking. “Are you trying to say something... Captain?”
“No, just commenting on an officer I have come to respect.”
Dameron nodded momentarily, his smile now gone. “For a moment, I had the impression you were making a snide comment about how I run my ship.”
“I think how you command your ship speaks for itself.”
Dameron's eyes narrowed, but he remained silent.
“Well, it appears I have a lot to do to prepare for this mission,” Jack said. “So if you'll excuse me, Commodore.”
Dameron nodded. “Keep me informed on your progress.”
“Aye, sir,” Jack said.
“I understand if you succeed at this mission, admiral pins are in your future.”
Jack stared at him a moment. “I was told something like that.”
Dameron chuckled then turned and walked away.
