Chapter 6 - Trepidation

Kadan Loftus walked through the city as a light drizzle settled over it. She pulled her jacket tighter about her to keep the cold and the wet at bay. She kept varying her pace so she would arrive at the exact time she needed to at the bar. Celeste Purcell had already gone ahead to scope out the place and was supposed to signal if it wasn’t safe or if something didn’t feel right to her.

Light from a sign caught Loftus’s eye.

There it was—the Xaranth, a bar which specialized in exotic drinks from a variety of worlds, some well known, and others hardly known.

Loftus took a moment to look up and down the street. She was sure she hadn't been followed, but it never hurt to be cautious. Cerenil Halafan wasn't likely to betray her given what it would mean for him back on Bajor. She wasn't worried. For him to be paid, she had to verify the transfer. She didn't have anything to steal, something Cerenil had been known to do from time to time. Though she was quite aware he might steal her transfer chip and force her to pay without turning over the promised goods in exchange. To do that Cerenil would bring along some thugs to apply the necessary physical pain to force her to comply. That’s why Loftus had asked Purcell to go ahead.

Loftus stepped into the bar. It was a large room, but for the most part empty except for two large figures at a table near the front. The walls were covered in wood and a silver metal, the chairs were green vinyl, and the long bar appeared to be made of a wood she couldn't identify.

The bartender, a large man with spiked red hair looked up as the door closed behind her.

“We're about to close,” he said, going back to wiping down the surface of the bar.

“I just want one drink,” she said, making her way past the tables toward him.

Loftus caught Purcell out of the corner of her eye, sitting at a table ten feet away. She didn’t look directly at Purcell, but was able to see her give a quick nod as she took a sip from a tall red drink. That was the agreed upon signal. Everything was fine, and Cerenil had yet to arrive. They had made it in place before he did.

“Okay,” the bartender said. “What'll it be?”

“An Arcturian Sunspot.”

He raised his left brow. “Don't get a request for that very often.”

“You know how to make it?”

He nodded and set a glass on the counter.

Loftus watched him make her drink, but kept her attention on the rest of the room. The two at the front remained in place, grunting at one another. They were large, but wore dirty robes, making it difficult to see who and what they were. An occasional figure walked past the window outside. Purcell sat calmly sipping at her glass.

The bartender pushed the drink toward her. “Here you go.”

“Thank you,” she said, reaching for it. She planned only a quick sip, knowing Cerenil had likely planned on being late to allow Loftus to drink too much. That was one of his oldest tricks, but she knew better.

A single sip.

“How is it?” the bartender asked.

“Good,” she said. It was nearly perfect. An Arcturian Sunspot was a difficult drink to get right, and using substandard ingredients reduced the overall effect in substantial ways. Though there was something just slightly off about it. He must have used replicated Harnose tree bark. It was difficult to get so she didn't hold that against him. “Quite good.”

“Glad to hear that,” he said, walking away with a smile.

“How much?” she asked.

“On the house.” He exited through a side door behind the bar.

Something was definitely wrong.

“It's hit you, hasn't it?” came an all too familiar voice from the front of the bar.

One of the robed figures stood, and shed his covering.

“Zuld!” Loftus spat as she turned and caught a full view of him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“My Bajoran flower,” he said with a laugh as he continued walking toward her. He wore a simple brown suit. “How I have looked forward to this evening.”

Loftus’s eyes shot quickly to Purcell, but instead of moving to take out Zuld, the Chamberlain’s chief staff officer sat motionless, staring at what remained of her drink.

Loftus put her hand on the phaser underneath her coat.

“Oh, you won't be needing that,” Zuld said, stopping in place. “Or rather, you will, but will find it impossible to use.”

She turned to the back door. She had to get out of the bar. Had to get help.

Loftus took a step, and found she couldn't take another.

“Your muscles should be freezing up about now. Your friend is already unable to move,” Zuld said, casting a glance at Purcell. “I knew you'd want information on the Virginia so you could help that weakling McCall. It was just a matter of keeping tabs on the usual collection of Bajoran degenerates.”

She was going to kill Cerenil.

“Don't worry about your Bajoran friend,” Zuld said. “I had him killed an hour after your communication with him ended.”

“You...”

“I couldn't leave him sitting around with that Bajoran sense of justice running through his head. Though his was quite atrophied, it might have risen enough for him to warn you.” He smiled at her. “In case you're wondering, he suffered greatly.”

“Good,” she said, doing her best to take another step.

“Don't bother,” Zuld said. “The chemical the bartender added to your drink is quite effective. However, it won't interfere with your pain receptors.”

Loftus tried moving any muscle, hoping if she could get one to function another would as well, but nothing. She was frozen in place.

“I suppose I should thank you,” Zuld said, cautiously watching her. “That little operation Cerenil had going with some of the Virginia’s officers might have been a problem at some point. Now that he’s gone, and we know the officers involved, it will no longer be a problem.”

“Bastard,” Loftus spat out. She was glad she could still speak. It meant she wouldn’t be a silent victim in whatever Zuld had planned. “What are you going to do to them?”

“One or two will meet with unfortunate accidents,” Zuld said with a grin. “The others will get the message from that, and serenity aboard the Virginia will return.”

The other figure, another Cardassian, got up from the table. Two more came through the door the bartender had exited through. They grabbed Purcell out of her seat.

“I left information about where I was going,” Loftus said.

“Good,” Zuld said with a chuckle. “That will make it easier for them to find the two of you.”

“You want them to find us?” she asked.

“Of course. I have a message for the crew of the Chamberlain as well,” he said. “After this they will understand it would be a bad idea for them to testify on McCall's behalf.”

“Why do you care about his trial?”

“Me personally, I don't,” Zuld said, taking another step toward her. “But the Commodore wants him broken, so I agreed to contribute my part toward that end.” He smiled wide. “Especially since it meant making you suffer.”

Loftus began to panic, but quickly brought that under control. She knew she had to stay focused. She had to be ready if an opportunity became available.

“That's why I'm taking so much time to talk to you,” he said as the other Cardassians formed up behind him. “I want you to know how total your failure will be.”

“McCall has plenty of information on Dameron to bury him without my testimony,” Loftus said.

“I doubt it.” Zuld stopped just a few inches from her. “McCall will capitulate, giving the commodore the victory he wants.”

“Never,” she said.

“It's who he is,” Zuld said. “He did so in the Glazyalan prisoner of war camp to save his crew. He'll do so again. And if you aren't enough, I’ll take out that little morsel Burton. That will certainly convince him.”

“You won’t get away with this,” Loftus said. She could feel her hand twitching. Her muscles were coming alive again. She had taken only one sip while Purcell had half a glass of whatever this was.

Zuld reached for Loftus’s belt and took her phaser.

“You’re regaining muscle control already?” he asked with a smile. “It doesn’t matter.” He put his face just an inch away from hers. “You will be quite incapacitated before it can help you or your friend.”

***

Melissa sat in the main conference room just off the bridge of the Chamberlain. Loftus had left word for Melissa to wait there for her to return to the ship.

She checked the chronometer again.

Twenty-two oh seven.

It wasn’t like Loftus to be late.

The far door opened, and Zaylie Burton entered.

“Something I can do for you, Lieutenant?” Melissa asked.

“I wanted to see if there was something going on,” Zaylie said.

“This is a big ship,” Melissa said. “There’s usually a lot of things going on.”

“I’m not stupid,” Zaylie said with a frown. “Commander Kadan and Commander Purcell left together to go down to the surface, and I can’t remember them being all that close, so I doubt it’s about anything personal.”

“If something were going on, does that make it your concern?”

“If it’s something to help the captain, I want to volunteer,” Zaylie said.

Melissa smiled at the loyalty Jack engendered in his crew.

“I very much appreciate your concern for Jack. If there’s anything you can help with, I’ll be sure to let you know,” Melissa said. “But frankly, as to what Loftus and Purcell are up to, I’m as much in the dark about it as you are, maybe even more so.”

Zaylie walked toward where Melissa was seated. “They left the ship at twenty hundred and took a shuttle to a remote part of the city.”

“Remote?” Melissa asked. Perhaps this was more clandestine than she had at first imagined.

“Very remote,” Zaylie said. “A section with lots of bars and places for various unsavory characters to trade their cargo.”

“Smugglers,” Melissa murmured.

“Yes.”

“Can you locate their shuttle?” Melissa asked.

“Of course,” Zaylie said with a grin. She turned to go when the intercom came to life.

“Commander Vargas,” said the voice of communications officer Flanora. “I’ve got a Doctor Loeb from the Sylvanus Coroner’s office wishing to speak with the senior officer aboard.”

Melissa hesitated a moment, but then realized she was the senior officer on the ship. “What does Doctor Loeb want?”

“She says she has two bodies in her morgue which she believes are officers from the Chamberlain,” Flanora said. “She needs you to come down and identify them.”

“Any idea who they are?” Melissa asked.

There was silence for several seconds.

“She didn’t want to say until you can confirm their identities,” Flanora replied.

Melissa looked up and saw Zaylie’s face covered with concern.

“I’m on my way,” Melissa said into the comm.

***

It was happening again. Members of Jack’s crew were paying the price for his intransigence.

The coroner had asked Melissa to come down to the surface, and she had contacted Jack, asking that he meet her there. He had been running a list of names through his mind, but nothing had prepared him for what he now saw.

The body on the metal table before Jack and Melissa…

Doctor Loeb, a woman in her forties with bronze skin pulled the sheet down just below the body’s shoulders.

“Loftus?!” Melissa said more in a cry than her normal voice. “My god... what happened?”

Loftus was covered with blood and bruises, but there was no doubt who it was. Jack's mind spun about. Seeing this woman he had worked closely with over the last several years so still and lifeless was surreal. He had seen dead bodies before, and dead bodies of friends and... Larissa... She had been the first dead body he'd seen. That experience had nearly broken him. The bodies in the Glazyalan prison camp had come close as well. Only Mei-Wan had kept him from giving up.

But what could have happened? Why?

He realized he hadn't been listening as the doctor explained Loftus's injuries.

“... loss of blood, but death was a result of extreme trauma to the lungs and heart.”

“Trauma?” Melissa asked, her eyes still fixed on Loftus's black and blue face.

“She was beaten for a considerable amount of time, in excess of twenty minutes,” Doctor Loeb said. “And...”

“What?” Jack asked.

“She was raped repeatedly. I'm having the DNA analyzed to give to the local police so they can apprehend the subjects.”

“Subjects? There was more than one?” Melissa asked.

“At least three.” Doctor Loeb took a long breath. “I'll leave you with her for a few minutes. But please, don't touch the body.”

Melissa nodded. After the doctor had left, she let herself cry. “Who would do something like this?”

But Jack wasn’t able to answer that question. “What was she doing down here?”

“She was supposed to meet with me later tonight to discuss some information she had concerning you,” Melissa said.

“K’Nor was going to take a deposition from Loftus tomorrow morning,” Jack said. “He said Loftus was going to be our key witness in the case.”

“Until we know more, don’t let your mind run wild,” Melissa said. “It could be…”

Jack wasn’t having that. “No. Two of my officers are dead. After Wakernaggle’s visit, I think this is another message.” Jack closed his eyes. “I'm worried about the rest of you…” Jack began.

Doctor Loeb walked back in the room. “I’m sorry, but I need you to confirm the identity of the other officer.”

They both nodded and followed Loeb into an adjoining area. Jack knew neither he nor Melissa wanted to see their shipmates, their friends, in this state, but they had to confirm identification. Though officially, Melissa was the only one required to do so, Jack felt a duty to be here.

Once in the other examination room, Jack looked down at the table. “Celeste?!” he nearly cried out.

Celeste Purcell, his chief staff officer, was as still as Loftus. However, she didn’t show any signs of injury.

“Both of them had traces of a drug in their systems which I haven’t yet been able to identify,” Loeb told them as they stared at the lifeless body of Purcell.

“Could it have been a sedative?” Jack asked. “Something to immobilize them while this… was done to them?”

“That’s my working theory at the moment,” Loeb said. “I should have more information in the next twenty-four hours.”

Jack looked at Purcell. The once lively woman seemed so still.

“How did she die?” Melissa asked.

“As you may have noticed, she doesn’t have any injuries,” Loeb said. “She had a second drug in her system. It took some extensive testing to identify it as a rare poison called gonaladin. It was used by certain Cardassian units during the Dominion war to quickly kill captured civilians.” Loeb looked down at Purcell. “Death is nearly instantaneous and painless.”

Jack glanced back at Loftus. “But you said Commander Kadan suffered multiple injuries and trauma.”

“Yes,” Loeb said. “It does seem odd the perpetrators would go to so much trouble to inflict such injuries on one of them, but then use a fast-acting poison to kill the other.” After several moments, Loeb looked up at Jack. “Take as much time with them both as you wish.”

Once again Doctor Loeb left them to be alone with the body.

Melissa looked up at Jack. “Killing Loftus was much more personal.”

“Zuld,” Jack murmured.

“I can’t believe this is happening,” Melissa said. “If Zuld was involved…”

“Then it’s a good bet Dameron was the one giving the orders,” Jack replied. He shook his head. “But it doesn’t make sense. Why do all of this to get at me? What could Loftus have told the court that Dameron was so afraid of?”

Melissa put her arm around him.

“I can’t let this continue,” Jack said. “I can’t let this happen to anyone else.”

“We’ll have everyone remain aboard the ship,” Melissa said. “It’s harder to get at us there.”

Jack nodded.

Melissa turned to Jack. “Don’t let this shake you.”

“How could it not shake me?” Jack asked. “I put them in this position.”

“That’s not true,” Melissa said. “You didn’t order them down to the surface. This was something Loftus was pursuing on her own.”

“For me!”

“Jack, don’t do this,” Melissa pleaded. “We don’t know enough at this point to make any sort of judgment.”

Jack nodded. She was right. He was letting the emotional reaction to seeing two of his officers in a morgue drive his mind to extremes.

“We can’t count on anyone else getting to the bottom of who killed Loftus and Purcell. As commander of the Chamberlain, you have resources at your disposal no one else has,” Jack said. “Go through Loftus’s communication logs. See if you can determine who she was supposed to be meeting. That might give you some leads on who did this. Tracking them down is the key to exposing Dameron.”

Melissa nodded. She gave Jack a quick hug. “I'll call you.”

He watched her walk out of the morgue.

Try as he might, he couldn’t shake the feeling this was his fault.

God, I am so sorry Loftus! Celeste!

He couldn't get Loftus’s battered face out of his mind.

This was going to get much worse before it got any better. The weight of it hit him. Once again, his crew was going to suffer because of him. His thoughts solidified around his wife, Melissa.

They would come for her next.

-GO TO CHAPTER 7-