Diversion & Deception - Part 6

Posted on Wed Jun 17th, 2026 @ 6:49pm by Captain Daegan Baas & Ensign Garath Of the House of Varal [Baas] & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Darius Korveth & Lieutenant Niami Troga & Lieutenant JG Christian Rogers & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kellerman & Ensign Josiah Lambert & Petty Officer 2nd Class Hunter Kawolski
Edited on on Thu Jun 18th, 2026 @ 12:21pm

1,639 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: What was Lost is Found
Location: Surface of Kril'Es

[On the surface]

Looking at his wrist tricorder he saw that the strike teams had an extra body. He was about to pull up and find out who is was when he heard a voice bellow from the center of the settlement. As his head snapped to that direction to called out again.

"DAREEM!!!"

Baas' head dropped as he saw the Administrator storming from the transport site, for all to see, straight towards the council building. Tapping his badge, "Move it! Secure all exterior hostiles and protect Administrator Kurul!"

Garath was moving around the outer edge to the building as another shout went out.

"DAREEM! YOU LYING DECEITFUL FEHILL'CURAK!"

The crowd had all gone silent and turned and the Romulan guarding the perimeter had also looked towards the noise. Using the distraction the butt of Garath's rifle came down on the back of the head of one and up into the jaw of another.

At Gararth's back Lambert, moved. giving him cover, making sure nothing came to get at his Klingon friend.

The trail of bodies surrounding the council chambers were spread in a ragged line. Rogers wasn't sure that everyone stunned and dropped were enemy combatants, but at this point but he didn't care. All would recover and do so in custody. They would be sorted then. He found himself at the edge of the opened doorway, hearing the commotion going on between the two council representatives of the colony. He had to suppress the smile at finding Yuvana could annoy others as effectively as she had him aboard the ship. He also admired the courage the old woman was displaying.

Inside the Council Chamber, Dareem remained calm and calculated. His disruptor remained at hip-height and was pointed directly at the Valkyrie's Trill doctor.

"You have the mouth of a Tanwana beast, Yuvana."

"And you have the wit and ethics of a Ferengi in Debtor Court," Yuvana answered, her eyes blazing at the traitor. She then turned her attention to the others assembled in the room.

Sokah turned at the repeated shouting coming from outside.

"As a representative of the Colony and it's governing body," she said, looking now to the ships XO, Hunt, "I declare Dareem charged with several crimes against the colony and its people. Those who follow him are also charged. I know there are no formal relations between our people and the Federation, but I hereby deputize all Starfleet personnel and give them the rights and responsibilities of law enforcers. They are to take the criminals into custody and may use whatever force is necessary to effect their capture...or neutralize them as threats."

"What the..." Baldwin muttered, hearing the words from the Councilor. Kawolski smiled as he raised his rifle once more. "Drop the weapons and put up your hands."

Dareem pulled the Trill closer to him, grinding the nose of the old disruptor into his back. In one motion, he threw an arm around Tanaka's neck, ensuring he couldn't break away. The disruptor remained steady.

He could still hear Yuvana's voice in his ears like the tolling of some ancient bell.

"You speak of laws," Dareem said through clenched teeth.

"You speak of governments and councils and authority." His eyes found Yuvana's, and he could almost taste the disgust in them. "A century of hardship and still you mistake comfort for legitimacy!"

The old Romulan laughed once, and it wasn't a pleasant sound. It was bitter and rueful.

"You have forgotten what we were."

Dareem's gaze drifted across the chamber, over the frightened faces of his followers and hostages alike.

"Our people crossed the stars while other species were still learning to make fire and choose who should lead their primitive villages. We built worlds and forged empires. We mastered disciplines that lesser civilizations mistook for utter sorcery!"

Another group of colonists entered through the main doors of the chamber, and he could see the wind picking up outside. It was a dry wind, too. Typical for the current season.

For a long moment, it seemed to Dareem that he could hear the stekot'l fields again. The real ones. The endless fields of the ch'Rihan plain back on Romulus--contrasted sharply under the pale sky. The sound of that grain moving in the wind stirred his soul and reminded him of where he came from. Of who he was.

The vision passed, and his eyes hardened.

"And now?" he said. "Now, we ask permission to exist. And we do not ask it of ourselves. We ask it from the Federation."

Disgust seemed to touch every syllable, so much so that he almost spat the word.

Sadness seemed to rock him suddenly, and his eyes now appeared older and more tired than ever. His eyes fell on Kawolski, Hannah, Hunt, and the others.

"Put the weapons down."

A calmness had returned to his voice, and his demand sounded more like a gentle request. Perhaps one an exasperated parent might make of a young, misbehaving child.

Darius leaned against the wall, the disruptor he'd liberated was pointed at Dareem. He slowly lowered it, as he was hit with an involuntary tic as a pain shot from two of his ribs up to his brain. He resisted taking the shot. He muttered something in Orion under his breath.

"Darius," Hunt called out as he moved in closer to the Orion, who went from leaning against the wall to slumping down to the floor. Moving in closer to help assist the man, who now suffered wounds to his ribs. "Dareem, this has gone too far. Regardless of your people's achievements. History has reflected that their need to conquer has caused more damage."

'I'm fine, sir," Darius replied, though it was clear he was lying. He tried pushing himself to his feet. He made it with a second effort and turned to Hunt. He turned the disruptor around and handed it to the XO handle first. "I could have made the shot," he said.

Outside, the perimeter had been secured, and Rogers' security teams had taken position on either side of the entrance, ready to burst in on his order. The civilians, seeing the calculated movements of the landing party, backed away several meters as they watched the teams move. The now familiar Starfleet uniforms covered in black tactical vests, each with a sidearm and a rifle at the ready.

Baas had moved to join Kurul, handing his rifle off to his escort. Looking to the Administrator, "If you can't talk him down, my people will go in stun everyone, and sort it out later."

Kurul nodded, "You may need to do that anyway, Captain, but if anything, I can serve as a distraction."

"Very well. You're on..."

Everyone watched as Kurul moved to the door to the Council hall and spoke, the anger returning to his voice. "Dareem!"

Sokah motioned another to check the door; if Kurul was on the surface, something was wrong, and with everything that had taken place, he wanted answers. Opening the door, he looked at Kurul, the elder's face rigid and taut like he had never seen before, and he stepped back as Kurul entered.

As soon as Rogers saw the person at the door, he stepped forward, let his rifle drop on its strap, and grabbed the man, pulling him out and throwing him to the ground. Two other security officers stepped up, both hitting Sokah with stun blasts as soon as he cleared Rogers's grip.

Rogers moved in behind Kurul and Baas, his security officers following while two stood on either side to maintain the perimeter with Garath and the others.

Baas could see several other Romulans reacted to Rogers grabbing the man at the door, only making things worse and not giving Kurul the chance to talk them down. He was dark red and watched Rogers step past, but Kurul was already moving.

Kurul stepped into the doorway, looking at everyone as he scanned the room. "You have all been lied to! Dareem planned this and swore to us all that no lives would be taken. Then he killed two of the very people who have given their time, effort, and resources to help our people without asking for anything in return!"

In addition to that, he tried to have Akil kill ME!" Stepping deeper into the room, he looked to each of his people and then to the offices that had been taken.

Heads darted to Dareem, and Sokah glared at him, his jaw tight at Kurul's revelation.

Baas had followed Kurul but stopped just inside the door to keep anyone behind him in check but turned his head back whispering. "Have the shuttle lock onto the hostages and prepare to beam them out...on my order."

Garath nodded, stepping away so as to not he heard, motioning for Lambert to take his place if needed.

Lena had slipped away during the chaos, she still had a score to settle with the Federation, and there was even more of a deep seated hatred of Klingons. She had gone to an area where she could be hidden in a sniping position. She looked for a likely candidate and found one. A Klingon. She was going to eradicate one and hopefully he hadn't any children yet.

A way to end a family line, she carefully aimed her weapon towards the Klingon....

Following Garath's direction, Lambert went to do as he requested. Something though caught his attention, he noticed a Romulan woman, rise up from a hidden area, weapon aimed towards Garath. Without another thought, Lambert shot her, the woman fell with a thump to the floor.

He went to check on her, the woman gasped out her last breath, "For Romulus, for the empire..."


TBC...

 

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