The Talusian Defector, part 3/?

[EmilyH]

See part 1 for disclaimers.

The Talusian Defector

By Emily M. Hanson

Part 3

The Talusian General, Usurik, glared at his second-in-command, who had just delivered bad news. *What do you mean, the Commander of the third fleet is missing?*

*Our guard vessels detected an energy surge near the border, and identified it as Commander Amuria’s vessel. It is possible she was on a mission, but unlikely. She has received no such orders,* the High Commander thought in reply.

*Contact the thought-spies and go through her records. Search for anything that will give us answers. Send someone to bring her back.*

*Yes, sir.* The High Commander had just the right person for the job – Commander Narax of the fourth fleet, who was getting under his skin lately with trivial complaints. This would give him something useful to do.

Commander Narax didn’t dare complain about the mission, even to himself. But he had a smidgeon of ire directed at the High Commander. After all, there were others who knew the secondary dimension better than he. Why should he have to go and drag Commander Amuria back? But orders were orders, and he dared not defy them. Narax flew a scout vessel, in stealth mode, past the guards and through the dimensional gate. The Federation’s primitive ships didn’t detect his presence at all. Amazed by their lack of technology, for even in his dimension, mortals were several hundred years more advanced, the Talusian silently hovered near them. He was a shadow in the blackness of space. Narax hoped to listen in on their communications, and thus learn where Commander Amuria had gone.

The lead vessel, Narax learned, was called the USS Phoenix. A brief reference check revealed that the phoenix was a mythical bird made of fire, known for rising out of ashes from the grave. Mortals in his dimension had similar tales. It seemed they all dreamed of eternal life in one way or another, and envied energy beings like the Talusians for having what they could not. But then, some denied the Talusians’ superiority and were punished for their insolence. Narax could not understand why all mortals simply could not yield to their genetic superiors, nor why the Q in this dimension did not rule over them. The Q Continuum was a genuine mystery to the Talusians.

After monitoring the mortals’ communications for several hours, Commander Narax turned his ship and set in a course for Earth. He had discovered that Amuria was at Federation Headquarters, claiming to be a defector. If her claims were true, she would be punished severely. The thought of a Talusian willingly bowing to the demands of mortals made Narax feel disgusted, and inspired him to increase his vessel’s speed.

* * * * *

Amuria suddenly gasped, in the middle of a high-profile meeting with several security experts and Starfleet Admirals. Everyone looked at her curiously. “I sense a Talusian vessel in this dimension, and it’s getting closer,” she said.

“If the Talusians are energy beings like the Q, why do you need starships?” Someone asked.

“It takes a tremendous amount of energy to travel across dimensions,” Amuria replied. “While it is possible for us to do that, our powers would be drained and we would be left in a weakened state for days. So we use starships.”

“Is this the first sign of an attack?” One of the security experts inquired.

“I don’t know. The Talusian piloting the vessel is blocking me.”

Excited whispers began to fill the conference room until the Fleet Admiral called for order. “Please remain calm. We do not know if this is an attack. Perhaps it is another defection.”

In his quarters, Quincy suddenly felt his powers growing weak and realized what it must be.

*Amuria!* She heard Quincy’s telepathic voice, sounding urgent. *Someone from your dimension is heading this way, and he’s not in a good mood.*

*Yes, I sensed him, too. What do you mean, he’s not in a good mood?*

*You know the effect your ships have? Well, I’m feeling kind of drained right now.*

As Quincy’s thought entered Amuria’s mind, the lights flickered and then went off. The backup generator kicked in.

“Talusian vessels have power-draining capabilities,” another security expert said. “I think we can interpret this as hostile.”

“Cadet Quincy confirms it,” Amuria added. “And I can sense it. It’s definitely coming from the Talusian ship.”

The Fleet Admiral rose. “This meeting is adjourned until further notice. Amuria, I want you to go with the security team and make sure Earth stays in one piece. Oh…and bring Cadet Quincy in on this, we could use his help.”

* * * * *

“You want me where?” Quincy looked incredulous as the security officer informed him. “I have class in an hour, Sir.”

“Look at it this way, Cadet. If Earth is destroyed, you won’t have class in an hour.”

“That’s a bad thing?”

The Bajoran’s mouth turned upwards even though he was obviously suppressing the grin. “Well, from our standpoint, it is. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be blown into tiny bits.”

“They’ll be hard-pressed to find a way to blow me into tiny bits, Lieutenant. I’m a Q.”

The Bajoran gaped at him. “You’re kidding, right?”

“No. I may joke about other things, but never that.”

“All right.” The security officer shook his head, finding it hard to believe. “Come on.”

It was a long walk to the Security headquarters, located a hundred feet below the Earth’s surface. The air had to be pressurized here. Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the room’s florescent lighting seemed nearly ancient by comparison. But it had once been a secret base of operations for the U.S. government, and retained much of its original structure.

Admiral Roberts looked up as Cadet Quincy and the Bajoran arrived. “Good, you’re here. Welcome to Starfleet Security headquarters…again.”

Quincy gave him a wry smile. “I seem to be turning up here on a frequent basis.”

“At least, you don’t come uninvited. I doubt our shields would pose a problem for you.”

“They wouldn’t. But that could be remedied.”

Admiral Roberts blinked in surprise. “Is that an offer to enhance our technology?”

“No, just an observation.”

“Of course. Besides, you’d be breaking the Prime Directive.”

“There is that. What do you need me here for, Sir?”

“To be honest, I’m just under orders from the Fleet Admiral to keep you here in case we need you.”

“In other words,” Quincy said carefully, “in case you need me to break the Prime Directive.” The humans were used to his presence, and their reliance on him was not necessarily a good thing. Their own rules forbade it, but they seemed to forget. There was a reason that in the past, the Q did not live among humans.

“Is it really interfering, though?”

“Technically, yes. If I use my powers to help you do something that you could’ve achieved on your own, it’s interfering. But I’m here, so I might as well make the most of it.”

* * * * *

[ray gower]

Nice steady progress, letting a little slip to help build the story tension.

Good going

ray