Crux

Posted on Sat Aug 25th, 2018 @ 10:32am by Captain Remas McDonald & Lieutenant Commander Shadi Zatra

2,243 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: S1:3: Myriad Problems
Location: Praesidium Bar, Rec Deck: Private Party
Timeline: MD 2 01.12

The bar was empty, which was odd for the Traveller.

Like any ship of modern design, it's crew worked nearly 24 hours a day around the clock, with various duty shifts coming and going. That's meant just because it was 8 am you might fancy dinner and a nightcap instead of waffles and coffee.

But for tonight, at Remas's insistence, the bar had closed for a private party. All the senior staff were invited, so clearly it had something to do with the honking great alien starship hanging outside the window. Everyone knew something big was happening, and given the captain was celebrating it had to be good.

Which was why Remas had ensured his bad news was delivered with strong liquor.

"No warp," he said to one and all after retelling the events of his meeting with Abborax. "Under pain of vaguely worded but sinister consequences. Your thoughts?"

Shadi pulled her prehensile tongue out of a bottle of Saurian brandy long enough to look up at the captain. "Did Abborax say that?" Her big, black eyes were wrought with concern. "But... how to come back..."

"Actually, it makes complete sense," Arivek said, his arms folded over his chest. "We can't just barge into unknown space and expect the locals to bow to our whims. We have to abide by their customs and laws and they see warp travel as a negative thing. She should honor their request and we should do so without whining about it."

"True enough, but we were sent here on a voyage of exploration of the cluster not just of this one star system," Remas said steadily, eyeing Ari with a raised eyebrow. "My next meeting with Abborax will look into the idea of us circumnavigating their space entirely. We're on the edge of Messier 4, no reason we can just backtrack, and swinging around the curve of the sphere to come into Messier from another direction beyond their area of influence. They only operate on the Milky Way facing side of Messier, not the entirety of the cluster after all."

Backtracking was never a fully pleasing piece of news to receive, but if it avoided unnecessary conflict, then Rena didn't see a problem with it. She did notice, however, that not everyone seemed to follow her train of thought.

That prospect did not sound good to Shadi either. "Sss..." She let out a faint hiss as to ask a question only for it to die on her lips.

"Speak up Shadi," Remas encouraged as the door the Praesidium sighed open to allow Jolani and T'raa entry. "Ah look, how two intrepid explorer's return. What news from the shuttle bay?"

"So does that mean I can't go with Mazarian?" Shadi finally asked.

Arivek looked at the reptile sceptically. “Why would you want to do that?” He asked, curious as to her motivation.

Shadi grinned wide, baring her small and pointed fangs. "Because we're in love! There. I've said it. I love him and he loves me and Abborax agreed we could be together!"

Jolani walked into the bar on that cue. "I think you may wish to reconsider your plans when you hear my news, Lieutenant Zatra."

"What do you mean?" Shadi was caught completely off guard

Nearly emotionless, Jolanit told Shadi, "I am sorry to be a bearer of bad news, Lieutenant Zatra but Mazarian was using you and Abborax apparently uses intelligent beings as a form of chattel. I take no pleasure in bringing you this information. However, it appears to be my destiny to be bearer of more bad news."

Shadi lunged for Jolani. "You shut your lying monkey mouth! Mazarian loves me! He promised when he entangled me in his mortal coils!"

"Getting back to the point at hand," Remas said over any chance of rebuttal. He'd been in his own fair share of tail spins, and sometimes the only way out was through. "Chattel? Are you sure Jolani? Mazarian told you this without provocation?"

"He did," Jolani replied solemnly. "In fact, he did so after he saved our lives from some creatures that he called an Ambulatory Hive that were inside of Abborax's shuttle. They are worms that hatch from eggs and act as a hive mind. They took a humanoid form as a group before Mazarian used our tricorder to stop them. Worms is probably a generous term for them as they had several layers of jaws."

Letting those words sit for a bit, Jolani paused. Phrasing the next bit was going to be difficult. "Mazarian specifically told us that Abborax is part of the Myriad. They are a race the controls all the space between worlds. They are nothing short of tyrants. They prevent any worlds from achieving warp so that they remain in power. Those who have intelligence or wit are traded as commodities to destroy other civilizations. Mazarian specifically got on Abborax's ship, he says, to band together against the Myriad. They are seeking assistance in overthrowing the Myriad. And I'm sorry, Lieutenant Zatra, but you were a means to an end. He specifically said that he was courting you to assist him. Only mine and T'Raa's presence on the ship forced his hand and for him to tell us."

Taking only a brief pause to prevent Shadi from objecting, Jolani continued. "There are two more things that you should know. First, Abborax's shuttle is broadcasting everything that Abborax sees and hears. Maybe more. This puts our ship in grave danger. Second, those spiders carry a synthetic drug that is meant to keep people happy or placid. They mean to make us docile. Perhaps that means they wish to take our ship and make us slaves. That last statement is only my conjecture, Captain."

Shadi was simmering with rage. How dare this mealy little warm-blood slander her beautiful love and his generous benefactor?

"You say Mazarian is in the Myriad shuttle?" she hissed. "I'm going to see him now, and we'll settle this once and for all!"

"Now Shadi settle down a spell," Remas said, holding up a stalling hand. "One point of data does not make a certainty. Though, to be fair what Jolani reports match's up with Abborax's little sales pitch to me. Heavy-handed is the term of phrase to be sure. Still-"

A soft chuckle filled the air.

"Compared to the heavy-handedness of your assumption of welcome upon arrival?" Abborax's voice crooned from the wall speakers. "Your Federation has a horrible habit of sticking its beak where it is not desired. In fact, your wars of recent years have been centred around the fact you wandered where you ought not to. The Borg. The Dominion. All of it stemming from clever little bipeds bending relativity around your little finger."

The doors to the bar made a clunking sound as the airtight locking seal engaged, and a holographic lock symbol appeared over the control pad.

"You could have done with the Myriad arriving over your world Captain Mcdonald, instead of Vulcans. We manage worlds quite well and see to their needs. There are no wars in our space, no bitter feuds or plots of vengeance. We are peacemakers, we trade in expertise others would horde like gold coins under a bed."

A holographic shimmer appeared in the room's centre, and Abborax appeared. As a stand-in for his physical proxy, the holo avatar was similar but now dressed much more grandly. The edges of his robes were embroidered in gold data bars that glittered and shimmered with furious computation. Fractal patterns shifted about, stiched into the cloth.

A demon etched in digital glass.

"Well now..." he said, looking around the room at those assembled before settling his eyes on Ari. "The moment of decision has arrived, it seems."

Arivek gently nodded to the man, hoping his meaning was understood.

"You say that you trade," Jolani responded simply. "More correctly, you fiercely create a monopoly and prevent others from being able to fairly trade. I would hardly call that being a peacemaker. I would call that being a dictator." Concluding that thought, she looked at her crewmates and said, "You all have reasons to live. I do not. I will give Abborax what he wants and you can all leave. He only needs one of us."

Shadi assumed an aggressive stance and flexed her talons. "Starve you to Famine, Abborax! Hand over Mazarian, and maybe I won't offer your blood to the Goddess this night!"

“Stand down, Lieutenant,” Arivek said, taking a step forward. “There’s no need for insults here. Abborax is just doing what he’s supposed to do.”

"Lieutenant Zhuri?" Shadi asked in startling surprise. Then her nostrils flared, the similarity she smelled between Ari and Abborax back in the shuttle bay suddenly returning to her recollection. And, now, for some reason, it was even stronger now. One of her taloned hands stretched toward him as well.
"What have you done? Have you betrayed us?!"

"Us? Well isn't that something," Abbiorax purred and walked through the centre of the gathered party, his form shimmering as he passed through tables and chairs as immaterial as a ghost. "As though you have anything remotely in common with this grand fellow."

Abborax now stood beside Arivek, and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. For a split second, a faint shiver went through his physical being, as though for a split second Arivek Zhuri were in two places at once.

"Captain McDonald I will be taking Arivek with me. The Saurian you may keep, but I really must insist on something else in exchange for all the inconvenience caused," the Myriad turned to look at the Rish. "I would have settled for your cultural database, but given your recalcitrant tone, I feel we will not be trading partners very long. Your entire ships main database and associated archives. There is by no means a necessity for unpleasentness. I take that which is owed, and I leave you all hearty and well. What say you?"

"I don't know," Remas said, eyeing his officers before settling his gaze on Ari. There was a dull feeling there, like the strike of an impact where all the air had rushed from him. But then he remembered a conversation that seemed a life time ago, in the Engineering offices aboard the I Knew I Forgot To Tell You Something.

'What makes you think we're friends?'

"Crew of the Traveller, what do we say to this bargain?"

"SSSaurians have a long tradition of trading as well." Shadi rushed to the locked door and began tearing at it with her bare claws. "My counter offer is that I will snap Abborax's neck clean before I devour him head to stern!"

Rena more or less was spectating, but shared everyone's surprise at the turn of events. The sound of Shadi's claws scratching on the door, however, sent shivers down her spine. It was like that humanoid phrase... fingernails on a smooth rock wall? "Shadi, you're going to damage the prosthetic claws," she warned, walking to the door with some haste. They were almost completely healed anyways, but she wanted to avoid having them damaged while they were still healing.

"I'd say that if you have Arivek that you already have the equivalent of the ship's database," Jolani observed. "Or perhaps we just self destruct and we all call it even?" Jolani nodded. "I think that's quite fair. Besides, I'm already dead. Makes little difference to me."

"Not before I kill Abborax!" Shadi turned her hands into fists and began hammering against the door frame. The thinner metal of the door began to bow slightly at her relentless assault. "AB-BOR-AX!!!"

Vic smiled at Shadi's attempt to open the door, she'd get through eventually come hell or high water. When he turned to Ari though, nothing but anger coursed through him and it took everything in him to maintain his composure without decking the little troll."I knew something was off about you Abborax. True colors always show with time. As for you," he said looking at Ari,"When this is done, I'll see to it you get yours." he added with a sinister tone.

"And a captain stands with his crew," Remas said to the Myriad, and then turned his eyes onto Ari.

"How charming," Abborax sneered and held out his right hand. From it arise the ruby data sphere once more, flickering now with an inner golden light. With a sudden pulse from that device, all of the holographic fineries of the Rec Deck turned off. Wall's were soon turned bare, and distance fooling optical illusions vanished to reveal bleak metal walls. Within the Paersidium Bar was rendered in muted tones.

Amber emergency lights flickered on within their ceiling mounted recesses, painting all but Abborax and Arivek in that fiery light. Those two had vanished, gone in the same instance as all the other holograms.

Remas was about to shout instructions, such as informing Shadi of the emergency door release handle built into the door frame, when the deck underneath their feet lurched. It was not the rocking of an impact, but the jarring inner ear rocking motion of a sharp yaw manoeuvre.

Followed by the unmistakable growling discharge of a ship grade phaser cannon.

"Everyone to the bridge, now!" Remas barked.



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