Old Ways vs. The New - Part 2

Posted on Sun Mar 22nd, 2026 @ 9:21am by Captain Daegan Baas & Ensign Garath Of the House of Varal [Baas] & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Darius Korveth & Lieutenant Urushi Yaotome & Lieutenant Niami Troga & Lieutenant JG Jason Mallory & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kellerman
Edited on on Sun Mar 22nd, 2026 @ 9:26am

1,268 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: What was Lost is Found
Timeline: MD 7 - 0930

...In the Council Chamber...

"What are you actually hoping to achieve here?" Hunt questioned.

The Council Chamber has long been the colony's first storehouse for grain. It could still be glimpsed if one looked closely--thick beams high above and a broad floor meant to maximize volume. Now it was ground zero for a betrayal.

The Starfleet officers sat against the far wall, their hands bound with cord and insulated wiring. It was an arrangement that bordered on cruel, but entirely necessary in the eyes of Dareem.

Several Romulans stood along the walls at even intervals, and there was an uneasiness one could breathe and taste in the air.

Dareem stood near the long table that had served the settlement for decades, his hands palms-down and leaning over it.

He glared at Hunt.

"You would not understand," he said, his voice low and strained. "Starfleet is weak, and its officers do not understand the difference between necessity and destiny."

"Clearly, you know nothing of our history," the Commander responded. "Far better advisories believed the same, and here we still stand as strong as ever."

Darius' eyes cut between the Commander, his fellow captives, and Dareem. "Mr. Hunt is correct. If you think Starfleet is weak, that was your first mistake. Perhaps if you tell me, tell us your endgame, we can help you achieve that and avoid violence and bloodshed. Both of which you're going to have to face if you don't start talking."

Dareem closed the gap between himself to where the Valkyrie's Executive Officer and the Orion hybrid were seated near the wall. It only took a half-dozen steps to reach them, and there he remained, towering over them in his 130-year-old Romulan uniform. It still looked as crisp as the day he first donned it.

"Our aims are our own," he said confidently, studying both officers' faces. "For now, be content with the knowledge that you are leverage. Nothing more."

"Leverage for what?" the Commander inquired. "If you explain the situation. We might just be able to help this process move smoothly."

Darius' instinct was to break free of his restraints, grab Dareem, and start knocking some sense into him or at least knocking himself alongside the head. That was what he would have tried if he were fully Orion and not a Starfleet officer. He probably could have gotten loose if he'd been really tired.

But he kept himself from reacting on instinct.

"Starfleet doesn't negotiate with terrorists. And that is how they will consider you now. Your idea of using us as leverage was dead before you even started."

"That's the bad news. The good news is Commander Hunt might be able to talk to the Captain and maybe even persuade him. If you give us a reason."

Dareem smiled treacherously. "How predictable," he muttered, shaking his head. "Offering to assist in the capture of your own vessel. How very altruistic of you, mister."

Despite the circumstances and that he was looking up at his captor, or perhaps because of it, he laughed. He didn't try to stifle it. "That's just not going to happen. I know the Captain, he would rather destroy the ship than let you, or anyone, take it over.

---

[USS Valkyrie]

The pair materialized on the Federation ship. They were both greeted with a smile from the woman behind the console. "Greeting, Administrator. When the Captain heard you wished to come up, he instructed me to escort you to him immediately."

Securing the console until her relief showed, she gestured towards the door. "After you, sir."

Gesturing himself, "Please lead the way."

They followed the woman and stepped into the lift. If everything timed out properly, those on the surface would begin the task of temporarily disrupting communications, disabling the transport site, and rounding up the Federation crew in the council chambers shortly after they reached the bridge.

They stepped out onto the bridge, and their escort gestured to the Captain as he looked over a tablet with another member of the crew. "There you are, as promised. If you both will excuse me, I must return to my transporter room."

Kurul stepped out onto the bridge of the ship once again and marveled at its design. Behind him, he heard Akil, "Thank you, Chief."

Joining his coconspirator, Akil leaned towards him, "Shouldn't be long now before they notice things going wrong."

Turning his head, Captain Baas saw that his visitors had arrived and smiled in greeting as he made his way to them.

Urushi sat at the science console, her eyes focused on the screens in front of her. She was still running simulations from the planetary scans. She was trying to find the best ways of helping clean up the radiation below with minimal damage to the current ecosystem, and then calculate how it would affect the colony's population. She didn't notice the visitors as she was far to engrossed in her work.

Something felt off to Niami. She looked around, then turned towards where the visitors were concerned. She reached out and touched the Captain's shoulder.

Leaning in towards his ear, whispering. "Something is wrong, all isn't what it seems." Glancing towards Kurul and Akil there were conflicting emotions coming from them.

Before Baas could reply...

From the Operations office, Jason had been keeping on the various tasks needed onboard ship with an eye for the planetside activities. When the indicator for the transporter enhancers went offline, it caught his attention almost instantly. Knowing nothing always worked perfectly; the loss was concerning, but not alarming, so he tapped his commbadge.

"Mallory to Transporter Rooms, cease all further transports to the surface, enhancer two is down." One down, two to go, and another tap. "Bridge, Mallory. Pattern enhancer two is offline planetside; no one's called in an issue. I've issued a stop on transports to the surface. Something's starting to not feel right." Lucky last, yet another tap. "Mallory to Security and Intelligence, I've got a transporter enhancer that just went offline, no reports in, any recommendations before I grab a shuttle to go look?"

The call from Ops wasn't the last.

Garath had begun to closely watch the Romulans, his hand opening the panel where the station phaser was stored. As he reached for his readied to pull the phaser, his panel chimed. "Captain, we've lost the signals from the surface teams. All of them!"

Kurul stood silently as the reports came in, his hands clasped together in front of him. "You people are fine, Captain, and will remain so as long as you cooperate."

In a flash of movement, Garath pulled the phaser and covered the Romulans.

At the same time, Baas's hand came up. "Easy, Ensign. No doubt there are those on the planet waiting to hear from the Administrator?"

"That is correct, Captain. The communicators, for your people on the surface, have all been collected and destroyed. The only way to contact the surface is through our communications devices."

His eyes never leaving Kurul's, "Why?"

"That will become evident shortly. I suggest you hail the surface before anything unfortunate happens."

His anger coming out in his voice, "If you've..."

Kurul's voice is even but assertive. "I suggest you hail the surface Captain."

Looking at the elder Romulan, "Whatever you think you are going to gain, you won't.

Shifting his head, Baas nodded to Garath, "Hail the surface. Use open frequencies used in the late 23rd century." Turning his back to Kurul in a contemptuous gesture, he waited for the channel to be established.


TBC...

 

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