Diversion & Deception - Part 4

Posted on Tue May 26th, 2026 @ 8:47pm by Captain Daegan Baas & Commander Jerome Hunt Jr. & Lieutenant Darius Korveth & Lieutenant Niami Troga & Lieutenant Ayumu Tanaka & Lieutenant JG Christian Rogers & Lieutenant JG Ryan Kellerman & Petty Officer 2nd Class Hunter Kawolski
Edited on on Tue May 26th, 2026 @ 8:52pm

1,540 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: What was Lost is Found
Timeline: MD 7

...Earlier

Sokah had approached and placed a hand on Dareem's shoulder. "The Federation shuttles are offloading personnel, then head back to the ship... just as planned."


[Council Chamber]

"Good," Dareem replied, his voice lowered. A thought struck him, and he strode forward, once again addressing the other Romulan colonists.

"Look at what we have accomplished in a short time," he bellowed, his voice like a preacher. "Starfleet has abandoned their imperialistic ambition and are cowed."

Locking eyes with a younger Romulan female who held a disruptor toward a group of officers, he continued. "The next stage is about to begin, my brothers and sisters."

With that, Dareem turned away, content that his short speech would rally his fellow Romulans.

Jerome had caught a glimpse of the disagreement. Things were beginning to fall apart for these folks quite early. It was obvious that Dareem had his own agenda that he failed to share with the rest of the group. If he was able to see Dareem contemplating killing Posrun, then there were others who noticed. Which meant there would be talks about how willing their leader was to go. Which would be the cause of dissection within the ragtag group? Looking over to his fellow hostages, he whispered. "There seems to be a breakdown taking place. Keep an eye out for things to continue to play out."

Baldwin continued to hold tight to Kawolski. He knew that if his muscular partner and friend wasn't able to see his reason, the security officer would tear from his grip and possibly get himself killed. He pulled on Kawolski, getting his attention. Subtly, with the ease of communication from long-time partners, he indicated Arim and another of the attackers.

Kawolski gave a small, nearly imperceptible nod. He understood.

By that time, Darius' hands were free. He did the mental calculus. His chances of success weren't the best. He knew that. He'd also seen Dareem almost kill one of his own, which just confirmed what he'd already concluded. Dareem was unstable and could snap at any time.

Rescue might or might not be underway. Waiting around could get more people killed. He quickly stood to his feet, wincing slightly at the tightness in his ribs. He pushed that pain down. He then charged at the Romulan, attempting to tackle him and wrest his disruptor away.

The first thing Miupul saw was movement. He was scarcely more than a boy. Eighteen, just last winter. He was thin through the shoulders, all wrists and elbows, with an old Romulan disruptor in his hands that looked like it belonged in a museum. He was wielding it because he had been told to wield it--and Dareem was a force to be reckoned with in the colony.

In one instant, Miupul was staring toward the main doors where Posrun had disappeared, still trying to understand what had just happened between the older generation and their younger generation. The next instant, the Orion was on him.

They hit the chamber floor hard enough to create a concussive smack that echoed. The breath left Miupul with an ugly cry. His head struck the floor, and white lights burst throughout his vision. For half a second, he knew nothing except the weight on his chest and the shock of suddenly being very small beneath someone much larger.

But he held firm to the disruptor while strong green hands attempted to tear the weapon away from them. His fingers closed around it tightly while his lungs struggled to regain air in short, staggered gasps.

He twisted beneath Darius, panic lending him a bit of extra strength, trying to drag the muzzle upward between them. Toward the Orion's ribs or throat--anything.

Across the chamber, Dareem turned at the sound. His head snapped toward the struggle, and for the first time since the execution, there was something unguarded in his face: his control was slipping.

Arim saw it too. He turned from Baldwin and Kawolski so quickly that a nearby hostage flinched. Around the chamber, other armed Romulans pivoted toward the noise, drawn to the spectacle of violence and the sounds of two men grunting in exertion over a disruptor.

Three Romulans moved. They rushed toward the tangle on the chamber floor with long agricultural blades in their hands--harvesting tools repurposed into true weapons with metal tips that glinted in the light.

Miupul was still underneath Darius, still straining, still trying to force the disruptor between their bodies despite the trembling in his own hands.

"Give it up, son," Darius growled low in his throat. "I don't want to kill you. I am trying to stop Dareem. He's gone mad." The Orion tightened his grip on the wrist of the man beneath him. Twisting the wrist and trying to keep the disruptor from killing either of them.

"Give me the goddamned gun, and you and everyone else lives Hang onto it, and I'll break your arm."

The young Romulan was certain that giving in and surrendering would mean his death. There was no way he could relent now--the Starfleet captives would be looking for revenge, and Miupul knew his only hope was to fight back.

Darius was stronger than the young Romulan, but not by much, and the other man had leverage on him/ There was something else Darius had Miupul didn't. Experienced. He shifted his grip on the other man's wrist and tried bending it backward and to the side, trying to break it.

"Please..." Miupul's grip on the weapon was beginning to slip as his hands became moist with sweat.

Darius took a long, steady breath and let it out slowly. His tone shifted, got quieter. "If you just let go, I promise, I'm not going to hurt you. You have my word as a Starfleet Officer. If you don't let go, I'm going to break your wrist. You have my word as an Orion."

"You... are not... telling... the... truth..."

Miupul could feel the strength leaving his body as he finally lost grip on the disruptor. He could feel the Orion gain control of the disruptor. He remained on the floor, his chest heaving and sweat pouring down every part of him, but he instead grabbed hold of the officer's waist, keeping him as immobile as possible.

Darius finally had control of the weapon. He wasn't tempted to use it, not on the man beneath him. He had meant what, he said. That didn't mean he wasn't angry. The smaller Romulan just wouldn't give up. He pulled with all of his strength, pulling his arm up and to the right, trying to dislodge the other man's grip.

"I kind of admire you," he said as he tried to free himself, "but it's time to give it up."
As soon as focus turned fully on Darius and the Romulan, the two security acted. Baldwin nodded, and Kawolski was in motion, faster than his muscular bulk would seem capable. He barreled straight forward, propelled by his powerful legs. Dipping low, he hit two of the Romulans by going into the center and below their waists, dropping them at the center of gravity. He angled it so that he hoped to crash these two into the third, but it didn't seem to be quite as he planned. At least one disruptor clattered to the ground, and Kawolski dove to grab it, flipping and landing on his back. He aimed through his knees and fired at the third hostage taker, who he knew still had a weapon.

Meanwhile, Baldwin moved to the side and threw himself on top of Hunt, dragging the XO to the ground, where Baldwin covered him with his own body. He looked around, trying to assess dangers as best he could. He caught Hannah's eye as the young combat medic then sprinted across the room, knocking into the second of the Romulans that Kawolski took down, dropping him once more to the floor. Just as Kawolski had, he grabbed the disruptor and dropped to a smaller target.

"Stay down, sir," Baldwin said as he moved in front of the XO.

Hannah checked the disruptor and saw it was set to a stun setting. He nodded, then fired at the Romulan. Darius was struggling with knowing if he missed and if the Starfleet officer would be able to fire again.

Kawolski, meanwhile, came to his knees and turned, firing directly at Dareem as the leader of the group. He didn't know if the disruptor was on stun or kill and didn't care.

Chaos seemed to have arrived all at once.

Dareem's eyes darted from young Miupul, crying out from under the much larger Orion, to another pair of Romulans grappling with Starfleet hostages, while others kept low. He was too late to see it, but Kawolski had found a disruptor and fired at him.

The green beam slashed through the chamber, missing Dareem by a good meter. He showed no panic or hesitation.

Four long strides carried him across the chamber floor while everyone else's instincts still struggled to catch up. He reached Ayumu Tanaka and grabbed him violently backward by the collar, hailing him tight against his chest.

Dareem's disruptor jabbed into the hollow of the doctor's neck.



TBC...

 

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