Means And Ends

Posted on Jun 16, 2015 @ 7:31pm by Commander Jacob Crichton
Edited on on Jun 16, 2015 @ 7:32pm

Mission: The Lights of Hyperion

= Means And Ends=
(cont'd from "Pine and Cypress")


LOCATION: USS PHOENIX

SCENE: Conference Room

STARDATE: [2.15] 0616.1245



The senior staff took their seats around the table as the lights in the room began to dim. The holo-display over the center of the conference table activated, depicting the shifting, shimmering form of the "Aurora-type" subspace entities. Kane, at the head of the table, stared at the display, his expression inscrutable. Lt. Byte sat at Kane's left, its face a mask of perfect passivity. Next to Byte was Russ BaShen, then Jake Crichton. Seated next to Crichton was Thomas Varn, who had been invited to the meeting thanks to his work on the radiation phenomena. Kassandra Thytos, her face washed clean of the caked-on makeup she'd been wearing earlier in the day, was seated across the table from Varn, and next to her was Eve Dalziel at Kane's right.



"Mr. Byte," Kane said, not taking his eyes off the holo-image. "You can begin."



{{As you are all aware, the PHOENIX has been subjected to unexplained subspace phenomena for several days,}} the android began. {{The disturbances began when our ship entered the Hyperion Expanse, a previously unmapped section of space.}}



"Unmapped for a reason," Russ BaShen said. "Who knows how many ships these things could have brought down?"



{{Mr. BaShen may be correct,}} Byte said. {{While the Amaterasu do not appear to have taken deliberate hostile action against us, their presence poses a measurable risk to the ship and crew, and it is reasonable--}}



"Hold on," Kane said, putting a hand up to cut the android off. "Amaterasu?"



{{A name from Japanese folklore on Earth,}} Byte said. {{Amaterasu was the goddess of the sun and universe. Roughly translated, her name means 'the great god who shines in heaven'.}}



"A very descriptive name, Mr. Byte," said Kane. "One might even say poetic."



{{Given our new hypothesis that the entities are alive, and even intelligent, it seems only appropriate that they should be given a name,}} Byte said. {{If only to make it easier for the crew to understand them as living beings.}}



"Living beings or not, they're a danger to the ship," Kass said. "We've had a lot of close calls. If one of your Japanese sun god beasties materializes itself inside a proton torpedo, what happens then?"



"She's right," Jake nodded. "Whether it's intentional or not, we're walking a very dangerous tightrope with these things. Never mind the radiation danger... there's a real chance they could do serious damage to the ship. We could wind up stranded out here with no power, or worse."



Aerdan Jos twitched an antennae. "They might cause a warp core breach?"



"It's possible," Jake said. "The warp core is shielded to prevent subspace anomalies from getting in, but these things are smart, and we don't know everything they're capable of. If they want to get around multiphasic shielding, who's to say they can't?"



"So what do we do?" Eve asked. "Reverse course?"



"No point," Russ said. "We're already more than halfway through the Hyperion Expanse."



"But what if that's what the Amaterasu are trying to get us to do?" Eve asked. "Maybe they think we're violating their territory."



Kane's eyes shifted to Thomas Varn, as if looking for corroboration of Eve's theory. Varn looked a little embarrassed to be put on the spot. He shrugged guiltily.



"Based on what we know now, it's impossible to determine their intention," Varn said. "I can't even be sure that the entities are aware of us, let alone the damage they're causing."



"Ain't this all a moot point?" Kass asked, looking over at Jake. "I thought you said you can't stop 'em?"



"Not quite," Jake said. "I said our defensive measures *might* not stop them. But there's another option. We can go on the offensive."



All eyes were on him now, and Jake turned to look at Varn. The winged man gave Jake a solemn nod. Jake sighed, and activated the control pad on his desk. The holo-image changed to a display of the readings he and Varn had collected with their tridcorders. The spatial distortion caused by the Aurora Amaterasu was visible as a series of bends and folds in the normal space-time continuum. Surrounding the shifting form was a series of highlighted dots, representing the subatomic Tetryon particles that the creatures emitted as they appeared from out of subspace.



"We believe the Amaterasu use Tetryon emissions to manifest in real-space," Jake said. "Similar phenomena has been encountered by Starfleet in the past. Records show that coherent graviton pulses have successfully used to seal subspace ruptures like this. We can rig the PHOENIX's main deflector dish to flood the surrounding area with focused graviton particles, which should disrupt the Amaterasu's ability to manifest from subspace."



As Jake spoke, the image on the holo-display changed again, showing a shifting field of blue dots settling over the sensor image of the Amaterasu. The folds and bends of the entity began to warp, straightening out, as the blips of Tetryon particles faded. A moment later, the image was clear.



"How long would that take to setup?" asked Aerdan.



"Not long," Jake said, glancing again at Varn, who was nodding in agreement. "A few hours, maybe."



"Sounds like a good option," Russ said. "So what's the catch?"



"We've been working on this solution since before we discovered the phenomena were alive," Varn said. "We don't know what these graviton particle will do to them."



"There's a good chance it will kill them," Jake said.



The assembled crew digested this in silence for a moment.



"How great a chance?" Aerdan asked.



"I'd call it significant," Varn said. "80%. Maybe higher. We just can't be sure."



"Kill all of them?" Eve asked. "Or just the ones attacking the ship?"



"We don't know that they're attacking," Jake said.



"Close enough," Kass frowned.



"Say they are attacking," Eve pressed, not wanting the group's train of thought to be diverted just yet. "How effective would this graviton pulse be?"



Jake sighed again. "There's really no way to know. Do we want it strong enough to keep them all away, or just strong enough to make them think twice? And if we don't get them all, how do we know they won't retaliate? If the Amaterasu *are* aware of us, they could hit us pretty hard before we knew what happened."



"So you're saying we'd have to get them all," Russ said.



"I'm saying I'm not sure getting any of them is such a good idea," Jake said. "Not when we barely know a thing about them."



"We can't just do *nothing*," Kass said. "Reports of incidents are increasing all over the ship. At this rate, we're never going to make it out of this section of space."



"Maybe there's a third option," Eve suggested. "We could try to communicate with them."



"How?" Kass asked. "One blinky light for 'yes', two blinky lights for 'destroy all humans'?"



"We have to *try*," Eve said. "We're still Starfleet officers, aren't we?"



"Starfleet officers actively engaged in dismantling their own command structure," Russ said sullenly. "I'm not sure the Prime Directive applies in this situation, Eve."



"Forget the command structure," Jake said. "Do we believe in the Prime Directive or not? Do we believe in Starfleet's mission? If we don't, then what exactly are we fighting to protect here?"



"It ain't that simple, Jake," Kass said. "Are you willing to put your own kids at risk just to honor some warm-and-fuzzy notion that Starfleet ain't the military?" Though Kass had mentioned Jake's kids, she found that she was thinking about Buttercup as she'd said it.



"I'll worry about my kids," Jake said, giving her an icy look. "And I'll worry about the kind of galaxy I want them growing up in."



"There are also the refugees to consider," Aerdan cut in quickly. "They're not Starfleet. They put their lives in our hands, counting on us to protect them. Can we afford to risk all 7000 of them just to stand on principle?"



"Maybe we bring this to Embry?" Eve suggested. "The refugees should have a say."



"We know what Embry will say," Russ said.



"He's not the only person living down there, said Eve.



"Sure, but he's the one whose voice we'll hear," said Russ.



The conversation was threatening to go around in circles, until Kane cleared his throat. Conversation died off as all eyes in the room shifted to him. Kane regarded his crew for a moment before he spoke.



"Mister Embry is not the captain of this ship," Kane said slowly. "I appreciate his efforts to calm things down in the cargo bay, but his opinion on starship matters is irrelevant. The man doesn't have the first idea what he's doing."



Eve and Russ exchanged a glance, then nodded at Kane. Kane returned the nod, then continued to speak: "We have to be ready, whatever happens. Mr. Crichton, you and Mr. Varn will begin the modifications to the deflector dish."



Jake looked surprised. "But captain--" he started.

"In the meantime," Kane interrupted, fixing Jake with a stare so the engineer would know not to press the issue, "We will continue to monitor for new incidents and collect new data, and we will attempt to devise a way to communicate with the Amaterasu."



Kane's eyes moved over everyone in the room. They seemed satisfied for the moment, even if they were really just postponing the decision until later. Even Jake looked mollified, an impressive change given how opposed he'd been to the graviton plan to begin with. Kane gave a single nod of approval.



"Good. Dismi--"



A chime interrupted Kane's dismissal of the senior staff, followed quickly by the voice of Horatio Bellecotte. The senior staff, who had already started to rise from their seats, seemed to freeze in place at the interruption.



[[Bellecotte to Captain Kane,]] the marine said. He sounded winded.



"Kane here. What's the situation, Sergeant?"



[[It's the refugees, sir,]] Bellecotte said. [[They're outside of the cargo bay.]]



=[/\]=



SCENE: Shanty Town



TIME INDEX: 1 hour earlier



After Barnes had left, Embry and Savaar had talked.



They talked about a lot: the food situation, the emotional temperature of the refugees, who had been seen meeting with what factions, what they had discussed. Gossip, mostly, but Embry like to feel connected to the goings-on of Shanty Town as much as was possible. Savaar seemed content to humor him, though Embry could practically feel the Vulcan's growing impatience beginning to bubble out from behind that mask of perfect calm.



Finally, they came to the real subject at hand.



"I guess the only thing we have left to discuss is what to do with the information Mr. Barnes has provided," Embry said. He thought he could see visible relief in Savaar's stony features. It amused him.



"I don't trust him," Savaar said.



"And you've made that clear," said Embry. "The question is whether or not you trust his information."



"I saw it myself," Savaar nodded. "The force fields are down. There's nothing keeping us from entering the rest of the ship."



"Nothing but Kane's marines," Embry said, drumming his fingers on the armrest of his chair.



"We could easily overwhelm them," Savaar said. "With the munitions Major Thytos provided, we would have no trouble breaching the cargo bay."



"And what then?" Embry asked. "Kane could stop our advance a hundred different ways from the bridge. We need access to the ship's security protocols."



"The Gorn will handle that," Savaar said.



"Given time, yes," Embry nodded. "We need to give him that time."



"The riot will be the cover," Savaar said. "We have discussed all of this."



"We have," Embry sighed. "It's just... now that we stand at the precipice, I suppose I'm hesitant to take the plunge. Do you Vulcans feel that, Savaar? Self doubt?"



"Self doubt is irrelevant," Savaar said. "Logic is what must guide our actions. Do you doubt the logic of this course of action?"



"We can't stay in this cargo bay," Embry said, looking around. "There's just too many of us, too many needs. Not enough Starfleet personnel to protect us, just enough to make it worse."



"Then we must leave," Savaar said.



"And Kane won't allow that," Embry said.



"Then we must remove his choice," said Savaar. "Despite the threat it poses to the Starfleet crew, we must move to protect the refugees here. The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few. It is logical."



Embry didn't say anything for a long moment. Savaar stood in silence, allowing what he'd said to sink in. Embry would go forward with his plan, Savaar knew, but the human seemed to need the occasional push in the right direction. The emotional calculus of turning on their saviors was difficult for Embry, and so it was fortunate that emotion had never entered into Savaar's equation.



"Very well," Embry said. "Are your men ready?"



"They will be standing by, ready to take control of the situation," Savaar said.



"And Mr. Barnes?"



"He's being watched," Savaar said. "If he sides with us, he will be considerable asset. If not, he will be neutralized."



"Everyone must take care," Embry said, standing and waving a finger under Savaar's nose. "I will be... indisposed for a time, and I'm counting on you to uphold my orders. No one is to be hurt unless absolutely necessary, do you understand?"



Savaar nodded, though he declined to comment on the wide interpretation available for the phrase 'absolutely necessary'. Embry didn't need any more doubts holding him back. The human looked worried enough.



"I think there's a real chance they won't do anything," Embry said, trying to sound conversational. "It's not even real marines at the doors today."



"Yes," Savaar said, helping Embry into his coat.



"I think they'll let me pass right through, that's what I think," Embry said. He fumbled with the buttons down the front of his coat as he talked. After a moment, Savaar helped him fasten the last few buttons into place. Then, the Vulcan took Embry by the shoulders and looked him in the eye.



"You are brave for doing this yourself," Savaar said.



"Perhaps," Embry nodded. "I just hope that we're doing the right thing."


=[/\]=

LOCATION: USS PHOENIX

SCENE: Bay Doors, Cargo Bay 3

STARDATE: [2.15] 0616.1248



Crewman Brian Tisdell shifted uncomfortable at his post. The marine armor felt clunky, and itchy, and it was heavy enough that Brian could never seem to find a comfortable way to stand while wearing it. The phaser rifle he held across his body felt similarly strange; Brian couldn't get used to the idea of ever actually pointing it at someone and pulling the trigger, even if it was just set for stun.



When they'd started this detail, Major Thytos had explained to Brian, as well as all the reassigned staff from the Science team, that they were mostly just there for show. Shanty Town needed a visible Starfleet presence, and there simply weren't enough trained marines to cover the whole thing. Thytos had carefully arranged a schedule so that the Science team were never alone in the Cargo Bay, and so there was always at least two trained marines also on shift, usually doing patrol through Shanty Town. But as things had gone on, the lab techs had started to pull longer shifts, usually manning the door or guarding the replicator station, and the unfamiliar assignments had started to wear them all down.



Brian looked over at his colleague, Tazell Lau, another lab tech who looked no more comfortable in her marine garb than Brian did. Lau was Bajoran, and complained that the jewelry she wore over her ear as part of her religion mashed up against her marine helmet, causing uncomfortable chafing. She was scratching at that ear under her helmet when she noticed Brian looking at her, and she blushed a little.



"It itches," Lau said quietly.



"You're supposed to look stoic," Brian said. "We're supposed to be marines."



"Marines can have itchy ears," Lau retorted.



"Not while they're on duty," Brian countered.



"Nobody's even watching," Lau said, looking out into Shanty Town. People milled to and fro, or collected in groups to share conversation. None of them appeared to be looking in the direction of the cargo bay doors, where Brian and Lau were posted.



"Don't you remember Major Thytos's briefing?" Brian said. "Assume someone's always watching."



"Like they don't already know we're not marines," Lau said sulkily. "I don't get why we're even down here. Just give these people quarters and they'll calm down, right?"



"They can't give them unrestricted access to the ship," Brian said. "Some of these people might be pirates, or spies, or something."



"So we keep them locked up and wait for them to kill each other?"



"That's why we're here," Brain said. "To stop that from happening."



"Yeah, we're in a position to do a lot of good if violence breaks out," Lau said, scratching at her ear again. "We might even get a few shots off before we're overwhelmed."



"That won't happen," Brian said, though he shifted his weight again, feeling uncomfortable. At least they were right next to the cargo bay doors. If something *did* happen, escape was only a few feet away.



"If you say so."



"Stop scratching your ears," Brian said. "You look ridiculous."



Lau looked like she was about to reply, but suddenly both lab techs noticed a figure that had seemed to detach itself from the throng of people and begin to walk to towards them. They turned to look, and saw Arthur Embry, a slight smile on his face, approaching them slowly. His hands were raised to his side, palms facing them, to show that he was unarmed. Brian and Lau exchanged an uncomfortable glance.



"Mr. Embry," Brian said.



"Private Tisdell," Embry said, his smile widening a little. "Or is Lieutenant Tisdell? I have trouble keeping your ranks straight in my head."



"It's... uh, private," Brian said, looking over at Lau again, looking for confirmation that he'd remembered their fictional rank correctly. Lau didn't look back at him.



"Is there something we can do for you, Mr. Embry?" she asked.



"No thank you," Embry said. "I'll just be leaving through that door."



Lau blinked. "Leaving? What are you--"



"That door," Embry said, pointing with one of his fingers at the cargo bay door behind them while still keeping his palms flat and facing towards them. "I'm going to walk through it, and march right up to the bridge and have a talk with Captain Kane."



Brian and Lau seemed to have trouble processing this. They exchanged another dumbfounded look, then returned their gaze to Embry. Embry stood only a few feet away, his hands still raised, his expression still a light smile.



"What?" Brian asked. It was all he could think of to say.



"Private Tisdell, are you having trouble hearing me?" Embry asked. "Been through too many wars? Had too many shells go off too close?"



"What?" Brian asked again. Embry looked amused.



"Oh very well, then I'll say it louder. I'm going to walk through those doors and out of this cargo bay, and I don't think you'll do a thing to stop me, Private Tisdell. Or you, Private Tazell."



"Mr. Embry, you know we can't let you do that," Lau said.



"Why not?" Embry asked. "You're no more marines than I am. I expect you're some low level functionaries, maybe from operations, or the science division. It's hardly your responsibility to stand down here and point guns at civilians, now is it?"



"We have strict orders from Major Thytos," Brian said. "She's acting under orders from Captain Kane. Now if you need something, we'll be happy to run your request up our chain of command, but--"



"Chain of command!" Embry laughed. "Yes, it's been so responsive to our needs thus far, hasn't it? Broken replicators, escalating violence, and I can't even get your Captain Kane to sit down with me for five minutes to discuss our situation. Chain of command, indeed! Well, if he won't come to me, then I'll simply have to go to him. Now if you'll excuse me..."



Embry took a step forward. Brian stepped into his path, his phaser rifle leveled at Embry in shaking hands.



"Stop," Brian said. It almost sounded like begging. To his right, Lau was staring in wide-eyed shock, her own phaser rifle still pointed at the floor.



"And now we've come to it, haven't we?" Embry asked, staring right into Brian's eyes. "Are you going to shoot an unarmed man, who's offered you no violence, simply because some soldier barked a few orders at you?"



"Step away from the door, sir," Brian said, trying to put an edge into his voice.



"Is that who you are, Brian Tisdell?" Embry asked, his voice loud enough to carry. "Are you a man who shoots people because he's been ordered to?"



Somehow, Brian pulled his gaze away from Embry and saw the crowd that had started to gather behind him. Angry faces looked out at what appeared to be a Starfleet marine with his weapon leveled directly at Shanty Town's community leader. Embry looked positively serene, as if he hadn't even noticed the growing unrest behind him, but Brian could see the way people were staring, sharing angry glances, clenching and unclenching their fists as they waited to see how this situation would play out. In that moment, it seemed like all the rivalries, the struggles for food or for status, that had blossomed in Shanty Town had been forgotten, at least among the dozens of souls that had began to collect around the cargo bay doors.



Brian shared another glance at Lau. She had noticed the crowd too, and she looked scared.



"You don't have to do this," Embry said. "You can stand aside and let me pass. Or, you can follow your orders, and gun me down in front of everyone. What will you do, Brian Tisdell? What's your role in this story going to be?"



"Please," Brian whispered. "Please don't do this."



"I'm very sorry, Brian," Embry said, gently. "I'm doing it."



Embry took another step forward. The end of Brian's rifle was now pressed directly into Embry's sternum. Even at a low-level stun, at this range Embry was likely to suffer serious injuries if Brian pulled the trigger. And after that, there was no telling what the citizens of Shanty Town might do.



"Decision time, Brian," Embry said, as one of his hands slowly, gently, closed around the end of Brian's rifle. "Just stand aside."



His hands still shaking, Brian Tisdell lowered his weapon, and took a step to the side. Embry nodded at him. The older man looked genuinely relieved.



"Thank you, Brian," Embry said. He began to advance.



Orange light flared out from the end of Lau's weapon. It struck Embry in the chest, vaulting him up and off his feet. He landed, sprawled out on his back, his face twisted with pain. Embry groaned, hands on his chest where he'd taken the blast, and curled into a fetal position.



The crowd's response was immediate. A cry of rage seemed to ripple through them. As if by magic, Savaar, Embry's Vulcan lieutenant, had appeared at the head of the crowd. Brian had time to notice several others, stepping out and apparently shouting orders. These men all were armed with looked like makeshift weapons: metal cot legs, wrapped on one end with fabric to form a handle, or bits of scrap that had been bent into savage-looking knives. It was all happening too fast for Brian to keep track of.



"They shot him!" Brian heard someone yell from out of the din of the crowd, and he wanted to say that *he* hadn't shot anyone, that he was going to let Embry pass, that it had been Lau who shot him. Brian opened his mouth to yell all those things, even as he was turning to retreat through the cargo bay doors. He didn't move fast enough. The first fist collided with his jaw, and Brian went down. Fists and feet pounded at him, most of them bouncing off the marine armor, but enough found their mark. As the world around him began to dim, Brian could see the Vulcan Savaar dragging Embry's motionless form away from the crowd.



Somewhere, Lau was shouting, and Brian could hear the sounds of more phaser fire. Then one of the makeshift clubs came crashing down into his face, and Brian Tisdell went out like a light.



=[/\]=



The doors were open.



No one person realized it. The crowd was moving too fast for that, all of them eager to get their hands on the "marines" that had attacked their leader. During the struggle, one of the marines had retreated through the doors, leaving her colleague behind to be absorbed by the mob. She had shouted for force fields, but they hadn't come, and even though her phaser spat fire relentlessly into the advancing mob, it didn't take them long to overcome her. By the time she and the other marine were pacified, pounded into unconsciousness or worse, the throng had realized they'd breached the cargo bay doors.



The electrified deck-plating struck the first wave too quickly for them to retreat. The push of the crowd was so strong that, like lemmings, angry refugees slammed into the people in front of them, forcing them out onto the electrified plates, only to be forced out onto the plates themselves a moment later. The men danced and jumped, trying to get off the deck plating, but it went on and on, and soon a pile of unconscious or immobile bodies had formed near the opening of the cargo bay doors, at least 30 men and women who had lost much of the feeling in their legs and feet.



From amid the chaos emerged leaders. Savaar's men, hand-picked from among Jacen Barnes' team of deputies, took command of small groups, corralling them away from the trapped deck plating. Instead, they turned their attention to the walls of the corridor, using pry-bars to peel away the protective paneling, revealing the opening to a maintenance access shaft. Once it was open, Savaar stepped forward, leading a small group of Embry's men down into the bowels of the ship. Among them was the hulking green form of the Gorn, Chaucer. He managed to squeeze himself into the shaft, following after Savaar, Gibb, Harper, and Metcalf.



=[/\]=



Inside Shanty Town, the marines on patrol didn't realize what had happened. Horatio Bellecotte had been patrolling with Private Winnifred Nguyen, keeping up appearances that the refugee camp had a considerable marine presence. When the commotion started near the bay doors, Bellecotte was busy questioning a drugged-out refugee about where he'd gotten his stash, since the replicators were programmed not to allow any intoxicants. The druggie couldn't stand straight, and Bellecotte had just reached out to take the man's shoulder to steady him when Nguyen turned to look out over the crowd.



"Do you hear something?" she asked.



"No," Bellecotte said cautiously. "Why?"



"Thought I heard something," Nguyen said.



The druggie swayed, and Bellecotte turned his attention back to him while Nguyen took a few steps away, her eyes still on the crowd. She couldn't be sure, but over the pervasive din of conversation and movement of Shanty Town, she thought she'd heard the high whine of phaser fire...



"Did you bring it aboard with you?" Bellecotte was asking, trying to get the druggie to look him in the eyes. The druggie's eyes were watery, and he kept giggling at something funny. Bellecotte was losing his patience. He knew that this was something Barnes or one of his deputies ought to handle, but none of them seemed to be around today...



Nguyen turned back to Bellecotte.



"Coulda' swore I heard phaser shots," Nguyen said. This caught Bellecotte's attention again. He turned to look at her, eyebrow raised, just as Jacen Barnes emerged from the crowd.



"Sergeant Bellecotte," Barnes said, stepping over to where the gunny was standing with the druggie. Barnes nodded in acknowledgement at Nguyen, but her eyes were fixed on the crowd, scanning for potential threats. Something was making her nervous, but she couldn't quite pin down what it was. Could that have really been phaser fire she'd heard? She tried to remember which poor saps had pulled door-duty for the day.



"Something wrong here?" Barnes continued, nodding at Bellecotte and the drugged-out refugee.



"This man's intoxicated," Bellecotte said. "I just wanted to know where he got the stuff."



"This is something my guys can handle," Barnes said.



"Can't find any of 'your guys'," Bellecotte said. "I'm not hurting him, Barnes, I'm just trying to talk to him."



"Just the same, I think he'll respond better to someone he knows," Barnes said. "Let me?"



Bellecotte shrugged and stood aside as Barnes took his place. Bellecotte went to stand next to Nguyen.



"Focus up," he said under his breath.



"Sarge, I think something's going on," Nguyen said.



"Billy," Barnes was saying, speaking slowly and clearly so the druggie could understand him. "It's Barnes. You remember me?"



Billy laughed again, though his eyes seemed to brighten with recognition. Bellecotte frowned, feeling a little jealous that Barnes had gotten a response where he could not. The refugees trusted Barnes, but they seemed to keep the Starfleet crew at a distance, as if they were never sure whether or not the marines were there to help or to stamp down on any unrest. To be honest, Bellecotte wasn't always totally sure what they were there to do, himself.



At his side, Nguyen shifted uncomfortable, her head tilted slightly as if she were trying to pick out a noise from out of all the din of Shanty Town. Bellecotte glanced at her, still not sure what had her so riled up.



"What did you take?" Barnes asked. "Do you have any more? Did you bring it aboard with you, or did you get it from someone?"



Billy laughed, said something that Bellecotte couldn't make out. Barnes didn't seem to understand it either, and he repeated his questions again more slowly. Bellecotte strained to hear what Billy would answer, and that's when he heard the sound as well: a high-pitched whine, barely audible over the commotion of the refugee camp. It was faint, but Bellecotte had definitely heard it. He and Nguyen immediately exchanged a glance.



"You heard that, right?" Nguyen asked.



"I did," Bellecotte nodded.



Barnes had looked over at them, his attention no longer fixed on Billy. "What is it?"



"Phaser fire," Bellecotte said. "By the bay doors."



"My men aren't armed," Barnes said. "One of yours?"



"We have lab geeks on the doors today," Nguyen said. "Tisdell and Tazell, I think."



"Not marines?" Barnes asked. The big man suddenly looked very worried.



"The refugees wouldn't try anything, would they?" Bellecotte asked.



Barnes didn't answer. He released Billy and turned, making his way through the crowd towards the cargo bay doors. Bellecotte called after him, but Barnes didn't slow down, and a moment later the gunny sergeant had lost sight of him.



"We need to get to the bay doors," Nguyen said.



"Agreed," Bellecotte nodded. They started carefully moving through the crowd. As they got closer to the bay doors, the sounds of the disturbance become more unmistakable, and a moment later Bellecotte and Nguyen were running. They emerged from a thick group of refugees and the cargo bay doors came into view. With a start, Bellecotte realized they were standing open, and refugees were swarming through it into the ship.



"What the hell?!" Bellecotte shouted.



"Where are Tisdell and Tazell?" Nguyen asked, but Bellecotte barely heard her. Several refugees, big men armed with makeshift clubs, had noticed them. Bellecotte watched as they pointed at them, then began to advance in their direction.



"Heads up," Bellecotte said. Nguyen readied herself as the men approached. They came in fast, looking to end the fight quickly by bringing their clubs down on the marines' heads, but both Bellecotte and Nguyen evaded the blows with ease. A series of quick maneuvers saw the attackers disarmed and flat on their backs, and Bellecotte and Nguyen were moving away from them only a moment later.



"We need to warn the bridge," Bellecotte said as they picked their way through the crowd, careful to avoid drawing more attention to themselves. The Gunny Sergeant slapped his comm-badge. "Bellecotte to Captain Kane..."



=[/\]=



SCENE: Shanty Town



By now the unrest had rippled through Shanty Town. Those who weren't participating in the riot were either looking for a safe place to hunker down and wait for the inevitable Starfleet reprisal, or otherwise were picking through their neighbors' abandoned goods, looking for anything valuable or edible to claim as their own. Much of the population had already started to congregate near the cargo bay doors, and many of them had seemingly found improvised weapons to bring along with them.



Jacen Barnes waded through these people, barely seeing them. Kass had told him about some of the countermeasures they'd arranged outside the cargo bay doors, and Barnes had a feeling that most of these people weren't going anywhere. Electrified deck playing, anesthizine gas, and a squad of armed marines would be enough to discourage all but the most violent of refugees. But the riot wasn't the real threat.



Barnes found himself standing in front of Selyara's tent, and dipped inside without knocking. Selyara was there, casually sprawled out on her cot, her fingers drifting lazily over a PADD. She didn't look up when Barnes entered, but she did speak.



"Awfully loud out there," she said.



"It's started," Barnes said. "The refugees are trying to storm the ship."



"Got to hand it to Arthur, when he sets his mind to something it gets done," Selyara said. She put the PADD aside and looked up at Barnes, her expression maddeningly neutral.



"We have to warn the Starfleet crew," Barnes said. "The riot is a distraction. Embry's got men trying to backdoor into the ship's security."



"Can they do that?" Selyara asked. Her interest sounded merely polite.



"I don't know," Barnes said. "Savaar is smart, and knows what he's doing. And they've got some tech-wonk Gorn working with them too."



"Then it sounds like Mr. Embry's on track to take the ship," Selyara shrugged. "What's that got to do with me?"



"Embry doesn't know what he's doing," Barnes said. "He thinks if he takes the ship, makes some kind of point to Kane, that the Starfleet crew will listen to his demands and everything can go back to normal. But you and I both know Kane isn't going to let him have the ship."



"Michael does tend to overreact when things don't go his way," Selyara said.



"I'm worried about how far Embry will go to take the ship," Barnes said. "And I'm worried about how far Kane will go to stop him. Either way, it's in your best interest to help me stabilize things."



"Jacen," Selyara purred, standing and taking a few steps across the room to where Barnes was standing. She stopped just short of him, not touching, but close enough that Barnes could feel the warmth of her against his skin. "Don't ever tell me what's in my best interest."



She stared into Barnes' eyes for another moment, then stepped gracefully past him and out of her tent. Barnes stood there a moment longer, until Selyara's voice came to him from through the tent flap, light and teasing:



"Are you coming or not?"



Barnes turned and followed her out of the tent.



=[/\]=



NRPG: The riot has begun! Savaar and his team have disappeared into the maintenance ducts while the rest of Embry's men lead charges against the cargo bay doors. Some of the marines, as well as Barnes and Selyara, are trapped in the cargo bay. Meanwhile, the PHOENIX is still at risk from the alien Amaterasu, and must grapple with the choice of whether or not to destroy them. Lots of stuff going on, so the mission will be more freeform from here. All I ask if that you don't apprehend Savaar and his team just yet. Otherwise, I'm here if anyone needs help or wants to JP!



Shawn Putnam

a.k.a.

Jake Crichton

Chief Engineering Officer

USS PHOENIX