The Firing Range - Part II

Posted on Tue 12th Mar, 2013 @ 1:47pm by Colonel Horatio Drake & Lieutenant Colonel Tallus Karikkar & Lieutenant Colonel Cara Karikkar & Lieutenant Adam Keller & Commander Jasmine Collins-Keller

2,231 words; about a 11 minute read

Mission: http://sb109.sim-station.net/index.php/sim/missions/id/3
Location: Deck 12: Drake's Ready Room
Timeline: MD-01: 1130 Hours

ON:

Drake had presently gone from the firing range straight to his Ready Room. He was experiencing a mixture of anger and cautiousness. It was impossible that Captain Dobbs' would have been involved in anything even coming close to augmentation. But, why would two officers make something like this up?

Soon enough the two officers, who had clearly met in Ops to discuss what this meeting about about, chimed the door, walked in together and sat opposite Drake, the other side of the desk.

"Colonel Treia... I've just had a very interesting conversation with Commander Kell whilst on the firing range. Would you care to enlighten me as to why I was not informed of this?"

Devyn sighed. He had to let Cara know that he had 'spilled the beans' to the Colonel and she wasn't too happy with him but the man had the right to know what was going on around his starbase. He would be the one held accountable to it if anything went wrong.

Cara sighed "I wasnt sure until I actually saw him that it was the same man sir. I didnt want to ruin a reputation if I was wrong but at the same time ... I couldnt take the risk that I wasnt ... not with Jessie's safety at risk too. If I was wrong it would make you look bad ... If I was right, we would have come to see you."

She looked at the floor "I'm sorry sir it was an emotional reaction."

"Colonel, you are a Starfleet Officer and are trained to suppress your emotions in times like this" He sounded just as he had done two years ago... when he was the career, duty-bound officer that he was. The same career, duty-bound officer who had put his career before his relationship.

He took a deep breath. "What, exactly, happened all those years ago?"

Taking a breath and letting it out slowly Cara gave a slight smile to Tallus and Nyx who were seating themselves and started from the beginning. "I was taken 3 months into my secondment on Earth, I dont remember much of my first month except pain ... huge amounts of pain. Time passed pretty much in a haze til they started testing their changes."

"What was your assignment at the time? You said you were on secondment?" Drake glanced at the replicator... an Irish coffee would be a treat right about now.

Seeing his glance Cara said "Perhaps this would go easier with a drink sir ... I haven't even told Kell some of this."

"A drink?" As little as two years ago, Drake would have gone ballistic for such a proposal in the middle of what, should have been, a very uncomfortable meetings for said parties. However, these days he used any excuse to get a drink. "Very well, Colonel - in light of the circumstances".

Waiting while everyone got a drink she smiled when Devyn handed her a Whiskey on the Rocks and took a small sip needing the courage to finish this. Seeing everyone was ready and settled with a drink she started again. "I was seconded as an Admiral's aide ... I think it was Admiral Purcell ... Head of Starfleet Security and yes I do see the irony in that."

She paused and took another swallow wishing she could get drunk right now. "A month into the changes I woke up to find that I had undergone several operations ... a few of which Kell and I have never found the reason for ... along with having had 4 eggs harvested. Every sense had gone out of control and so had my telepathic skills. I started responding to things people were thinking as if they were saying them and threw one man across the room injuring him badly all because he was thinking of what he would like to do to one of the teens they had in the building who was undergoing similar treatment."

She went to take a swig and had to put the glass on the table without drinking as her hands were shaking so bad.

"My medical examination of the Colonel showed augments in her hypothalamus and her paracortex. There were some minor changes in her musculature but I believe it was a failed attempt to create the ability to shift." Nyx explained as she sipped her tea. "You should know Colonel that Colonel Treia has genetic coding and amino acids in her dna that include the Klingon species, Vulcan, Betazoid, and Chameloid. You should also know that the Chameloid DNA is directly linked to me. I've matched 97 percent of the alleles to mine."

"Jesus Christ" He said, before taking a large sip of his own particular brand of scotch.

"When you were released, what did Starfleet do? Were they not looking for you?" He frowned as he asked the question, more out of curiosity but realising he was coming across as frustrated.

"Thanks Nyx, guess that makes up half sisters or something."

"It makes us genetically connected...not related." Nyx corrected her.

Devyn shook his head. "Nyx, sometimes you're such a child." He knew the two were getting closer but that Nyx still wasn't sure she trusted Cara nor would she admit openly that she liked the woman. She was so jealous of his past with Cara that she couldn't force herself to be Cara's friend. Devyn couldn't force it but he hoped that eventually she would get over it and herself and that she and Cara would be friends.

Cara didn't take offense it was a lot for everyone to take in. "Dobbs went by Alpha when he did his inspections ... I only heard his real name once when they thought I was unconscious. I saw his face a lot though ... I was his greatest achievement."

Drake was at the very early stages of frustration... it almost seemed that they viewed the subject with an air of joviality. He repeated his question.

"So all the time you were being held captive, what were Star fleet doing to try and find you? I can't believe this situation wasn't investigated?" His frown deepened, more through frustration at not understanding than anger.

Cara shook her head "They never once looked ... That changed when Kell found me of course." she knew she was about to sound bitter "All of a sudden I was useful to them ... Like a trained pet. Even though it wasn't my choice to be altered I am now considered tainted, if I'm deemed a threat, I can be terminated at any time if necessary."

Drake now leant forward in his chair, arms on the desk. "Hang on, who's going to terminate you? Are you saying Starfleet agreed to this procedure on you? Are you saying they were responsible for it?"

"I honestly don't know sir ... we've been blocked at every turn. I do know that it was starfleet doctors who carried out the procedure ... and starfleet officers who hold the right to terminate me if I become 'uncontrollable'. They, whomever they are, threatened Kell as well as anyone close to me if I didn't do what they wanted, starfleet forced me into doing less than legal wet work for them. I had no choice. I was their prisoner."

Kell shook his head. "Questionable doesn't mean illegal." He looked at Drake. "I pulled her out of her last assignment and got her orders to come here. I had help from at Star Fleet Command. We made it look like she died in an accident. The man who helped me is a full Admiral and only had minimal knowledge of what was going on with Dobbs... He couldn't".

"You've both done illegal activities for Starfleet? Ordered by Starfleet?" Drake rubbed his eyes, this was becoming more difficult by the minute to believe. "Can I just ask... why have neither of you gone to the Federation Council about this, if Starfleet are responsible?".

"Not both of us. I wasn't involved until I pulled her out of there." Kell said. He never had been...not against the Federation or Star fleet. He'd pulled both Cara and the child from her captors who at least pretended to be star fleet but in his mind they were in need of rescuing.

Cara gave a half hysterical laugh half sob "Some of them have ... encouraged ... this faction in the name of federation security. It goes too high for me to fight ... why do you think I'm hiding with Jess?"

"Are we talking about Section Thirty One, here?" Drake asked, directly.

Cara nodded. Devyn shrugged. He wasn't even sure.

"The truth is, we aren't sure who we're fighting, who's involved, and who is just keeping them safe. You should know that Cara's identity has been changed. Her real identity doesn't exist as far as the Star fleet brass is concerned. Her name, background, and even some of her appearance has been changed. If you hadn't accepted her transfer, she'd have come here as my wife." He hadn't wanted to make that revelation, at least not in front of Nyx. He'd hoped that he never had to reveal that to anyone most especially Nyx.

Drake pushed back in his chair and threw his arms up in the air. "Brilliant", he said sarcastically.

He downed the rest of his drink and eyed up the replicator, wondering whether it was too early in the day for another.

"How do you know how high up this goes? Officially both Starfleet and the Federation have no ties with Section Thirty One at all".

"When I rescued Cara, we went to Admiral Ma'Kum. He had no idea what was going on and he is one of the highest ranked officers. When he took it to the council, he was transferred to the Delta Quadrant and made Liaison between Zulu Fleet and Command. Admiral Keris had been slated to that position for nearly two years. It was obvious that they wanted Ma'kum out of the picture and they wanted it done quietly."

Nyx couldn't hear anything. She hadn't heard a word since Kell had said Cara would have been his wife. She was furious that this had been kept from her and after this meeting she would discuss the matter with Kell. Any trust she had developed for his relationship with Cara had just died. She felt betrayed. Forcing herself to stay in the chair, Nyx fought the urge to vomit as her world seemed to crumble before her.

"Jesus Christ" Once again drake rubbed his eyes, this was really not what he needed now. "Right, what are your next steps from here?".

"Keep Cara and the girl out of Dobb's way...and keep Nyx away from him as well. Neither of them is really safe as long as Dobbs is here." Devyn looked from Nyx to Cara and back to Drake. Nyx was the most important person in the world to him and Cara was a dear friend. He couldn't lose either of them. "Personally, I'd like to put the three of them on lockdown with a mandatory personal escort wherever they go but I don't have the personnel for that."

"That won't happen." Nyx nearly growled before turning her attention to Drake. "Colonel, she's an augment. Her very existence is against Star Fleet and Federation laws. Dobbs has been taking on the role of Doctor Moreau and splicing together bits and pieces of dna which he has stolen from the likes of me and he's turned her and her girl into what the Federation considers an abomination." She was furious and losing control. She wanted Cara to hurt as much as she did. "They are as much his pets as I am Karikkars. The only difference being, he has no leash on her and she has the ...loyalty..of people...she trusts..." She wiped away the tears she'd been fighting as she made the last statement. She knew it would cut both Devyn and Cara to the quick.

The words must have cut Cara as deeply as Nyx had expected. Cara darted out of the conference room quickly and before anyone could call her back. "If Dobbs gets wind she's on the station, he'll pull whatever strings he's used in the past to get her back. You need to find a way to protect her." Kell's words still echoing in her mind, Nyx was the next one to run from the room abruptly and without leave.

"Commander, Dobbs already knows she's on the station. She greeted him on board!" He was now getting frustrated.

"Yes, but there were so many officers there, her name was different. There's a chance he didn't recognize her. He showed no signs of it." Kell offered. He had been scanning the man's mind for any trace but hadn't sensed anything. "My suggestion is to set up a holosuite for the three of them, Cara, Nyx, and the girl. Tell everyone that it is down for maintenance and post a security officer to keep people out. As long as they don't kill each other, they would be safe." He thought about how angry Nyx was and knew she wouldn't back down. He also knew if it came down to it, Cara had the skills necessary to overpower and restrain Nyx but it wouldn't be pretty. "Maybe just a body guard for Nyx.." he changed his mind.

TO BE CONTINUED IN 'Hiding Away', COMING SOON!

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