From: Shawn _ (alamo_nate_at_yahoo.com)
Date: Wed Aug 27 2008 - 12:47:52 PDT
=Batteries Not Included=
(cont'd from "It'll All Get Better In Time")
LOCATION: GATEWAY Station
SCENE: Science Lab
STARDATE: [2.8]0827.1148
As Crichton and Varn watched, three objects shimmered into existence beneath the protective forcefield. Each of the three objects was small, about the size of a coffee-cup. They were made of what appeared to be metal, so shiny that Crichton and Varn could see their reflections in the surface of each device. Their construction appeared totally alien, like nothing Crichton had ever seen before. He glanced over at Varn, and based on the way his attention was riveted to the forcefield, decided that he'd never seen anything like them either.
A moment later, a large tablet that appeared to be made of stone appeared beside the objects. It was covered in tiny alien characters that, once again, Crichton didn't recognize.
"Must be the instruction manual," he said, as he activated the Universal Translator and set it to work on the tablet.
"The objects appear to be metal," Varn confirmed, holding a tricorder up to the forcefield and scanning the devices. "But it's composition is like nothing in the databse. It must be some kind of new alloy."
"Gets worse," Crichton shrugged. "The Universal Translator can't seem to figure out the language on the tablet. It's giving me a partial translation only."
"What's it say?"
"Let's see," Crichton said, glancing down at the screen at his console. "Just a few scattered words here and there... 'assembly', 'power', 'disturb, and..."
The last word made him stop. He leaned closer to the console as he re-read it, then looked up at Varn.
"What is it?" Varn asked.
"The last word," Crichton said, his mouth suddenly dry. "It's 'armageddon'."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SCENE: CO's Ready Room
Kate MacNeil sat at the CO's desk, reclining in the chair, with her fingers steepled beneath her chin. She regarded a tall, slender Vorta male who stood opposite her, looking around the room curiously. Kate titled her head to the side and considered Melin. He *seemed* genuine, but of course that meant nothing- Vorta were experts at deceit, and lying came easy to their kind. Still, Kate wondered what the Dominion hoped to gain by sending him here. Surely they must realize that there was no way they'd let Melin anywhere near GATEWAY's systems, so any chance of sabotage was slim. If the Dominion were to attack GATEWAY, Melin would likely be placed under guard, limiting his usefulness as an inside-man feeding the Dominion strategic information.
No, it seemed most likely that, if Melin *wasn't* on the level, his plan had something to do with the devices that Varn and Crichton were currently examining. Kate had complete faith in both officers, of course, knowing that they would take every precaution to protect the station, but she was still a little worried about what surprises those objects might have in store.
"So..." Kate started. Melin focused his attention on her and smiled politely, his hands clasped behind his back. "What to do with you, Mr. Melin?"
"Melin is fine, actually," the Vorta smiled.
"Melin," Kate repeated with a nod. "You have to understand that your request for asylum is... unusual."
"'Unprecedented' is the word you're looking for, I think," the Vorta smiled again. "Yes, I'm quite aware. Never in the history of the Dominion has one of my kind defected."
"Because you're supposed to be supremely loyal to the Founders," MacNeil said. "It's encoded into your genes."
"Oh, I assure you, my first loyalty *is* to the Founders," Melin said. "I just have more of a problem with blind faith than some of my colleagues."
"So your defection serves the Founders?" Kate asked, raising an eyebrow.
"It does, even if they don't see it," Melin said. "This war with the Federation, it's a fool's errand. The Founders fought this same war decades ago, and lost. They thought that, with the wormhole closed, they had a chance to take GATEWAY Station. But when the wormhole reopened, they found themselves in a difficult position, having been caught in mid-siege of your station. But rather than go immediately to the negotiating table, the Founders pride has forced them to prolong a war that, in the end, will gain them nothing."
"You don't agree with their vision of conquest of the Federation?"
"They overplayed their hand," Melin shrugged. "Conquest of the Federation? Please. After the last war, the Dominion barely had enough ships left to patrol their own territory. Now they want to add a whole other *quadrant*? Even if the Founders *do* win, what next? War with the Klingons? The Romulans? In the end, they'll find themselves running back through the wormhole to lick their wounds and prepare for the *next* war. Really, it's all so wearying."
"So your defection to us is meant to stop the war?" Kate asked. "How, exactly, do you plan to do that?"
"I'm prepared to share the location of several strategically-important Dominion bases," Melin said. "In addition, the devices I provided you with are likely to yield several important technological advances that will aid in your war effort. With these advantages, it will be easier to get the Founders to negotiate a cease-fire."
"Perhaps," Kate considered. "On the other hand, this could all be a Dominion trick. The locations you give me could be a series of traps, or the objects you've brought with you could be dangerous to the station. Other than simply taking you at your word, why should I believe you?"
Melin thought about it for a moment, then sighed. "Honestly, you shouldn't."
"Then it seems we have a problem," Kate said. "I'm scheduling you for a session with our counselor, Lt. Nurunyun."
"May I ask why?"
"I want to see if you're telling the truth," Kate said. "Or, at least, if you *think* you're telling the truth. Lt. Nurunyun is the most qualified member of the staff to discern that."
"Of course, I will submit to whatever questions you have," Melin bowed. "And if you should find that I *am* telling the truth?"
"Then we may have more to discuss," Kate said.
==========================================================================
Shawn Putnam
a.k.a.
Jacob Crichton, Lieutenant
Chief of Engineering
GATEWAY Station, GS-2
From HyperNews_at_youth.net
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.1.5 : Wed Nov 19 2008 - 03:10:57 PST