Section 31_ Rogue - Andy Mangels [44]
Inside the detention cell, a man and a woman sat side by side on a low-slung cot, the room’s only piece of furniture. Both prisoners were attired in somewhat distressed-looking Starfleet dress uniforms, the man wearing red, the woman in blue. Though their combadges were missing, each officer’s collar bore a trio of shiny brass pips, indicating that both held the rank of commander.
I guess I won’t be pulling rank on anyone here. Have to rely on the old Corey Zweller charm instead.
The man rose to his feet first. Tall and vigorous-looking, he had rumpled brown hair that made an incongruous counterpoint to his neatly trimmed beard. His manner was calm, belying the outrage behind his blue eyes.
“I am Grelun, who now guides the Army of Light,” the dark-haired Chiarosan said to the male prisoner before the officer could speak. Then the Chiarosan angled an impossibly limber elbow in Zweller’s direction. “I present to you your countryman, Commander Cortin Zweller.” Grelun then made a courtly, triple-jointed bow toward the prisoners. Zweller interpreted the gesture as ironic, a Chiarosan sign of contempt.
Barely acknowledging Grelun, Riker trained his piercing gaze on Zweller. “Would you mind explaining exactly what is going on here, Commander?”
Abruptly returning to an upright posture, Grelun overrode Zweller before he could respond. “Please accept my apologies, Commander Riker, Commander Troi. I regret that you were handled so roughly. I assure you, we were as gentle with you as the circumstances would permit.”
Zweller noticed that the woman’s eyes were unusually dark. He decided that she probably wasn’t human after all, at least not completely. Perhaps she had some Betazoid ancestry. That could pose a problem. Zweller used the disciplines he’d learned during his training as an agent and quickly erected a barrier around his thoughts and emotions.
“Then can I infer that you intend to return us to the Enterprise?” Troi asked.
The Enterprise? Zweller struggled to conceal his surprise from the Betazoid. Johnny. He hoped his old friend wouldn’t get himself swept up in this dangerous situation. But he remembered the brashness of his old Academy classmate all too well; if Jean-Luc Picard was here, then he would soon be in the thick of things. And an already complex and dangerous situation would undoubtedly become even more so.
“In a short time, yes, we will send you back to your ship,” Grelun told Troi.
Riker glanced at Troi. “Deanna?”
The Betazoid scrutinized Grelun for a long moment before speaking. “He’s not lying, Will. Though he harbors a great deal of hostility toward us, he’s sincere about his intention to release us later. But I sense there’s something important he wants to accomplish first.”
Grelun bared the points of his teeth, evidently displeased that one of his prisoners could find him so transparent.
Looking as though he’d just solved a puzzle, Riker addressed Grelun, ignoring Zweller for the moment. “I think I understand now. We’ll be free to go. But only after the Romulans have finished… influencing the planetary referendum.”
“Once my people formally acknowledge the Federation’s inability to make good on its promises of security and order,” Grelun said coolly. “Only then will you be free to leave us.”
“If your faction wins in the vote,” Riker said, “we won’t have a lot of other options.”
“Exactly so. Your Federation’s own laws will force your withdrawal from our world. And with the Federation gone, our independence from all degenerate outworlders will be assured.”
“That is until the Romulans take your world from you by force,” Troi said placidly.
Grelun’s hands twirled for a moment in a complex,