Surefoot 04: Sanction Ch. 01

"What are you reading?" Giles asked.

"N-Nothing..." But she kept reading, wondering why the Nist government would be contacting her...

*

Deck 4, Training Holodeck:

Sasha sat in the command chair at the centre of the simulated bridge, eyes fixed on the viewscreen without actually looking at it, ears hearing to the reports of her squad at their various stations without actually listening to them.

In front of her, Giles Arrington sat at the helm. "Approaching Talarian vessel, stopping at four thousand kilometres and holding position."

At her Security station, Neraxis Nemm double checked her readings and announced, "The vessel's weapons are off-line, and no other vessels in proximity, Captain."

From his station at Engineering, Jonas Ostrow offered, "They appear to have suffered a radiation leak from their primary reactor; however it appears to be contained, and there is no danger of a warp core breach."

From the auxiliary Medical station, Eydiir Daughter-of-Kaas added, "I am detecting multiple Talarians onboard, with injuries. I am alerting all primary and secondary medical teams to the transporter room with appropriate radiation equipment."

Taking the Operations position instead of his usual Science station, Kitirik finished with. "Respected Simulated Captain Sasha Hrelle, as per procedure I am sending communications to the Talarians offering assistance."

Still, Sasha didn't speak, prompting Giles to turn in his chair and silently catch her attention.

She woke up now. "Mr Arrington, maintain our position here. Mr Ostrow, divert all available power to the transporters, with secondary power to the industrial replicators, we'll need radiation treatments. Mr Kitirik, clear our shuttlebay to act as a triage area. Ms Nemm, assign security to each medical team. Ms Daughter-of-Kaas, send your teams across when their security arrives."

She let her squad go through the motions, while she continued to sit there, mired in her thoughts. The Nist had the man responsible for her mother's death, for the deaths of the people on Salem Four and her Dad's ship. All these years, years of Starfleet and the Federation promising they would do everything in their power to bring this man to justice, and it takes a foreign, hostile power to do so. And they were invited her to see justice carried out.

Had her father received an invitation of his own, or did they only send it to blood relatives of the victims? If she didn't have this exercise scheduled immediately after lunch, she would have gone to him to ask. As it happens, all she could do was sit here and-

"Respected Simulated Captain Sasha Hrelle," Kit spoke up again. "Forgive the interruption, but although I have received no formal response to the hails sent, I am detecting internal communications that-"

Suddenly all eyes were on the viewscreen, as the arrowhead-shaped Talarian vessel with the four aft heat radiating fins suddenly exploded with a bright blossom of white energy, scattering shards of debris in all directions and damaging their own simulated vessel. The explosion snapped Sasha out of her thoughts, as a voice filled the holodeck. "End Simulation."

The viewscreen and displays went blank, and everyone but Sasha rose to their feet as the fake bridge door opened and Commander T'Varik entered, hands behind her back. "Alpha Squad: what you have just experienced is an amalgam of a series of incidents which have just occurred along the Galen Border.

The area has been in dispute between the Federation and the Talarian government. And although the Talarians are technologically inferior, they have compensated with the employment of suicide tactics, such as the one you have just experienced: the use of a false distress signal to lure Starfleet personnel onboard their vessels, whereupon they activate their ships' auto-destruct program. This tactic was responsible for the deaths of 219 Starfleet personnel over a three-day period earlier this month."

The Vulcan allowed Alpha Squad to exchange sober glances with each other before continuing. "Although we will of course not encounter Talarian vessels in our assigned sector of space, Starfleet Command has instructed us to conduct a series of additional tactical exercises to make you aware of the potential- Cadet Hrelle, are you paying attention?"

Sasha looked up and replied, "Yes, Commander."

"And were your legs injured during the exercise?"

"No, Ma'am." The cadet rose to her feet, tugging at the sides of her uniform absently.

"Very good. As I was saying, Starfleet Command wants to expand on our curriculum to include unconventional scenarios to which you may need to adapt in the future." She turned to Kitirik. "You may also wish to consider adopting a more concise style of verbal communication when you are on duty, Cadet. As laudable as your people's predilection for etiquette is, your commanding officer may not have time to wait for you to honour it before you impart essential information."

The Qarari's throat folds turned red with embarrassment as he replied, "I understand, Respected Exercise Instruc- I mean, yes, Ma'am."

"And we will also- Cadet Hrelle?"

Sasha looked to T'Varik, "Yes, Ma'am?"

"What exactly is preoccupying you?"

"It- It doesn't matter, Commander-"

"I will be the judge of that. Please explain."

Sasha breathed in, feeling her heart race at the thought of it. "I, ah, received a message from the Nist government-"

The Vulcan reacted. "I see. Your father is on the bridge; go to him now and inform him."

"Did he receive one as well?"

"He will explain. Please proceed."

Sasha looked to the rest of the squad before departing quickly, her heart racing now from anticipation. He must have received an invitation as well! That means they could both go, both go and see that justice was done to the bastard that killed Mom!

Dad was on the bridge, conversing with Lt. Abed, and when he looked up into her eyes, he knew why she was there. He nodded back the way she came, stopping to mutter something to the ship's Security Officer Lt. Abed before following her out, down the corridor and into his office. "You heard from the Nist?"

She nodded.

He reached out and took her hands in his own, squeezing warmly. "I'm sorry, Sash. I should have realised, should have checked with you sooner. It must have been a shock for you."

"It didn't quite hit me at first," she admitted. "It was so unexpected, no warning at all. I never even knew they had found someone."

His face sobered. "Neither did I, until I received my own invitation."

"And are they sure that he- he-"

His eyes darkened. "Yes, it's definitely him. I contacted Starfleet Intelligence for further information. They sent an image. I... recognised him."

She darkened. "A part of me was worried that they might have someone innocent." They paused, looking at each other, Sasha waiting for him to respond, before finally feeling prompted to ask, "When are we leaving?"

He blinked. "Leaving?"

"Of course! We don't have much time. We can take your personal shuttle, you said it's been uprated to reach a sustained Warp 9.5, I checked the coordinates, we could get to Tau Beta in five days-"

"Sasha..."

"And I'm sure Commander T'Varik will provide my curriculum so I won't miss out on my studies-"

He backed away, looking confused. "Sasha... we're not going."

Now it was her turn for confusion. "Why not? We have permission, we can get there in time. There's nothing stopping us!"

"Nothing... except it's wrong."

Her jaw dropped. "Wrong? Are you really saying it's wrong to want to see the man who murdered Mom - your wife - and all the innocent people on Salem Four and the Furyk, face justice?"

"You think this is justice, Sasha? Going to see a man's life taken from him by the state?"

"Yes!" She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with her father, the man who said he'd loved her mother with all his heart! "That bastard took Mom's life, took the lives of scores of people, and for what? For profit! He deserves to be punished!"

"And you think it has to be by taking *his* life?"

"Of course!"

He was staring back at her, like she was the one who was in the wrong - and she suddenly, fiercely hated him for refusing to understand her. Softer now, he continued, "Sasha, this isn't what your mother would have wanted."

"How would you know?" she demanded angrily. "She was MY mother longer than she was ever YOUR wife!"

He froze, clearly hurt by his words, before reaching up behind his neck and under his collar, working at something underneath. He drew his hands down again, this time carrying with them a thin gold necklace with a matching symbol dangling from it. He held it out for her to see. "This was hers; I found it among her possessions, the same time I found your old doll. Do you recognise the symbol?"

Sasha barely looked at it, at first thinking it was just a stylised side profile of some four-legged animal. Then she remembered - but said nothing.

He continued regardless. "It's Chai, the Hebrew symbol for Life. Your mother used to say that Life Always Matters. That it was sacred, and not to be taken lightly. And certainly not to be taken needlessly.

Sasha... as terrible as this man's crimes were, and as much as we feel he might deserve to suffer and to die because of them, his execution will serve no purpose. It will not bring the dead back to life. It will not help them rest easy. It will not deter others. It will not reform her murderer. It will not even take away your pain at the loss of your Mom; I can promise you that much.

Yes, Hannah was your mother longer than she was my wife. But I was intimate with her, in ways a child wouldn't understand. And I swear to you on my life that she would not want anyone else to die for her. Or for you to feel such hate for another living being that you would want them dead." He raised the hand with the medallion closer to her. "Take it. She would want you to have it-"

She slapped away his hand, sending the medallion across the room.

Hrelle looked shocked, as shocked as Sasha felt. But she clung to her anger like a lifeline, refusing to surrender. "I don't need your permission... Esek. I'm a legal adult. I can vote, I can drink, I can travel, I can fuck. And I can go see justice done. Even if you can't."

Hrelle lowered his emptied hand, his expression... frightening. "You're also a member of Starfleet, subject to the orders of those in command. You'll need approval to leave this ship. Consider that denied."

Sasha felt herself shaking. "Then I'll resign."

He slapped his combadge in response. "Commander T'Varik, report to my office immediately!"

"Acknowledged."

He slapped the comlink shut again, still glaring at Sasha. "Do it, then," he countered simply, coldly. "Resign. And as per regulations, you will need to undergo the requisite administrative procedures before being dropped off at the nearest Starbase. By then, the execution will have passed. You'll have thrown away everything you've worked for, for nothing."

T'Varik walked into the room, just as Sasha asked through gritted teeth, "Why don't you just admit the real reason you won't go? It's because you're scared. Scared to face him because of what he did to you. You're nothing but a fucking coward!"

"Cadet," T'Varik spoke up sharply as she drew between the two of them. "Regardless of the circumstances, you will *not* speak to a superior officer in this way. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"As a matter of fact, Commander," Hrelle commented coldly. "A moment ago, because I refused permission for her to leave the ship and attend the execution, Sasha threatened to resign from the Academy, so that order might no longer apply to her." He looked at Sasha again. "Well? Are you resigning, Cadet?"

She was taut as piano wire.

"You were asked a question, Cadet," T'Varik reminded her.

"No, Commander," she finally replied, deliberately addressing the Vulcan and not Hrelle. "I'm not."

"Then this matter is settled," Hrelle concluded. "T'Varik, ensure the Cadet returns to whatever is scheduled for her now."

"Yes, Sir. Cadet, I believe Alpha Squad is in the Study Room preparing for the Astrophysics Exam?"

"Yes, Ma'am." But she shot her father - her stepfather - an icy look as she left with T'Varik. Until she saw him retrieve her mother's necklace, saw the expression in his face. And pangs of guilt stabbed her in the stomach. Apologise, she told herself. Don't go like this.

She still left.

*

Somewhere Else, Six Years Ago:

For someone with a lethal weapon shoved hard against his snout and threatening to clean out his sinuses, Esek Hrelle - former Starfleet Captain, former husband and father, current slave in the bowels of an unnamed asteroid - was remarkably cool.

Partly it was due to the residual effects of their captors' neural truncheons, stunning them when they were caught during their latest escape attempt. Partly it was due to an attempt to maintain leadership within his cell, a responsibility he had accepted reluctantly as the price for a chance to escape this hell. Partly it was due to a deliberate drive to stay calm and not antagonise their captors.

But mostly it was just due to it being too damn cold here. The Breen, permanently encased in their bulky brown refrigerated suits and beaked, visored helmets, cared little for the ambient temperatures, and even less for the comfort of their slaves.

Hrelle and the rest of the workers of his cell stood clumped together in the loading bay, the hatchway to the newly-arrived freighter now closed off to them, as the Breen stood in a line before them, weapons raised in a grouping uncomfortably reminiscent of a firing squad.

Unless Hrelle could convince the Breen otherwise. "Thol, this isn't necessary. I was responsible. The others are not. Punish me, not them."

The Breen spoke in reply, and though it partly came across as electronic gibberish even with the Universal Translator, Hrelle's superior hearing and Starfleet training made it at least mostly discernible. "veg[0248vg4v2vlVnaa Agreed Punishment Is Required."

Hrelle nodded, expecting this. Since he had been voted into command of this group, he had managed to organise them into a unit that had a genuine chance of planning and attempting an escape. And they had almost made it today. Little was known about the Breen - but what was definitely known was that they were merciless. So today was his day to die.

He was ready for it.

Until Thol spoke to his soldiers, who moved as one, grabbing three of the smallest, thinnest, oldest members of the cell, dragging them into the centre of the bay, forcing them onto their knees - and blasting the tops of their heads off.

"NO!" Hrelle cried out, reaching for Thol, despite the weapon still pointed at him.

But then he felt Peran Sayr, a Bajoran with curly black hair and scars on his lean face that seemed to radiate from the tight column of ridges on his aquiline nose, resting a callused hand on Hrelle's forearm. "You can't help them, Captain. They are in the Prophets' hands now."

"Dammit, Sayr-"

"Captain," Peran said again, his voice soft and careful, his grip tightening. "Do not antagonise them any further. Stay alive."

Hrelle nodded, grateful for the man's counsel. Peran was a Ranjen, a monk among his people, and had been captured and sold into slavery by Orions while helping seek a settlement for his fellow refugees following the occupation of their homeworld by the Cardassians.

He was a quiet, modest member of their cell, but had quickly proved himself strong in resolution and support, not just for their collective efforts to escape, but for Hrelle's individual efforts to cope with his confinement and not give in to despair. Hrelle had never been one for spiritualism, but he appreciated the succour that Peran provided. Especially now.

Then Thol announced, "c54f3-3=]'Clear the Debris And Return To Your Pen No Rations Today."

Hrelle stared at the clump of emaciated bodies lying in a bloodied heap, limbs entwined in some parody of a group hug. Then he motioned to his people, to gather the bodies and carry them with as much dignity as they could manage to the recyclers, while others gathered cleaning equipment for the mess.

The door to the freighter remained tantalisingly close.

*

USS Surefoot, Secondary Hull, Deck 11, Ventral Sensor Access Room:

Hrelle sat at the bottom of the vertical shaft as if it was an oubliette, marvelling at the quiet. It wasn't total quiet, of course, and could never be, not without the aid of sensory deprivation bafflers or a total power failure. But it was quiet enough, and after he gave an order to the ship's computer, the lights around him went out.

The base of his spine where his tail was once rooted ached, not so much a phantom pain as a chronic ache from years of wear and tear that mere months of therapy couldn't just remove. The tips of his fingers where they had removed his claws ached too. He began to accept that it was all in his head. Then his head ached, as if wanting to join in.

He heard sounds from above, echoing through the Jeffries tubes and corridors, before he caught her scent. He considered calling up to her, telling her not to bother coming down and that he was okay, and just wanted to be left alone for a while. But he knew the futility of that course of action, and so waited, smirking as he heard her bang her foot along the way and curse.

He looked up to see Kami descending on the ladder built into the vertical shaft, her tail swishing like a cub on the playground, and now Hrelle smiled. He also couldn't help but notice that she was in the minidress version of the uniform - and that she wasn't wearing any underwear again - and wondered if that was intentional, another distraction for him to help him open up to her.

He stayed sat on the floor of the access room, his back to a wall, looking up at her. "What can I do for you, Counselor?"

Kami Shall turned to him, both of them able to see perfectly well in the level of light present. "Wow, this was *so* worth coming down to. The Oberth. Who was this starship class named after, a Surrealist? What an idiotic design, separating the hulls."

"It's mostly a safety feature, since the warp core and antimatter are stored in the secondary hull, as well as the photon torpedoes; in the event of an emergency, the secondary hull can be detached and the primary hull fly away via the impulse engine. The distance from the equipment in the primary hull also increases the performance of the sensor arrays in the secondary hull-" He stopped and asked, "When did you stop listening to all that?"

"Just after 'safety feature'. But don't worry, sweetie, I'm sure it was all simply delightful." She slid down beside him, her tail snaking up to slip onto his lap like a pet seeking attention. "So, T'Varik told me about the argument you had with Sasha. Sounded savage."

He didn't respond.

"You're not used to it, are you? It's been intense for you two, but until now you've always been on the same side. Must have been a shock."

He stayed silent.

"I used to get into such arguments with my father's father," she continued. "He was one of those old-timers from the Caitian Planetary Navy days, and always talked about how much better the planet would be if we seceded from the Federation. Mad bastard. Never mind all the incredible advantages we had being a Federation member, he just wanted to fly the old flags and wear the old uniforms. We butted heads so often. But we still loved each other."

No response.

"Seven Hells, I've got more words out of my last furball. How about getting something from you other than technobabble?"

"I'm scared," he admitted.

She stopped and looked at him. Her tone became more sympathetic, more professional. "And what's scaring you, Esek?"