Line in the Sand (Part 2)

Posted on Thu Jul 11th, 2024 @ 11:59pm by Captain Banri Edasaki & Lieutenant Commander Lurath, Son of Grogori
Edited on on Fri Jul 12th, 2024 @ 12:00am

1,555 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: The Search
Location: U.S.S. Bismarck Bridge

Previously on Star Trek Ermiana:

"I promised you a ship... not a body count." Zodrac replied, holding his hands out to show he was still unarmed. "You want that Cruiser? I have conditions." He looked over to the main view screen that still showed the Galor Cruiser. "I'd act fast." He looked back to the others on the bridge. "If they get their systems up before you... no one will survive."

The Tactical Officer took a step forward and held his weapon closer to Zodrac's face. "To hell with that Cruiser, John. We've been making headway just fine with this ship. Let's blow that Cardy Ship to hell and move on."

"Have fun doing that with your systems the way they are. The only thing working is shields and, at this rate, there is no telling when those will fall." Zodrac shrugged. "A lot of good you'll cause will be when you're all dead in space."

"You'll be dead too."

"At least I will have died as a Starfleet Officer and not a terrorist." He looked around the bridge at everyone. "Did you all forget what that's like? Being a Starfleet Officer? Standing up for those who can't stand up for themselves. Discovering new worlds and new races. Bringing others worlds together through peace and diplomacy. Not war."

"We didn't start this war..."

And now the continuation...


"But you sure as hell aren't trying to stop it either!" Zodrac shouted back. "You've escalated your tactics and upped the casualties which is only going to drive the other side to do the same. You get big guns. The other side gets bigger guns. You start killing innocents. The other side starts to show less restraint when it comes to innocent casualties." He looked over to the Maquis Captain. "This movement of yours began to help Bajor and its people, but when you've started crossing lines the people you are trying to protect wouldn't even cross, you've lost the plot." He let out a sigh. "I get this is personal and you've all lost loved ones, but your attacks on the Cardassians have become more about our own personal vengeance and less about protecting the Bajorans." He look around the bridge and added. "I haven't seen every part of this ship, but from what I've seen, I haven't seen many Bajorans among you."

The Tactical Officer kept his weapon trained, but started to show some hesitation.

"I turned on my people and began to work for Starfleet to help stop the Cardassian Government from setting its eyes on more innocents. To keep them on their side of the galaxy. To remind them they don't have as much claim to the galaxy as they seem to think they do, but if you pull this war of yours towards the Federation, you put my daughter in the crosshairs and I can't allow that. She knows nothing about the Cardassian way of thinking. She was raised by Bajorans and loved by them regardless of who species her fathers. They don't see a Half Cardassian. They see a little girl who has nothing but hope in her eyes and a bright future ahead." He turned his focus back the the Maquis Captain. "So.. if you want that ship... I have conditions that will be met. Or we all die. Not as martyrs. As Terrorists, because just because you didn't fire first, doesn't mean you rush the other side to force their had makes you any better."

John clenched his fists. He raised a hand to stand down his men. "I knew that you'd have some sort of dirty trick up your sleeve! You Cardassian's are all the same, regardless of who you work for!" He replied as he narrowed his eyes. "Go on then! Tell me those conditions! You seem to love monologuing anyways!"

"Then allow me to simplify things for you... Starfleet traitor." He pulled his attention from the Captain and looked around the bridge. "And Cardassian Terrorists." Zodrac remained firm, his gaze returning to the Maquis Captain. "I will unlock your access to the transporters and, because transporting in this area is sketchy at best, I'll link the Cardassian transporter array as well which should allow you enough power to lock on to everyone on board and placed them in the cargo and shuttle bays after a force field is placed around everyone entrance and exit. No matter how big or small."

"You want me to transport them aboard?!" John asked in surprise. "Why should we? We can just transport them to a nearby planet! Let them fend for themselves like we have to!"

"Be reasonable," Banri interrupted. "Just listen to him!"

Zodrac turned to look at the Ops station as he added quickly and in a matter of fact tone. "Oh.. and don't be surprised if the lifesigns you start getting onboard aren't up to what you are used to finding on a Cardassian ship." He looked over to the Captain and continued. "Something all of you wouldn't have known, but would have found out had you bothered to scan the ships you've been instigating, is that Cardassian Central Command has allowed civilian workers and even families onboard various ships. More importantly, in areas where the Maquis have been spotted, so that you all would be less reluctant to attack a Cardassian ship with non combatants onboard."

"Yeah, like I'm going to believe that! A Cardassian warship with civilians! They're Cardassians not Starfleet!" John said.

"You're lying." The Tactical Officer said firmly.

Zodrac looked over to Banri. "Captain Edasaki... will you please tap that yellow button on the console please?"

Banri looked down at the console. She could see clearly what he was trying to do here. Slowly she reached out and tapped the button.

The Ops Officer tapped on the console an started to bring up the lifesigns. "He's not lying. I'm showing lifesigns that show much older and younger people. Elders. Children." The ops officer looked to John. "They are all here."

John stood there dumbfounded. He had been caught out. The spoonhead wasn't lying at all.

"How does if feel now, Captain? Still feel like a freedom fighter, because that line suddenly shifted to terrorist." Zodrac asked softly.

A moment of silence fell upon the room. "Fine. Transport them all." He said.

"John!" One of the Maquis said in protest stepping towards him.

"Shut it!" John snapped. "I won't have that sort of blood on my hands!" His voice was raised slightly. "I won't kill children! Even if they are Cardassians! If I allowed that then we'd just be as bad as them!" He finally turned back to Zodrac. "You win... I'll take that ship. But YOU will be responsible for the safety of those civilians!"

"Clearly, you've made is so easy for me, Captain. While you and your Maquis friends are flying off in your slightly used Galor Cruiser, Captain Barni and I will have to fly this Starfleet Starship that you've allow to be shot at for the past fifteen minutes to a half hour. With a bunch of very irritated and completely confused Cardassian Officers and Civilians." Zodrac smirked slightly. "Clearly, we have it better out of this arrangement."

The Tactical Officer looked over to John. "How do we know this isn't some trick and we'll be able to fly that thing?"

"Because, despite what you have been led to believe, I am still a Starfleet Officer and a man of my word. I promised you a ship and I delivered. No lives were lost. On either side." Zodrac raised his voice before adding. "But wait until you hear the rest of my conditions."

John just nodded as he crossed his arms a clear look of disapproval on his face.

"Before you beam aboard, I will give your Captain a code. This code will unlocked the rest of the systems on the Galor Cruise. However, there is a catch." Zodrac said as he focused mainly on their Captain. "At the moment, shields and life support are the only functions on the ship. When you all are onboard I will remove the restrictions on navigations and you can leave, but you won't have weapons or access to anything else."

"How are we going to be able to defend ourselves?!!" Yelled the Tactical Officer.

"I'm getting to that." Zodrac replied, looking over to the Tactical officer and then easing his gaze back to the Maquis Captain. "That code, to unlock every other system, will only be available once that Galor class is far enough away from the Bismarck. The distance is set to outside the Badlands." Before the Tactical Officer could say something, Zodrac raised his hand to stop him, his eyes still focused on John. The Cardassians won't be looking for one of their own ships and, I made sure, communications was the first thing to be shut down when I started my work. So, no one will know you're onboard. The Bismarck is still their primary target and you'll be safe to leave the Badlands without incident."

The tactical officer refrained from speaking up, but looked over to John. He wasn't sure how much of this he was going to allow to go on but it seemed the Cardy had covered all his bases. "John?"

To be continued...

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