Chapter Seven
        
        Doctor Hartman stepped up to Ironsides’s biobed. “Looks like a gastrointestinal infestation of parasites,” he said. “Dr. Michelanos already gave you some general medicine which will prevent further bouts of vomiting as well as diarrhea. I’m giving you some medicine to boost your immune system and keep your fever from going too high.”
        “Thank you,” Ironsides said. “Is it allright for me to go back on duty now?”
        Hartman shook his head. “I’m pulling you offduty for the time being. I’ll need a little time to identify the parasites so I can come up with a course of action to eliminate them.”
        “How long?”
        “A few hours, give or take,” Hartman said. “In fact, your body may get rid of them on their own. I’ve seen it happen before. Have you eaten any fresh food recently? I mean, not replicated?”
        “I had a fruit salad for lunch. I think they used some Romulan fruits we picked up a while ago.”
        “Ah,” Hartman nodded. “I’ll check into that.” Hartman turned to Michelanos. “Aidan, you were right. He had some of that Romulan fruit.”
        “Told you so,” Michelanos said from across Sickbay.
        Hartman smiled and turned back to Ironsides. “Just rest for now.”
        Ironsides sighed. “I’ve never liked Sickbays much. Any chance I could rest in my quarters?”
        “Sure, I don’t see why not,” Hartman said. “If you experience any repeats of symptoms, or new ones, call us. We’ll send someone over. Just take it easy and drink plenty of water.”
        Ironsides sat up, with Hartman’s help. “Thank you, doctor.” He stood on his feet and swayed slightly. “I’m allright. Just got up too fast,” he said to Hartman.
        The Chief Medical Officer waved for a nurse to accompany Ironsides. The nurse walked with Ironsides back to his quarters. The major thanked the nurse then walked into his quarters alone.
        Once in the solitude of his quarters, Ironsides walked to his bathroom and opened a small toiletries cabinet. He pulled out a capsule and popped it into his mouth then filled a glass with water from the faucet underneath the mirror. He swallowed the pill and stared at his reflection in the mirror. “The things you do for the Federation.”
        He knew that soon the medicine he just swallowed would kill the infestation of parasites that he brought onto himself with the first capsule. He looked at the chronograph on the wall. He would have several hours to operate uninterrupted. “Computer, display local time in buu’Uto,” he commanded.
        The chronograph changed for Ironsides. “Revert to shipboard time,” Ironsides said, walking out of the bathroom. He headed to his bed and pulled off his combadge, tossing it onto the bed. He stripped out of his overtunic which had a few dried flakes of vomit on the front. He pulled out the false combadge, putting it on his green undertunic. He wished that he was able to use the combadges Starfleet Intelligence used, but that would make him easier to find.
        Ironsides walked back out of his quarters and headed for a nearby Jeffries tube access. He clambered down the ladder in the prearranged route which he had committed to memory. He made his way to Deck 13 hidden from view in the Jeffries tubes.
        After listening at the hatch door for people, Ironsides jumped out of the Jeffries tube and ran to the Jeffries access to the half-deck over the phaser cannon. He climbed up to the cramped deck and crawled to his secret area. He sat crosslegged and activated a console inset in the wall near him.
        A chronograph showed the time. Ironsides opened the cubbyhole that hid his rifle and pulled out the case. He reached into the cubbyhole again, pulling out an all black jumpsuit. It crinkled slightly, due to the material bonded to the jumpsuit. It was the same material they used in Marine flak vests. This thin layer had saved his life several times over. Ironsides set the jumpsuit down and turned to the riflecase. He opened the riflecase and checked the power cells again. The major looked at the chronograph again, then tapped his combadge.
        He smirked and said, “Lavender sky.” He waited for a response.
        It came shortly. “Beautiful sky.”
        “Good job,” Ironsides said. “You have the information I asked for?”
        “Yes.”
        “Put the communicator device on your data storage machine.”
        “Allright.”
        Ironsides looked at the wall console, reading the information appearing there. “Good... good. Are you in a location hidden from view?”
        “Uh, yes I am.”
        “Just you?”
        “Yes.”
        “Inside or outside?”
        “Well, I’m inside.”
        “Go outside, find a clearing at least 5 meters across, hidden from view. Not far from the Parlia building. Contact me when you’re in place.”
        “Fine.”
        Ironsides pulled the jumpsuit on, struggling to put it on while laying on his back. He stopped to pull out his concealed phaser from his trouser pocket. A minute later, he finished getting in the jumpsuit and zipped up the suit to his neck. He slid the phaser into his jumpsuit’s pocket holster. He sat up and pulled the rifle out of its case and closed the riflecase, putting it back in its cubbyhole. He studied the data on the console until his combadge spoke up again.
        “Hello?” his combadge asked.
        “Are you in place?”
        “Yes.”
        “Any people around?”
        “None that I can see.”
        “Don’t move,” Ironsides said. He reached over to the wall console and tapped a series of commands. His rifle beeped. Ironsides tapped another button. The haze of a transporter beam enveloped him, and he disappeared from the narrow deck, reappearing in a darkened Runabout, holding his rifle. He disappeared again from the small transporter platform in the Runabout, and materialized again, sitting on the stony ground of tau’Tsugu.
        A Tsugu, dressed with green stripes, looked down at him and scuttled backwards, surprised. “Why are you-”
        Mentally, Ironsides pegged the Tsugu as a security guard from his uniform. He stood up. “Quiet. We’re wasting time.” He slung his rifle onto his back. The black metal of the rifle made it hard to see on his black jumpsuit. He turned into a circle, scanning his location. The only Tsugu he could see was the one standing next to him. “There should be maintenance tunnels that lead to the Parlia chambers. Take me to one of them.”
        “This way,” the Tsugu said. Ironsides followed him, sticking to the red-hued shadows of dusk on tau’Tsugu. The sliver of the tau’Tsugu sun was disappearing beneath the horizon. “My name is-”
        “I don’t want to know your name,” Ironsides snapped.
        The guard closed his mouth, and kept walking in silence.
        The Tsugu led Ironsides down an alley which led down a sloping incline to an underground tunnel. “In here.” They entered the dark tunnel. The guard spoke up again. “There are more friends of ours on the security force.”
        “Not all of them, though, or you wouldn’t need me,” Ironsides remarked.
        The Tsugu nodded somberly. “Weapons are not allowed in the Parlia building on anyone other than security forces. Security Master Wakiza has commanded weaponry scans on a repeating cycle, under the Ernor’s orders.”
        Ironsides looked at the Tsugu. “The Ernor’s afraid of something, huh? Can’t say I blame him.”
        The security guard paused, unsure of what to say to that. He turned around another corner and looked back at the major. “All of our friends know ‘beautiful sky.’ When... it... is over, they will help you get out of the building. We must hurry. I must return to my official duties.”
        They now were in a sloping tunnel, much more roughly carved than the other tunnels Ironsides had been led around in. Even less lights were available. Ironsides placed his hand on the Tsugu’s shoulder so he could follow the guard. His other hand was on his holstered phaser in case he was being led in a trap.
        “Who’s going to do it?” Ironsides asked after several minutes of silence.
        The Tsugu stopped, and Ironsides walked into his third leg. “Pardons,” the guard said as Ironsides bumped into him. He turned to look up at the Major. “Aren’t you going to do it?”
        “That’s the plan, although it remains to be seen if the deed will actually be done,” Ironsides said in a soft voice. The tunnel seemed to delight on echoing sounds. Perhaps it was just Ironsides’s perceptions. “That’s not what I’m talking about. The first question that comes to anybody’s mind is ‘who did it?’ A good plan provides an answer to that question.”
        “Ah, I see,” the guard said, resuming his walk down the tunnel. “That has been taken care of.”
        Ironsides frowned and sighed sadly. “Good.” The guard stopped at a steep upramp. “We’re near the Parlia building now. This will take us up and around the back of the Parlia building.”
        By now, Ironsides’s eyes were more adapted to the typical level of light in Tsugu installments. He could make out the guard’s silhouette and other details. “Allright. I want to get up to the maintenance catwalks that are up around the chamber. Where the lights are.”
        “I know what you are speaking of,” the Tsugu said. “I will take you.”

        Moments later, Ironsides laid on his belly next to a light stand. He scanned the crowd below in the large auditorium. Most of the Parlia members were in their seats, though a few were still milling about. The dais sported a larger podium, apparently for the Ernor. It wasn’t an obstacle for Ironsides.
        The light above him helped create a dark spot on the thin catwalk. Any Tsugua looking up there would have problems seeing past the spotlight. Still, the lights in the chamber were very low. As he did several days earlier, Ironsides had to let his eyes adjust before making any preparations. He slid open the rifle’s information console and flipped up the sighting panel. He made sure to dim the console lighting so it wouldn’t give away his location in the darkness.
        A half dozen green-stripe clad Tsugua marched in. Ironsides watched the security guards lead the Ernor into the auditorium. Ironsides thought he recognized Iroshu and Kojsha flanking the Ernor. The guards spread out, making a perimeter around the dais. Ironsides thought he recognized Wakiza standing to the rear of the Ernor as he stepped up to the podium.
        By now, all the members of the Parlia were seated, waiting for the Ernor to start his speech. Ironsides closed his left eye and looked down the rifle sight, using the onscreen graphics to guide him in adjusting the rifle’s angle. With a flick of his left thumb on the rifle barrel, he switched the sighting graphics to a bioscan of the Ernor. It confirmed what Ironsides already guessed. A head shot would be effective.
        He had to be careful. The ridges on the Tsugu’s head weren’t just for show. They were hard bone which protected the brain. Ironsides guessed it was due to evolving from a subterranean species. They could survive collapsed tunnels and the like. The phaser could shoot through the dense bone but there was a possibility the shot would simply maim or disfigure rather than kill. Ironsides didn’t have the time for a second or third shot. Only two locations guaranteed a clean kill shot.
        With the controls on the rifle barrel, Ironsides manipulated the sighting screen so it compensated for the dim lighting and zoomed in to the Ernor’s face. The Ernor started his speech, turning his head to sweep his audience with a gaze. Ironsides waited for the shot to present itself.

        “I’m picking up a transmission being broadcast across tau’Tsugu from buu’Uto,” Lieutenant Hatari said from his station at Tactical.
        “Onscreen,” Johnson said.
        The viewscreen showed a wideshot of the Parlia chamber. Johnson recognized the location immediately. The Ernor was stepping up to a large, elaborately carved stone podium which seemed to rise out of the dirt. Crystals sparkled faintly in the dim lighting, embedded in the stone podium.
        Johnson also recognized the Yiser and the Chief Negotiator. “Johnson to Favor, I think you’d better check out this feed from tau’Tsugu,” the captain said, speaking into the comm panel on his chair’s armrest.
        Favor’s voice responded. “Thanks, captain. I’m going to come up to the bridge.”
        “Hurry then,” Johnson said. “Looks like the Ernor’s about to begin. Bridge out.” He watched as the Ernor shook Iroshu’s hand and the Parlia leader’s hand. Graushi turned and stepped up to the podium. He swept his head from side to side, gazing at the audience solemnly.
        “Members of Parlia, and citizens of tau’Tsugu,” Graushi began, “I come to you with reluctant words to say. No doubt these recent few nights have been very troubling to you all. The financial and security crisis which spread from tau’Targu and struck at our buu’a affects us all deeply. I find that as your Ernor, I have no choice but to-”

        Ironsides doubletapped the trigger button.

        An dark red-orange burst of energy flashed in front of Graushi’s face. The Ernor wavered slightly. He probably would have fallen over to the side immediately if it weren’t for his three-legged anatomy. Johnson nearly missed seeing the dark smoky crater in the Ernor’s face. The shot had gone cleanly through one of his black eyes. As the Ernor’s body went limp, he slumped to the side of the podium. Iroshu and Kojsha stood up and rushed to his side, as did Wakiza.
        The turbolift door opened and Favor rushed onto the bridge. He looked at the viewscreen at the tumult happening. “What happened?”
        Johnson looked at Favor. He was momentarily taken aback at seeing him in regular clothes, as opposed to the Vulcan-style outfits he was wont to wear. He fixed his gaze at the ambassador. “I think someone from our crew just assassinated the Ernor.”

        Ironsides rolled onto his back, clapping shut the sighting panel and rifle console panel. He sat up and leapt to his feet and rushed off the catwalk into the tunnels that circled the Parlia chamber. He had made sure to remember the path he took from the maintenance tunnel to the catwalks as the security collaborator guided him. He quickly made a turn and walked into a Tsugu security guard.
        He stepped back and snapped the rifle up in his hand, firing. The Tsugu jerked backwards from the force of the compressed phaser bolt. Ironsides heard the now familiar sound of Tsugu footsteps. He spun around, pulling out his phaser and aimed at the other Tsugu guard.
        The guard saw the fallen Tsugu on the ground then looked at Ironsides and the phaser in his hand. The guard spread his arms out to his sides and shouted “Beautiful sky! Beautiful sky!”
        Ironsides held off on pressing the firing button, tilting the phaser up. The guard hissed a loud sigh of relief, then gestured quickly. “This way, less guards!” He took off on the odd rapid scuttle that the Tsugua had when they were moving fast. Ironsides jogged to keep up.
        They made their way down another level, and hid from a team of guards running down a side tunnel. The guard looked up at Ironsides. “Keep going down here, then turn to your left.”
        “I know,” Ironsides nodded.
        “And please, try not to kill any one else.”
        “I don’t even want to see another guard,” Ironsides hissed angrily. He leaned out around the curve of the tunnel, checking the area. Satisfied that it was clear of Tsugua, he ran down the tunnel. The rifle slapped against his back, and he tightened the strap so it held the rifle more snugly.
        Fortunately, the acoustic qualities of the tunnels helped Ironsides detect the Tsugua long before he could see them in the dark. He heard a galloping noise, which was the sound of their flat, hard feet reverberating in the tunnels. Ironsides crouched, waiting for the group of Tsugua to reach him. He looked at the bright lights on his phaser controls and dialed it down to stun. If he could hit them before they saw him clearly, he could still preserve his cover. He aimed in the darkness of the tunnel, waiting. The weaker shot would also be harder to pick up on scans, even though his phaser was designed to be hard to pick up. The echoes tapered off. Ironsides stood up and ran to reach the exit.
        More echoes sounded out and Ironsides flattened himself against the wall as much as possible. He raised his phaser, ready to fire. A dark silhouette moved in front of him. Ironsides fired. The Tsugu staggered, but didn’t go down. Ironsides fired again, and the second stun blast took effect. The other Tsugua that accompanied him started firing their weapons. The energy beams hit wide but he knew he was being bracketed. Ironsides crouched down and ran, firing at the sources.
        The back of his mind noticed that the energy bolts were reasonably similar to the coloration of his rifle’s blast. “That’s good at least,” he told himself. He already knew the irony of being glad to have the guards shoot at him. “What a life,” he murmured. One guard stopped firing after Ironsides took another shot. He heard the thud of a heavy Tsugu body falling to the floor.
        Ironsides ran closer, taking advantage. He was close enough to make out the last remaining guard. He took aim, but heard the discharge of another weapon. The guard went down. Ironsides paused. He saw another Tsugu run into his range of view, holding a long weapon.
        “Beautiful sky,” the other Tsugu said. Ironsides approached him and recognized him as Iroshu’s proxy. “You better hurry. The others are finished sweeping the west side of the building. They are converging on this location.”
        In testimony to the guard’s words, more weapons fire hit the far side of the tunnel, missing Ironsides and the guard by half a meter. Ironsides raised his weapon to fire, and the guard joined in. The oncoming guards were pinned down, unable to come around the curve of the tunnel.
        The guard looked at Ironsides. “Go! While you can!”
        Ironsides nodded and ran to the exit, making it out in the dark night. He stopped and turned to the guard, still laying down holding fire. “Come on! I’m clear, you can move!”
        The Tsugu guard kept firing off more shots.
        “What are you waiting for? Move! Or they’ll find you!”
        The guard turned to look at Ironsides. “I know.”
        Ironsides stared at the guard for a second. Then he turned and ran out into the night, for the maintenance tunnel. He afforded himself a glance up at the moon, shining faintly, reflecting the red light of the tau’Tsugu sun. He turned around, looking around him. The alleyway was clear enough for him to transport back to his runabout.
        He tapped his combadge three times, initiating a specialized broad transporter beam, which was weaker than a standard transporter signature. This allowed him, and other agents, to transport without appearing on Starfleet’s or others’ sensors. The modified runabout’s transporter platform completed the site to site transport, and Ironsides materialized into the dark crawlspace that he had begun his mission from.
        “Welcome back, Major.”
        Ironsides snapped his head around to see Garak smiling at him.

        Favor looked at Captain Johnson, his mouth open in the classic expression of amazement. “You’re shitting me,” the ambassador said.
        Johnson shook his head, frowning. “Sure looked like the discharge from a compression phaser rifle to me,” he said. He stood up and turned to look at Lieutenant Hatari, the Barzan night shift Tactical officer. “I want an analysis now.”
        Hatari bent down his head, his long frizzy hair waving slightly as he worked the tactical console. “We don’t have any active scans of the time of discharge. I’m pulling up the standard passive scans.”
        “Just tell me if it was Starfleet or not.”
        Hatari looked up. “Inconclusive. The energy corresponds with Starfleet phaser signatures, but so do a half dozen other races we know of. It could be a Tsugu weapon.”
        “Hell of a coincidence,” Johnson said. “Scan for weapons.”
        “I’m detecting weapons fire from three, no five weapons. Tsugu weapons. Similar but not exactly the same to the shot in question,” Hatari said. “No Starfleet weapons signatures or power signatures.”
        “Scan for non-Tsugu lifesigns in buu’Uto.”
        “That’s quite a large haystack to find a needle in,” Hatari said. “We have over thirty-five species on our crew.”
        “Don’t tell me that,” Johnson growled. “Find the needle.” He turned to see Favor watching the viewscreen feed. The ambassador still was standing in front of the turbolift. Johnson turned to look at the viewscreen again. The view had changed to the interior of a news broadcast facility. A Tsugu was speaking, recapping the events for new viewers. The captain turned to look at Hatari. “Well?”
        “I thought I found something but I can’t get a fix on it,” the tactical officer said. “It’s gone. I’m sorry, sir.”
        “Transporter signatures?”
        “I already checked a minute ago. I’m still scanning for transporter signatures and non-Tsugu lifesigns.” Hatari frowned slightly. “Recommend we go to Yellow Alert.”
        “That’s a good idea,” Johnson said. “Yellow Alert, but hold off on the shields and targeting scans. We don’t want to look like we’re expecting a fight with the Tsugua.” Johnson sighed. “Be ready though.”
        “Aye, sir.”
        “Good,” said Johnson. “I want you to pull all available sensor records for the last five minutes and go over them with a fine tooth comb.”
        Favor walked down to the command seat area. “I can’t believe one of ours could do this. We don’t have any proof to indicate this either.”
        Johnson turned to face Favor. “I don’t want to believe it either, but a Starfleet rifle was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the shot. I’m just covering all the bases. After all, the Tsugua might turn to us for help.”
        “That’s smart thinking,” Favor said. “I’m just afraid of what will happen if they blame us.”
        “I’m more afraid of what will happen if it does turn out to be one of our own.”

        Ironsides snapped his phaser up, aiming at Garak.
        The Cardassian gripped the sides of the Jeffries access that he was standing in. He was already standing halfway down the ladder, but remained still in face of Ironsides’s weapon.
        “Easy now, Major Ironsides,” Garak said. “No need to make me more nervous than I already am. There’s nothing like having a Section 31 agent taking aim with a phaser at a claustrophobic Cardassian in such cozy surroundings.” Garak looked around the half-deck, smiling broadly.
        Ironsides only stared at Garak, and the phaser did not waver.
        Garak sighed and said, “I’m unarmed.”
        The phaser remained level, aimed at Garak.
        “Well, yes I am armed,” Garak tilted his head to the side, shrugging. His hands remained in the air. “But I don’t have a weapon in my hands. I’m getting tired of standing on this ladder. Mind if I come in?”
        Ironsides relaxed his arm slightly and pursed his lips.
        “Of course you mind, but I’m coming in anyway.” Garak climbed up the ladder and crawled onto the deck before sitting crosslegged, casually leaning his arms on his lap. “Do you know, you have been very elusive.”
        Finally, Ironsides spoke. “How did you find me?”
        “Oh, it wasn’t easy. You’re very tricky.” Garak waggled a grey finger at the major. “Very wicked.” Garak shifted position again, looking at his surroundings. “Your anti-surveillance measures were very effective. When your comm relay tap reconstitutes after transport, it presumably emits a jamming signal effectively disabling almost all sensors, shipboard or otherwise. Almost.
        “Quinton might be upset to learn this, but I didn’t quite trust the equipment Starfleet Intelligence gave me. I took it upon myself to avail myself with the finest that the Obsidian Order had to offer. Good thing, otherwise it’d have taken me longer to find you. Oh, believe me, I’d have found you sooner or later.
        “It was quite simple really. I linked the nanite surveillance devices Starfleet Intel gave me to my own nanospies. When the Starfleet nanospies were deactivated, mine were switched on. You put my first line of surveillance out of commission but missed the backups. It was easy to use the data I gathered to track down your identity and discover this charming locale.”
        Garak looked at Ironsides. “Doesn’t your arm get tired like that? Put the phaser down anytime you like.”
        “I will,” Ironsides said, still not moving his arm a centimeter. “You’ve been talking a lot. Why are you here?”
        “You mean, why am I on the Courageous? Or why am I above Deck 13?”
        “Here as in here.”
        “Ah,” Garak nodded. “When I heard the Tsugu leader had been assassinated, why- I immediately thought of you. Marine sharpshooter, veteran of innumerable black ops missions, and of course, our resident Section 31 agent. Of course, the ship’s computer told me you were in your quarters. In bed, to be exact. You and I, however, know there are ways around that. I thought I’d meet you upon your return.”
        “What do you want?”
        “Oh, nothing too terribly complex. Just plain and simple. Uh!”
        Ironsides blinked and hissed sharply as he saw Garak jerk, sitting up rigidly. The Cardassian reached around his back and brought his hand around to his front. Dark blood smeared across his fingers.
        “Of course. There would be more than just one agent planted aboard a ship of this size. Looks like that’ll be the last mistake I make,” Garak smiled. “Oh, that’s very good. I can’t feel my legs. Very good placement.”
        Garak jerked his body around, trying to look behind him, but since his legs were deadweight, the Cardassian couldn’t twist all the way around. He winced with pain, turning around to look at Ironsides.
        Ironsides could see the other person. He held his hand up, shaking his head at the other agent. “Go down to the deck. Make sure Garak didn’t bring any security officers with him. Go!” The agent nodded and climbed down the Jeffries ladder silently.
        Garak reached around and felt his wound again. “Definitely cut a major artery. I don’t have much time.” His breathing became ragged. “Major... come closer. There’s something you need to know.” He slumped against the nearby wall.
        Ironsides crawled over to Garak, bending down to hear Garak’s voice, which had lowered to a whisper. Blood started to pool around Garak’s legs. “What?” Ironsides asked.
        Garak chuckled weakly. “What I wanted... was to help you.”
        Ironsides looked down at Garak, staring for a moment, taking in the Cardassian’s words. Suddenly, Garak’s hand clamped around Ironsides’s throat, the grey fingers digging into his skin. Garak’s face was twisted in a rictus of fury. “And... this... is how you... repay me!” Garak grunted, squeezing at Ironsides.
        Ironsides gasped and clawed at Garak’s hand. The Cardassian brought a small tan phaser up, but Ironsides swung hard with his hand, knocking the phaser down.
        Garak released Ironsides’s throat and wheezed, panting for air. Ironsides gasped for breath, rubbing the marks left on his throat.
        “I apologize. Just acting on instinct,” Garak said. “You’re just doing your job.” Garak sighed and looked up at Ironsides. “Here’s something else you should know,” he whispered.
        “Hmm?”
        A faint of Garak’s familiar enigmatic smile played over his mouth. “Julian always said I was a sore loser.” Garak tapped his combadge and shouted, “Bridge! Code 4-35! Major Ironsides! Guh!”
        Garak’s last noise was due to the other agent slitting Garak’s throat. Ironsides stared into Garak’s lifeless eyes.
        “Why did you attack him?” Ironsides asked the agent across from him. “He was planning on switching sides!”
        “We’d have to be out of our minds if we trusted him. He had to go anyway.”
        “And now we’ve got a dead body and he’s all but blown my cover all to hell! If I can get back to my quarters in time, I might be able to...”
        “Go then! I’ll clean up and move the body. There are no personnel on the deck. You’re clear for now. Go!”

        Johnson sat in his command seat. The viewscreen showed tau’Tsugu and its moon. The news feed had ceased.
        “Bridge! Code 4-35! Major Ironsides!”
        Johnson sat up straight, startled at the sudden comm transmission.
        “Wasn’t that Garak’s voice?” Favor asked.
        Johnson nodded. He looked back up over the railing to look at Hatari. “Scramble some security teams to Ironsides’s quarters. And track down source of that comm.”
        “I’m sorry, but what’s a code 4-35?” Favor asked.
        “High Crimes Alert... treason, espionage and-”
        “Assassination,” Favor concluded. “You don’t think-?”
        “I don’t know anything right now, and I don’t like being out of the loop.” Johnson thumbed his armrest. “Bridge to Major Ironsides.”

        Ironsides crawled over Garak’s body, feeling the blood soak into his knees. He realized he was still in his black covert ops jumpsuit. He sat next to the Jeffries tube access and pulled his suit off, tossing it onto Garak’s body. The blood hadn’t soaked through so Ironsides’s uniform underneath was still clean. He slid his small phaser into a pocket. He looked at the wall console, noticing the ship was on Yellow Alert. “Beaming out’s definitely out of the question,” he said to the agent. “I’ll have to make a run for it.” Ironsides jumped into the Jeffries tube. He slid down the ladder, thudding onto the deck. He pushed open the access panel and slid out of the Jeffries tube.
        He closed the access panel quickly and looked around for personnel going to their duty stations. A quick glance around showed nothing. Ironsides took off at a quick clip down the corridor, rounded a corner jumped back as he saw an ensign walking down the corridor. The major flattened himself against the wall. Suddenly his combadge chimed, “Bridge to Major Ironsides.”
        Ironsides swore silently to himself and tapped the combadge, stopping the hail. It was too late. He could hear the footsteps of the ensign nearing the corner. Ironsides decided to take the initiative and leapt out, grabbing the ensign by the head. His hand clamped down on the young man’s mouth while his other hand whipped out his phaser.
        He looked at the setting, ensuring it was set on stun only. Hopefully, the stun could be chalked up to someone else. The ensign started struggling and Ironsides fired the phaser. The tip of his phaser hit the man on his temple as he flailed his head around. As soon as Ironsides fired, the ensign went limp. He gently let the young man down. A dark blotch was on his temple, a contact burn from the stun.
        Uneasily, Ironsides checked the man’s pulse. He couldn’t find one. “Shit! Oh fucking hell. I’m sorry.” Ironsides looked down the corridor. Apparently nobody heard the stun blast. Ironsides closed the ensign’s eyes, then ran to the Jeffries tube, heading for his quarters.
        Upon reaching Deck 8, he panted heavily. He had just made his fastest time. He paused for a moment to catch his breath. At least the sweating would correspond with his faked illness, he thought to himself. He slid out of the Jeffries tube, and peered around the corner. His jaw clamped shut when he saw a security team walk out of his quarters.
        The comm system blared. “Major Ironsides, please report to the Bridge. All hands, Major Ironsides’s whereabouts are unknown. Report in if you locate him.”
        Ironsides closed his eyes and clenched his hands into fists. At least they weren’t treating him as a suspect. Yet. Still, he had very few options. He tapped his combadge to activate a transport. His combadge bleeped softly, indicating a negative. He tried again and got a negative bleep in return. Ironsides jumped back into the Jeffries tube and started making his way up to the main shuttlebay.

Chapter Eight

        “Security reporting Ironsides not in his quarters, sir,” Hatari said.
        “What?” Johnson blurted out.
        “They found his combadge in his bed, but no sign of him.”
        “Scan the ship for his biosigns,” ordered Johnson.
        “Scanning... can’t find him.” the lieutenant said.
        Johnson frowned. “Major Ironsides, please report to the Bridge. All hands, Major Ironsides’s whereabouts are unknown. Report in if you locate him.”
        “Wait, I’ve got something,” Hatari said. “Anomalous signature, can’t quite get a fix on it, sir.”
        “Where is it?”
        “If the scanners are right, it’s in a Jeffries tube on Deck 8.”
        “Either Ironsides is dead or he’s the anomaly. Full security lock down, now! I want all shuttlebays and transporters secured! No way in hell this intruder is getting off my ship! Red Alert.”
        “Security forcefields in place, sir,” Hatari reported.

        Ironsides ran into a forcefield, bumping his forehead. It blocked his path between decks. Intruder security measures were in effect, the major realized. Ironsides looked for a nearby control panel which would control the forcefield emitters. The control panel was flashing a Red Alert indicator. He dialed in his failsafe code, and the force field dissolved, letting him through.
        He considered asking the agent to clear his way so he could transport out, but thought better of it. His cover was all but blown. He had to maintain the other agent’s cover. He’d just have to manually deactivate any forcefields he came across. Better to stick to the contingency plan. He crawled faster to the next inter-deck ladder. He climbed up to the next deck, testing the space ahead of him with his hand, hoping to avoid concussions.

        “Sir,” Hatari called out. “The intruder is deactivating forcefields in the Jeffries tube. He’s using a code I don’t recognize.”
        “Is he hacking into the computer somehow?” asked Johnson.
        “No, the computer’s accepting the code as legitimate. It’s just not a code on the recognized list.”
        “Starting to sound more and more like an inside job,” Favor remarked.
        “Report coming in from deck 13,” Hatari added. “Ensign Wint Ietto was found dead from a phaser wound.”
        “Any news on Garak?” Johnson asked.
        “Negative.”
        “Keep looking. I want Ironsides found, and I want Garak found!” Johnson shouted. “Try to lock the intruder out!”

        Ironsides’s heart tried to burst through his chest. He hadn’t attempted a mad dash through a ship’s Jeffries system in years. His age was starting to catch up with him. Still, he had conditioned his body so that if the time ever came, he would be physically fit to do this. And the time had come. He would have reached Deck 4 sooner if it hadn’t been for the stop and start of deactivating forcefields.
        He poked his head out of the access hatch and saw a number of security guards. He hissed when he saw several Marines in the patrol as well. It wasn’t going to be easy for him to infiltrate Shuttlebay One. If nothing else, he’d accomplish one of his mission parameters: not being taken alive. He checked the charge on his phaser.
        It wouldn’t hold up in a prolonged firefight but it’d do for his purposes at the moment. He drew in a deep breath to steady himself. He pushed the access door open and rolled across the deck. He fired on the nearest guard, stunning him. He was already firing on his next target before the first guard hit the floor.
        Ironsides managed to put four guards out of commission before he lost the element of surprise. The other guards, Marines included, took cover and began firing at him. The major was already on his way through the personnel entrance to the shuttlebay flight deck.
        He ran into the shuttlebay and saw a squad of security officers. With a start, he saw his second-in-command, Lieutenant Dawson. All of the officers had their weapons drawn.
        Dawson stared at him. “Stand down! Stand down!”
        Ironsides kept his weapon trained on them.
        “Major, put your weapon down!” Dawson yelled. “Stand down!”
        Ironsides stared at them. He quickly tapped his combadge. “Emergency launch!”
        A runabout flared up to life. Its warp nacelles lit up, and the RCS thrusters fired loudly. The port hatchway swung open. The spectacle distracted the guards enough for Ironsides to make a run for it. He fired, stunning another guard, but missed on his second shot because the guards were already scrambling for cover.
        He heard Dawson yelling over the din from the runabout. “Don’t use stun! He may be using a flak vest! Use setting 4 but shoot to disable only!”
        The next shot that hit near him gouged out a mark in the hard deck plating. The major started weaving, running for the open hatch on the runabout. He was only several meters away when he felt a mild burning sensation on his back. Two seconds later, an intense pain spread from his back. He’d been shot. Ironsides didn’t waste his time checking his wound. He kept running, although he was starting to have trouble moving his legs. His uniform smelled of burnt flesh. He made one last desperate leap into the runabout. He made it.
        He crawled up to the cockpit and managed to sit in one of the seats at the helm. He tapped a console and the hatch closed. “A flak vest... should’ve kept the suit on,” he muttered to himself. He looked down and saw a massive burn wound. His uniform was melted onto his skin. The wound was weeping blood and other bodily fluids.
        He couldn’t think about it. He had to keep going. Through the cockpit windows, he saw a number of sirens going off. He had to get off the ship before someone got their act together and tried to tractor him. Ironsides looked at the massive shuttlebay door which was closed. Even though he couldn’t see it, a forcefield lined the door.
        “No problem,” Ironsides said. He tapped in a series of commands, and the shuttlebay door began opening. Air started rushing out as the shuttlebay pressure was breached. He hoped the security detail was far enough back in the shuttlebay to avoid being sucked out. Maybe not the one that shot him, he thought angrily to himself.
        He fired the thrusters, launching the runabout forward, out of the bay. He scraped the side against another runabout parked in the bay, but made it out of the shuttlebay. Now the really tough part came up.
        Ironsides tried to estimate how long it had been since he started using the embedded failsafe codes to make his way through the Courageous. He was sure the captain had the computer techs scrambling to stop him from using the codes. By now, they probably shut down several of the codes Section 31 had programmed into the computer core. He only needed one more code to work. Just one more. He regretted using up this code, but he had to, otherwise he’d probably blow up his runabout and cause serious damage to the Courageous.
        He set the runabout at full impulse away from the Courageous. Warning alarms in the cockpit were telling him that he was headed right into the shields around the Courageous. Ironsides started tapping out one final code with bloody fingers on the helm station.

        “Our shields are down!” Hatari shouted.
        Johnson gripped his armrests. “Get them up! Get a tractor lock on that runabout!”
        “Too late.”
        The runabout jumped to warp on the viewscreen. Johnson stood up. “Track him! Give pursuit!” He turned his head to the side to ask, “Are our shields back up now?”
        “Yes, sir,” Hatari said. “They came back up on their own. I guess the code was designed to work only for a moment.”
        “I don’t want that code available for use again, ever. I want that code yanked out with any others the computer core crew can find.”
        “Found him,” the Onvebian chittered. “Heading 056, mark 14 at Warp Five.”
        “Pursue. Warp Seven.”
        “Belay that!” Hatari called out.
        Johnson spun around, staring at the tactical officer. “Sorry,” Hatari added. “Found something. Organic material near the shuttlebay.”
        “One of our own?”
        Hatari nodded. “Cardassian. I’ve just had it beamed aboard.”
        “Engage!” Johnson ordered the helm officer.
        The stars elongated in stripes on the viewscreen as the starship entered warp. “Coming up on him,” Élo said, adjusting the ship’s course. “Wait, he’s just left warp!”
        “Reverse course, drop to full impulse!”
        The stars swirled as the ship changed headings then dropped out of warp. The runabout hung in space, seemingly tiny in the distance.
        Johnson started giving more orders. “Hail-”
        A ball of iridescent blue light appeared in front of the runabout. The small craft stretched into the conglomeration of light and disappeared, leaving behind empty space.
        “Don’t tell me that was a slipstream tunnel,” Johnson said.
        “I’m afraid it was,” Élo said. The ensign looked at his jagged controls. “I am trying to track him. Best I can tell you is that he is headed in the vicinity of the Alpha or Beta Quadrant.”
        “Start computing a slipstream trajectory to pursue.”
        The ensign looked back at the captain. “But that would take hours- days even...”
        “I know!” Johnson expelled a short burst of air. “I know,” he said again, more calmly. “Do it anyway.”
        “If it’s any consolation,” Hatari said, “I managed to scan the runabout before it entered slipstream. The major’s lifesigns are close to nil. It corroborates security’s report that he was tagged in the escape.”
        Johnson ground his teeth. “Why should I be consoled with the fact that he’s about to die? It only means he got off easy.”
        “I’m sorry, sir. I only thought-”
        “Never mind,” Johnson waved him off. He stared at the viewscreen, pursing his lips in thought. “Hatari, which runabout did Ironsides take?”
        The lieutenant replied, “the Rubicon, sir.”
        Johnson stood in the center of the bridge, staring at the viewscreen. After a brief silence, he said, “Fucking iacta alea est.”
        Favor smirked. “Good to know you can find a little humor in the situation.”
        Johnson turned and walked back to the command seat. “Nathan... do I look like I’m laughing?”
        Favor closed his mouth and the smirk faded away.
        “Sir, I’ve been keeping an eye on tau’Tsugu. There seems to be another news broadcast.”
        “Put it onscreen for the ambassador,” Johnson waved his hand. “Was it Garak?”
        “Excuse me, sir?” Hatari asked.
        “You beamed in something before we left. Was it Garak?”
        Hatari looked at his console. “Yes, sir. It was Garak’s body.”
        “Dead?”
        “That’s correct, sir. Doctor Hartman is examining the body now.”
        The viewscreen now showed the Parlia auditorium again. The chaos that filled the screen after the Ernor’s assassination was gone. Iroshu was standing at the podium now, where the Ernor had been some fifteen minutes ago.
        “As your new Ernor, I have a duty to carry on the lamented Graushi’s agenda,” Iroshu was saying. “To me falls the responsibility of guiding our world and colonies to happy and prosperous ends. It is clear with tonight’s tragedy that nothing good can be accomplished with the state of government now. We need a sure and firm hand to guide our people through the current troubles, not a divided Parlia and community. With the support of the majority of the Parlia, I am now invoking the Emergency Powers clause.
        “With my new powers, I am now granting amnesty to all members of the Colonial Worker’s Coalition. With the exception of one misguided security guard, which the Coalition has decried, the Coalition has proven that violence is not their weapon of choice. I am accepting Weiquo’s offer to resume production and begin negotiations which can only benefit every one. I fully intend to enact emergency legislation which will equalize the colonials with the people at home. This in fact, was what the late Ernor intended to announce. I can think of no better way to honor his legacy by ensuring peace for every citizen on tau’Tsugu and offworld.”
        Iroshu looked at the members of Parlia. “I have many nights ahead of me, so I must take my leave of you.”
        Stomping echoed throughout the chambers as most of the Tsugua applauded Ernor Iroshu’s brief speech. Iroshu stepped away from the podium and gripped Shikwo’s hand, the leader of the Parlia.
        Hatari looked at his console. “The military build-up we were tracking isn’t there anymore. The transports seem to have scattered.”
        “Establish a Midas uplink,” Johnson said. “I need to speak to HQ. Ensign Élo, lay in a course to tau’Tsugu, Warp Five.”
        “Laid in, sir.”
        “Engage.” Johnson got up and walked to his ready room.
        “I’ll see if I can contact Kojsha,” Favor said, walking to the turbolift.
        “You do that,” Johnson said, wearily.
        “Sir, we’re being hailed by buu’Uto. It’s Iroshu’s people,” Hatari said.
        Johnson paused in front of his ready room door. Favor stepped back out of the turbolift, waiting.
        “On screen,” Johnson said, walking back to the center of the Bridge.
        The viewscreen changed to a darkened office. The screen brightened to compensate for the standard Tsugu light levels. A Tsugu Johnson didn’t recognize was in the picture. “Greetings, Fedfleet Captain Johnson. Pardons, but Iroshu is on her way. She greatly wishes to speak with you.”
        “Allright...”
        “The Yiser, ah, Ernor is here now,” the aide said. The Tsugu walked off to the side, and Iroshu stepped into view.
        “Captain Johnson.”
        “Ernor Iroshu,” Johnson returned the greeting.
        “I must get accustomed to that title,” Iroshu said. “I take it you have been monitoring the situation on my world.”
        “Somewhat,” Johnson nodded.
        “I am afraid we will need to delay our negotiations for one night, at the very most. After I speak with you, I will be going to tau’Targu to speak with Weiquo, the Coalition leader. Once we normalize our relations, I am eager to complete negotiations with the Fedfleet. Of course, for all your patience, and all your help, the terms will be significantly more favorable than Ernor Graushi had offered you. Both Weiquo and I look forward to having you as the beneficiary of our new labor relationship.”
        Johnson put a smile on his face. “We appreciate that. Naturally, I must speak to my superiors first, since the situation has considerably changed since the last time I reported to them.”
        “Of course, Captain. Please do not hesitate to contact me at any time. I look forward to speaking to you again.” Iroshu looked away from Johnson. “Where is your Major Ironsides?”
        “Ah,” Johnson sighed, “He’s unavailable at the moment.”
        “I hope he is well. I had wished he would be present to hear how grateful I am to him for all the help he has given us. And you, Captain, deserve a large share of our gratitude.”
        Johnson nodded slowly. “I... see.”
        “I know I probably shouldn’t dwell on it, but if it hadn’t been for your timely arrival,” Iroshu said, “things might have turned out considerably different, for the worse. I cannot express the debt we owe you.”
        Johnson stared at the new Ernor. “It’s... allright. Everything is fine now.” He spoke slowly and deliberately. “You are the Ernor now. You can accomplish what needs to be done now.”
        “Exactly, Captain.” Iroshu said. “For that, I and my people thank you and your crew.”
        “I understand,” Johnson nodded slowly.
        “Pardons, but I must go,” Iroshu said. “Until the next time.” She closed the connection.
        Johnson turned around to walk back to his ready room. Favor walked up to him. “That didn’t mean-”
        “Oh please!” Johnson hissed. “You and I know what that meant!” He looked at Hatari. “Do we have an uplink?”
        “Yes, sir.”
        “I’ll be in my ready room.”

        Johnson stared at his monitor, at Nechayev’s face. “Excuse me? Could you repeat that, please.”
        Nechayev sighed and said, “Proceed with trade negotiations with the Tsugua.”
        “Haven’t you been listening to anything I’ve been saying? Garak’s frozen solid in Sickbay with two knife wounds, a ensign is dead, a number of security officers are injured, a runabout which was equipped with a quantum slipstream drive that’s not even supposed to exist is gone now, and a new Ernor is in the gra’Uto, and we put her there!”
        “We haven’t examined all of the evidence yet,” Nechayev said. “The Ernor’s assassination is regrettable, but that should not detract us from our goals. We need the dilithium. We shouldn’t overlook this opportunity with Ernor Iroshu.”
        “But Iroshu all but thanked us for killing Graushi! We can’t benefit off the murder of one man! You can’t-”
        Nechayev’s face pinched in a flash of anger “Thomas!”
        Johnson went silent.
        “Thomas... Your father was fond of old expressions. I’m sure you know this particular one. Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. Is that understood?”
        “Loud and clear,” Johnson said. “What about Ironsides?”
        “We have an alert out for the Rubicon. If your preliminary data is correct, it should be in Federation space in a few months. We’ll find him or his body as the case may be. Leave him to us. You have your orders. Nechayev out.”
        “Aye, sir,” he said to the Starfleet logo on the monitor. He got up and walked over to his workbench at the end of the ready room. He looked at the starship model, lying half completed on the top of the workbench. He picked it up, looking at the curves of the ship.
        With an angry grunt, he threw the model across the room. It smashed against the wall on the far end. Pieces flew apart as the glue broke under the strain. Johnson kicked violently at the stool. It tumbled end over end, clattering against the wall.
        Johnson blew out a puff of air, then tapped his combadge. “Johnson to Favor.”
        “Yes, sir?”
        “Nathan, contact Kojsha.”
        “For what purpose, sir?”
        “Resume your negotiations with the Tsugua.”
        “What about Major Ironsides?” Favor asked.
        “Just get on the horn with Kojsha. Ironsides is not our problem anymore.”

        Ironsides hit engage, and the runabout jumped to warp, free and clear of the Courageous. He slumped forward onto the helm station, wondering where all the oxygen went in the cockpit. He thought he heard somebody talking to him. It took him a few seconds to realize it was the runabout’s computer.
        “Pilot’s lifesigns dropping rapidly. Recommend emergency medical transport.”
        Ironsides looked at his wound. Nothing he couldn’t patch up in a fully stocked infirmary... as long as he stayed awake. “Really should have kept the suit on.” First things first, he told himself. “Computer, record message. Ironsides, Max. Major. Cover blown. Exfiltrating from Courageous. Enroute to Beta Quadrant, to rendezvous site 2.”
        He ran his fingers over the helm, leaving bloody smears all over the controls. The warp streaked stars coalesced into pinpoints of light as the runabout fell out of warp. Ironsides hit another button. Bright lights flashed before his eyes. He wasn’t sure if it was just his vision or the quantum slipstream tunnel. He turned and fell out of the seat. He crawled towards the aft compartment, to the medical booth. The computer kept reminding him that he was dying.
        It took him a moment to remember he was still recording a message. He coughed, and resumed his message.
        “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to kill the ensign. It was an accident. I’m sorry.” A spasm of pain ran throughout his gut. “Sustained critical injuries during exfiltration. Might be my final status report. Ironsides out.”
        It kept getting more painful to speak. He looked at the bloody trail he left on the deck. “Computer, encrypt message. Standard S31 encryption. Transmit to Hammurabi.”
        Ironsides realized he had stopped crawling. The specialized combadge Section 31 gave him was digging into his chest as he laid face down on the cold deck. He started crawling again. Black spots flew across his eyes. A warning klaxon rang faintly in the distance.
        “Warning, heartrate dangerously low. Lifesigns approaching flatline.”
        Ironsides laid his head down again, blinking his eyes drowsily. What was it all for? he wondered. Ironsides knew what his answer was. For some reason, he felt the need to tell the universe, to justify himself somehow. He tried to speak the words aloud but he only managed to get one word out. It was enough for an answer.
        “...Federation.”
        His eyes fluttered shut and his body stopped moving.

SECTION ONE | SECTION TWO | SECTION THREE | SECTION FOUR

 MISSIONS | PERSONNEL | SHIP SPECS | COMMENTS | CREDITS | MAIN