Episode 2: The Last Place You Look, Part III

Kelly Jul 22 2003, 03:16 AM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ U.S.S. Gambit Halliwell looked round at the cake and dinner, before turning back to Hardgrove. "You didn't have to go to all this trouble," were the first words that came out of her mouth. He shook his head escorting her over to the table. "It was no trouble at all," he replied. She sat down and looked very bewildered. "Well, thank you, I guess." She didn't feel very comfortable with this, when she was supposed to be working. He saw the look on her face. "You're off-duty for the moment, relax." She sat back and nodded. "I didn't expect anything like this," she finally said. "I talked to my dad back at the base and Stephen sent a pre-recorded birthday message from the Argus." She paused a moment. "This is too much, sir." "You're my friend Sam. You deserve to celebrate your birthday." Halliwell picked up a fork and looked at the spaghetti and smiled back to him.
markspot Jul 22 2003, 02:22 PM	Lieutenant Commander K'rak - Security office When the alarm went off, K'Rak jumped out of his chair, and ran to the control panel. The break in had occurred in Science Lab 3. K'rak touched his communicator. "K'Rak to Lt. Sith." "Sith here." "There has been another break in. Meet me in Science Lab 3, immediately, with a security team." "I'll be there right away, sir." K'Rak rushed to the turbolift and waited impatiently for it to open in front of the science labs. When the door opened, he saw Sith and the security team rushing down the corridor. Phasers drawn, Sith and K'Rak entered the science lab, only to find it empty.  All of the computer terminals were offline except for one. A notice was the only thing on the screen: Message sent and received. K'rak turned to Sith. "Find out what the message was." He turned to the security team. "Search this room for clues. And make sure no one else comes in here." Sith turned to K'Rak. "Sir, there is no record of the message. Apparently, whoever sent the message completely hid their tracks. The only evidence is this notification, which they apparently forgot to delete. Also, the log shows that a message was sent to somewhere in Alliance space, approximately ten minutes ago." Sith and K'Rak were approached by a security officer. "Sirs, we scanned the panel for evidence. We found traces of Ferengi DNA on the panel. The level of DNA residue suggests that a Ferengi must have used this panel in the last hour." The pieces of the puzzle fell together in K'Rak's mind. There was only one Ferengi on the senior staff. "Well, Lieutenant Sith, I think it is time we payed Dr. Gent-al a little visit."
Joshua Jul 22 2003, 02:48 PM	Ensign Rasin - His Quarters While the security team was tracking down the Doctor, the Counselor was doing step aerobics. "Step up.... aaaand down.... up... down," he chanted as he hurled his arms up and down in sync with his legs. "Up..... down...."
Hawku Jul 22 2003, 05:21 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Deck 5 Sith and K'Rak hurried down a corridor with their team of security officers marching in tow. "Computer, locate Doctor Gao Gent-al." "Doctor Gao Gent-al is located in the Medical Bay," the computer replied. Medical Bay The doors swooshed open and security entered. The Doctor was working in his office when they approached. "Doctor, you are under arrest for the death of Ensign Cutler, breaking in to the main computer, and conspiring against the Federation," K'Rak announced. As two officer's approached him, the Doctor jumped out his chair in fear. His natural Ferengi nerves took him over. "Aahh!! Stay back—! Back!" He had pulled a Romulan disrupter out of his desk, and before he knew it, he was completely overwhelmed with confusion. He blasted his disrupter at one of the officers and missed, totally destroying the arm of a large bio array. The head of that large bio array then fell onto two other officers in the back. "Ugh!" "Grgh!" Gent-al made a run for it, pushing his rolling chair into the other officer nearest to him. He ran out of his office into the bay, dodging a phaser blast from K'Rak. "Aahh!" Without aiming, he blasted a disrupter pulse behind him and across the room into K'Rak's shoulder. K'Rak flew back with momentum onto the floor, hard, with a smoking hole in his body. "Argh!" he shouted in frustration, as Sith ran past the officer hit by the chair and out into the bay for Gent-al. He took aim, and fired his phaser across the medical bay at the Doctor, but the Doctor had clumsily tripped over a stack of tool cases and the shot instead destroyed a part of the back wall. "I'm sorry. I surrender! I surrender!" Gent-al called out from the floor finally coming to his senses. Sith approached, slowing and dropping his arm. "Doctor. You have been conspiring against the Federation. How could you do that?" Sith shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't have any tolerance against anyone involved with the Alliance." He then turned his head, eyeing Gent-al as if blaming him for all the pain that was caused in his past. Sith looked to the side, and then back at Gent-al. The Doctor had that Ferengi look of fear in his face. "You're one of them." Sith had made up his mind about the Doctor as his anger began to grow. "Aahh!" Gent-al screamed uncontrollably, having no idea where this man's anger was coming from. He kicked the cases at his feet out at Sith. One case hit Sith in the stomach and another one went for his head. Sith blocked his head, but was taken back by it and fell. Sith hit the floor as Gent-al got up and made another run for it, out of the Medical Bay. His natural urges were cycling, and his mind was processing his situation. He ran down the corridor having somehow, with the greatest luck, been able to take out the entire first security team.
RMrulz Jul 22 2003, 08:03 PM	Dr. Gao Gent-al - Corridor outside the Medical Bay Gao ran down the corridor, his mind a blur of confusion. How did they figure it out? I was so careful? What went wrong? What should I do? Where should I go? How can I even get off this station? Gao was so lost in his thoughts, he wasn't paying any attention to where he was going. Suddenly, he ran into a large object, and bounced backwards, landing on his back on the floor. He looked up, and saw a massive man standing over him. He couldn't see who it was, because there was a light shining into his eyes. The man took a step closer, and his head blocked the overhead light, allowing Gao to see that it was Commander K'rak, who was clutching his shoulder with his other arm. He smiled at Gao, and let out a very menacing growl. Gao felt himself shiver in fear.
Captain Archer Jul 25 2003, 10:37 AM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - U.S.S. Gambit, en route to Starbase 001 Michael stared at the ceiling as he attempted to drift off to sleep. Just as he closed his eyes, he heard an explosion out in the corridor. He jumped out of bed and opened the door to his cabin, looked out and saw a gaping hole in the wall. Two Breen soldiers walked out of the hole, and right behind them was Telle, he had a smile on his face as he reached for the a PADD in his belt. "Come with me, Michael. I have a few questions." Michael looked at him. "The implants have been removed, Telle." Telle smiled. "Are you sure?" Just then he tapped the control, and Michael felt a jolt of electricity move through his body. Michael jerked awake, covered in sweat. This was the third night in a row that he had a nightmare. He needed to talk to someone. He decided to make an appointment with the Counselor when he returned to the starbase. "Hardgrove to Larkin." "Yes, Captain?" "We've just entered Sector 001." "Acknowledged." Michael decided to get dressed and get a drink in the Mess Hall.
tucker Jul 28 2003, 02:55 PM	Captain David Major - Captain's Office David paced back an forth in front of his desk, trying to find the right words to say. "Computer, begin recording. Mr. and Mrs. Cutler, I regret to inform you that..." he paused in mid sentence. Too formal. "Computer, delete and begin recording." The computer chirped in response. "Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cutler, my name is David Major, Commanding officer of Starba..." He shook his head and threw himself down on the sofa. "Computer, stop recording. Delete all previous records." David massaged his temples. For the past 3 hours, he had been trying, to no avail, to find the right words to say to Ensign Cutler's parents. It was harder than he had first thought. Starfleet regulations required him to notify closest living relatives within 48 hours after a crew member's death, which left him with very little lee-way. Maybe some coffee would help him clear his head. Getting up, he made his way to the deck. Corridor David's commbadge suddenly chirped. "K'Rak to Major." "Major, here." "Sir, we've found the break-in culprit. We have him subdued in Corridor 3-Alpha." "On my way." David ran down the hall. Brig Upon entering, Major nodded to the security officer to leave. Stepping closer to the cell revealed the cringing Ferengi, now stripped of his Federation uniform, wearing only the standard grey prison jumpsuit. "I'm disappointed in you, Gao." No response. "I trusted you. Everyone trusted you. And then you had to go do something like this." "This is out of your league, Major," growled Gao. "I tend to disagree," Major contradicted, raising his voice. "For the past few months, you've been systematically breaking into the starbase computer, accessing classified files, deleting critical information, and covering your tracks with the skill of an expert. I have one crew member dead, two injured, and days of work to fix for what YOU SCREWED UP!" David caught himself yelling and took a second to calm down. "I'll give you one last chance, Doctor, that is, if you even are a doctor. Tell me why you did this, what possessed you to throw away your career, and I might be able to help you." The Ferengi looked David in the eye and was silent. "Very well, you've made your choice. But be warned, once you're off this station, the matter is out of my hands. Goodbye, Gao." The doors opened and shut with nothing more than a silent whir.
RMrulz Jul 29 2003, 02:50 AM	Dr. Gao Gent-al - Brig Gao sat on his bunk, staring at the wall in front of him. He had tried sleeping earlier, but sleep just had not come. Try as he might, he was not able to fall asleep. He looked around him. The lights were dimmer now, being the night shift. There were two security guards over in one corner, talking quietly among themselves. Unlike earlier, when it had been noisy, the other cells were quiet. He figured all of the other prisoners currently in the brig must have fallen asleep. The only sounds he heard at all, in fact, were the slight buzzing of the forcefield keeping him in the cell, and the hushed voices of the two security guards. He closed his eyes, enjoying the quiet. For the first time since he had been captured, he began to seriously analyze his situation. He still didn't understand how he had been caught. He had been so careful. But there was no use dwelling on that. He was caught, and that was that. And there was no hope of the Alliance helping him. Of course, the official policy was that if you got caught, you were on your own, and the Alliance would never admit to anything. That was standard procedure as far as spies went. But it went beyond that in this case... He had transmitted a message, and he was almost positive it had been received. He told them he was done working for them. Now there would be no chance of them ever helping him. He was on his own. Commander K'rak walked in and the two guards immediately snapped to attention. Gao watched as he spoke with them for a moment and then became a bit nervous when he saw K'rak walk his way. He stopped in front of the cell and stared at Gao for several minutes, not saying a word. Finally, he spoke. "Before I say anything else, I am obligated to inform you that you don't have to respond to anything I say to you, or ask you. Do you understand?" Gao nodded. "Good." He turned away for a minute, and when he turned back there was a scowl on his face that made the blood drain from Gao's face. "Be thankful this is a Federation installation, maggot scum! If this were anywhere else, I would reach in there, grab you by the neck, and squeeze until your eyeballs pop out of those oversized Ferengi ears." Gao said nothing. "What right do you think you have to betray your friends? I would rather have a pet tribble than ever admit I called you a friend. You have NO honor and as far as I am concerned, no right to breathe the same air as me." His words were coming faster, and his voice was rising with each word. He took a deep breath to calm himself. When he spoke again, it was in a low growl. "You should be killed where you stand. Unfortunately, I cannot do that. Instead, I am here to inform you that you will be transferred off the station at 0800 tomorrow morning. Starfleet Security will pick you up and bring you to their penal colony on Pluto. Understood?" Gao nodded again. "Good." He turned and walked toward the door. Halfway there, he turned back around. He looked like he wanted to say something else, but instead he just growled at Gao, then turned and left. Gao tried to swallow, but his throat was dry. He just doesn't understand... I thought what I was doing was right. I tried to stop, but it was too late!
markspot Jul 29 2003, 11:11 AM	Lieutenant Commander K'Rak - The Brig K'Rak returned to Gent-al's cell, glaring at the prisoner. Sith approached him. "Sir, he still hasn't said a word. We've tried everything, but he won't give in." "Understood." He turned to the guard. "Unlock the cell, please." The forcefield over the cell dropped and K'Rak approached Gent-al again. "So, Mr. Gent-al. I understand you are still being uncooperative." Gent-al stared up at him, silent as ever. "Well, permit me to explain how this is going to work. We are going to get some answers from you. Now, there are two ways we can get these answers. The easy way... or my way. And believe me, you don't want to do it my way." Gent-al did not speak, but appeared visibly shaken. K'Rak lifted Gent-al by the collar of his shirt. "For what purpose did you access classified information?" "I'll never tell you anything, you Klingon bastard!" shouted Gent-al, and spit in K'Rak's face. Enraged, K'Rak backhanded Gent-al across the face, and dropped him back onto the bench. "Do not give Mr. Gent-al any food or water until he provides you with information." Sith looked concerned. "Sir, are you sure that's legal?" K'Rak turned slowly to Sith. "Are you questioning my authority, Mr. Sith?" Sith stepped back. "N-No, sir." "Good." K'Rak turned away and walked to the turbolift. In his mind, he turned over the possibilities. Why was Gent-al so firm in refusing to tell anything? K'Rak doubted that it had anything to do with loyalty to however he was working for. Gent-al clearly felt no sense of obligation to anyone. The only possible explanation was that he feared punishment from however he was working for. And the only people who had the power to reach someone imprisoned on a Starbase was... the Alliance. K'Rak felt certain that this was who Gent-Al was selling secrets to. A plan formulated in his head. He needed to see Captain Major immediately. Captain's Office Major's door buzzed. "Enter," he called. K'Rak entered the room. "K'Rak. Any luck getting what we need from our friend?" "Not yet, sir, but I have come up with a possible course of action. It seems that Mr. Gent-al is afraid to give us any information for fear that his employers, who I believe to be the Alliance, will take action against him. I believe that he would be willing to provide us all information about his mission, as well as other important information about the Alliance if..." K'Rak took a deep breath and continued, "If we offered him asylum in a secure location." Major appeared startled by the proposition. "Sir, before you respond, allow me to finish. I realize that the crimes he has committed are very serious, and protocol demands that we prosecute him, but the information that he holds is absolutely invaluable to the Federation, and if we prosecute him for these crimes, I can assure you that we will not learn anything from him. Surely the information that he holds is worth a violation of protocol. Major thought for a moment, then spoke. "That is an extremely unorthodox suggestion you've made. In order for us to offer him asylum, we would first have to remove his Federation citizenship, and then accept him as a defector from the Alliance. Now, you understand, this is out of my control and I do not have the ability to do all that. However, I am willing to discuss your idea with Admiral Garrison and see what he has to say about this. I agree that if he does indeed hold classified information about the Alliance, it is certainly worth not prosecuting him." "Thank you, sir. In the meantime, I will continue to attempt to extract information from the prisoner." "Very well. You're dismissed." K'Rak left and the door hissed closed behind him.
Captain Archer Jul 29 2003, 11:29 AM	Ambassador Michael Larkin - Admiral Garrison's Office Michael strode through the corridor to Garrison's door and pressed the chime. "Come." He walked in as Garrison stood and extended his arm, Michael reached out and shook his hand. "Good to have you back, Michael." "It's good to be back, sir. There were moments I thought I'd never see this place again." Michael took a seat. "So, did you learn anything substantial while you were incarcerated?" Michael thought a moment. "Well, I had found some interesting files on the ship I took when I escaped, but those are now in the hands of Starfleet Intelligence. I'm not sure if I should reveal the contents of those files or not." Larkin shifted in his seat as he talked, wondering if he should say anything about seeing the Captain of the Domtar or not. "Well, we should catch up. Dinner on The Deck this evening, Ambassador?" Michael stood up. "I'll be looking forward to it." He turned around walked out the door and proceeded down the hall to his own office.
Kelly Jul 29 2003, 01:35 PM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ U.S.S. Pollux Halliwell stepped out and looked to the Bridge crew and smiled slightly. "I'm going aboard the starbase now," she said to Reeman. "I'll have a word with Lieutenant Commander Tanik about the repair teams as soon as I've put this," she held up her bag, "in my quarters." He nodded to her as she stepped into the turbolift. Starbase 001 Halliwell looked round her quarters and smiled, it was good to be back onboard the starbase. She threw her bag on her bunk and turned back round to head down to Engineering. She paused and thought about seeing Major first, just to see how the investigation was going and to show her face. Captain's Office She paused, before tapping the button. "Come in." Halliwell stepped in and smiled to Major. "Captain." "Welcome back, Commander."
RMrulz Jul 29 2003, 03:11 PM	Gao Gent-al - Brig Gao sat on his bunk. He didn't know what the Federation had planned for him, but he was getting nervous. The transfer off the station had been canceled at the last minute, so there must've been something up. He just had no idea what. All I have to do is start talking, and they'll protect me...... NO! I can't do that! The Alliance will never rest until I am dead if I tell the Federation anything! Gao didn't know what to do, but he knew he had to get away. From the Alliance, and from the Federation. He had to get away.
	Admiral Tom Garrison - Office Tom sat at his desk, listening to Captain Major, who was sitting across from him. "... and so, Commander K'rak feels it would be in the best interest of the Federation for us to offer him asylum." Tom wasn't surprised to hear David say this. "Actually, I've already spoken to Command about this. It appears they have been watching this situation quite closely. I heard from Admiral Jenco this morning..." Tom's voice trailed off for a moment at the mention of that name. He was still overcome with bitterness every time he thought about what Jenco had done to him with the Utopia Planitia incident. "Anyways," he said, shaking himself out of his momentary lapse of concentration, "they've already come to the same conclusion. I've received orders to instruct you that Command will support you either way. They decided to give you the final decision on this one because you're the most senior officer who has been dealing with this situation on a daily basis. Just make your decision quickly, they are an impatient bunch of cranky old admirals down there." David smiled. "I understand." "Now, if there is nothing else, you'll have to excuse me. I'm meeting Ambassador Larkin down on the deck for dinner in about five minutes." David nodded, and both men stood up and left the office.
Kelly Jul 29 2003, 03:29 PM	Commander Samantha Halliwell ~ Engineering Halliwell entered engineering and looked round for Tanik, he walked up to her. "What can I do for you, Commander?" "Can you do me a favor?" He nodded to her as he wiped his hands on his uniform. "Sure." He waited for her to begin and she told him about the repairs that weren't carried out and how she would like them to be carried out in the next few days. "No problem," he answered. "I'll get a team on it." "Thank you," she replied and made her way out of engineering. Quarters She didn't care what time it was. She had everything she planned on getting sorted, sorted out. She quickly made her way to her quarters and moved the bag off her bed. Only one more plan, she thought, lying down on the bed, smiling and falling asleep.
Captain Archer Jul 29 2003, 06:13 PM	Ambassador Larkin - The Deck Michael let out a sigh and called the waiter over to their table. "I'll have a glass of Andorian Ale. Admiral, would you like something else?" Tom shook his head. "I'll have the same." Michael started to think about seeing the Domtar's captain again and decided he should say something. "Admiral, has anything come of the search for Captain Jenkins?" Garrison looked up at him. "Nothing so far. Why do you ask?" Michael hesitated a moment. "I believe I saw him while I was incarcerated on Cardassia Prime. I'll admit, I was under extreme pressure, but I'm almost certain of it." Garrison sat up a little straighter. "Why do I have the feeling you're not going to say he was your cellmate?" Michael shook his head. "He appeared to be up and around with his captors. I'm not sure if they were escorting him or if he was working with them. His clothing was on and didn't appear to be torn or dirty." Garrison got a hard look on his face. "Well then, we'll have to keep an eye out for him. If he is working with the Alliance, maybe we should track his movements, should he ever surface. Not capture him right away, but lead us to his contact in the Alliance." Michael held up a hand to stop him. "Admiral, we shouldn't jump to conclusions. I think caution is indicated but we shouldn't pre-judge him, if he ever comes back." "You're right, Michael. Well, let's talk about something on a brighter topic. You managed to open diplomatic relations with the Bajorans again. I'm impressed." Michael smiled. "Just doing my job, Admiral. I was just glad they were able to see that an alliance would be advantageous to both sides." You should be careful Michael, or I'll teach you a lesson once again. Michael swung around in his chair, but saw nothing. He turned back to the Admiral. "Michael, what's wrong?" The expression on Larkin's face was as if he had seen a ghost. "It's just bad memories, I guess. I've been having nightmares, and hearing things since I got away from the prison." "Maybe you should speak with Counselor Rasin." "That might not be a bad idea. Well, it's getting late. I think I'm going to turn in. See you in the morning, Admiral." Michael got up and walked out of the restaurant just as his drink arrived at the table.
Hawku Jul 29 2003, 08:22 PM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - Brig Sith and Gao just stared at each other with an electro-flowing forcefield between their spaces. The recurring tension was unbearable! Sith tossed his phaser to a security officer, handing over command, and left the Brig. Gym The gym was empty as Sith entered. He activated a holographic opponent, Talana, and took a deep breath. Talana took off her jacket and went over to a table to wrap bandages around her hands. Sith went over to a console and logged their time into the gym's computer system. They both met in the centre of the gym, ready to fight. Talana threw the first punch, knocking Sith's fist away. Sith jabbed close to Talana's chin but Talana then jumped back with her foot kicking into Sith's side. Sith moved forward and jabbed multiple times as Talana knocked each jab to the side. He could already see himself losing this fight. Sith spun one foot after the other, kicking at Talana, but Talana was able to bring up one knee after the other, blocking each hit. She then jumped-kicked right into Sith, with force, sending him down. Sith quickly flipped to his feet and met her on the other side. He then waited for her attack as she kicked her foot out, prompting him to grab it. They paused. "You're angry," she noticed. Talana was right. "You can tell?" Sith asked, admitting it. "A hologram sees all. Perhaps we should postpone this?" Sith smiled at the fact that she would do this for him. "An organic never gives up." Sith threw her leg to the side and spun himself. His back elbow came for her but she was also spinning towards him, with her thrown-foot coming around. Her foot arose and blocked his elbow. But Sith quickly turned and force palmed her open shoulder, sending her through the air and onto her back. Sith then realized the only way he was going to beat her is if he let no emotion confuse him. Talana leapt and ran towards him, flinging out fists, and Sith flipped back over a chair. They were fighting too close to the wall as Sith's back hit it. He grabbed a hanging pole and lifted himself up to block each fist with his feet. He hooked feet onto her shoulders and twisted her and himself around so that she'd fall to the side and he'd drop to floor. Talana rolled and got up to her knee and foot. Sith sat up from the floor. "Your head is now clear," Talana notified. They both got up. "Now let's really fight," Sith replied. They both got into the centre of the gym to start again, but the doors at the side opened and the Romulan female, Sabinus entered. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt." Sabinus turned to leave. "It's alright." Sith stopped her and went over to meet her. Talana went over to a console to turn herself off. "I'll just deactivate myself. One of the perks of jurisdiction over your consciousness." "Alright. See you later." He turned to deal with Sabinus.
Joshua Jul 29 2003, 11:35 PM	Ensign Rasin - Corridor As Ensign Rasin was walking down the corridor, he saw Ambassador Larkin. "Hey, Ambassador" "Hello, how are you Counselor?" "Fine. Just fine. I wanted to let you know that I think we should meet sometime this week. If you send me a quick message as soon as you get a chance we can set up a meeting," noted the Counselor. "Alright, sounds good." "Have a good night, Ambassador" "You too, Counselor" The Counselor walked away about to get ready to sleep.
Hawku Jul 31 2003, 12:29 AM	Lieutenant Rune Sith - The Deck "I spoke to Neilson for you." Sith and Sabinus took a seat at a table. "He said seeing a Romulan again might not be so good for the way things have been going lately." Sabinus sat back in surprise at this. "When we broke up, he said that may have played a small part. But that shouldn't matter." Sith stood up. "Agreed. We always believe we left that kind of thinking in our past, centuries ago, but somehow, its regressive, unhealthy mindset comes back every once in a while. It's like a sickness. Be strong and be better than him." He sighed. "Anyway, I should get back to duty." "Wait." She grabbed his arm. "Please. You're the only one I can talk to." "What about your uncle?" She looked to the side. "He's not really the kind a girl can open up to about these things. It's like he's on another level." Sith finally understood a part of Sabinus' life he could try to help. "Look. I've spoken to your uncle. He's really not a bad guy. I have to admit, when I first met him, he was assertive. But that's a good quality to have, especially in light of how hard it must've been for you guys." "I suppose so." "Compared to the Ferengi, I'd take your uncle any day." Sabinus nodded. "Maybe I will talk to him." Rune Sith then moved to leave her, but stopped for a second. "Also, don't get so hung up over other people. All you need is to trust and believe in yourself." "Thanks." Sith left and made his way back to the station's Brig.
RMrulz Aug 6 2003, 01:25 AM	Admiral Tom Garrison - Quarters Tom paced back and forth, trying to put everything that had happened, so far, into perspective. First, he took part in illegal activities in order to try to stop Utopia Planitia from closing down. Then, he discovered he had been used, a top Admiral in Starfleet had been counting on him to do this all along. Then there was the mess with Dr. Gao, and finally there was the news about Captain Jenkins of the Domtar. Not to mention the recent shift in the power alignment of the quadrant, with Bajor joining with the Federation. And then... there was this "something" that Larkin had been hesitant to discuss, whatever it might be, it clearly had him upset. I just don't know who's working for who anymore. He stopped pacing and walked to his desk. Pushing a few of the holo-buttons floating in the air in front of him, he composed a short message to Captain Drayson Hardgrove.   We need to speak, soon. If there was one person Tom could always count on to get answers, it was Hardgrove. Tom needed Drayson for his information and Drayson needed Tom for his official connections and power that he held over the fleet (since he was the fleet admiral). With a touch of one more button, the message was sent. "Computer, dim lights." He went over to his bed and laid down. Closing his eyes, he slowly let the concerns of the recent weeks melt away. All he could really do now was wait for Drayson to get in touch with him.
	Brig Several decks away, in another part of the station, sleep was not coming to another man. Gao lay awake, his mind made up. I'll accept the offer for asylum, and look for a chance to escape. Who knows when it will come, so I must be ready. But when it comes, I will escape, and get far away. Away from the Federation... away from the Alliance. Away.