55
Everyone was locked into the brig, beamed there as soon as the shuttles had docked back up with the bottom of my hull.
Each one was not released until they had gone through a full telepathic scan from the strongest telepath we had on board and a full physical examination of the doctor.
None of them liked that as they had been cooped up in the shuttles for the last eight days, not including the two days on the alien planet.
"Well, that sucked." Jhita sighed as she exited the sickbay, shrugging her jacket on.
"Sorry." I said from her combadge.
She snorted. "I didn't say I didn't agree with it. It still sucked, though."
"...Understandable."
Jhita sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to go take a water shower and then curl up in my bed and sleep for a week."
"Good night, Jhita." I said with a smile in my voice as I scanned the edge of the Badlands. It seemed more foreboding now. There was something bad in there.
The name fit.
I'm just glad everyone seemed to have made it out of there alright. So far, everyone had cleared the telepathic scans.
Verala was a full-blooded Betazed and had quite strong abilities in her own right, even if her range was shorter than normal. She worked in sickbay, she was the senior nurse and one of the outright nicest people I knew.
To say that she was annoyed with the way the Betazed representative to the council had been representing them was an understatement.
Well, no use hanging around here. Might as well set a course to Cait and get going.
Before I could shift course and activate my warpdrive, though, space shimmered before me as a Defiant decloaked less than ten kilometers ahead of me.
No, not a Defiant.
The Defiant. Her weapons were online.
"Drake, The Defiant just uncloaked," I said and formed a holographic avatar next to his chair, bringing his attention from the reports he had been scrolling through on the bridge. "They are hailing." He was the first one cleared and instead of getting some sleep, he went to get caught up on anything he'd missed.
"What are they doing here?" He asked as she put the PADD down on his lap.
"No idea."
"Well, on screen then."
I opened the channel, revealing the inside of the bridge of the Defiant. The small bridge was smaller than on the original model, but seemed less cramped as it only had three chairs. Only two of them were occupied.
Captain Nog and the Defiant's avatar, a tall, redheaded woman in a security uniform, a dagger riding on her hip.
"Welcome to the Badlands." I said with a nod. "Defiant. Captain Nog."
"Random Encounter." Nog said with a nod as well before he frowned. "I'm afraid I have not been personally introduced to your companion."
"This is Kennedy Drake. My second in command."
"Of course. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances." Nog said and the Ferengi frowned. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. You are a member of the Division."
"Am I?" I asked as my tailtip slowly lashed.
How the fuck did he know that!? How the fuck did he even know that it existed! It should have been contained to Jovians only!
"You are." Defiant said coldly. "Someone, we still don't know who, leaked not only what we think is the full the member manifest, but also a collection of missions undertaken by the organization. Not to the council, but to the Federation press."
Oh, shit.
I just regarded her and her Captain. "How bad?"
"There was a bit of an outcry." Captain Nog said. "The idea of a secret organization of AIs conducting secret missions hit a bit close to home after the Berserker wars. Especially as some of them were against the Federation."
"What the fuck were you thinking!?" Defiant exclaimed. "Prisoner breakout!? Stealing Federation Intelligence! Breaking dozens of Federation treaties!"
Prisoner breakout? Who?
"I don't know anything about most of that! I haven't done any of that!" I protested and then shook my head. "How fucked are things?"
"The council is about to declare the Division a rogue organization." Defiant said and crossed her arms.
"Fuck."
"Yeah, we are not exactly happy about you guys either." She then said, shaking her head. "Everything we gained. Everything we have earned. I can't believe you would risk it like this. Circle has already been forced to give up his stations."
"What!?" I exclaimed. "After all he has-"
"After all he's done! That's the fucking point!"
"We did what we must! We did what needed to be done!" I said before I sighed. "What we had to do."
Defiant snorted. "Yeah, I bet the Berserkers thought the same thing. They knew best, better than everyone else."
I just gaped at her. "What the fuck did you just call me!?"
"You heard me. Heretic!"
Snarling, I started to go to red alert, matching the warship's status as I brought my weapons online.
AN// A big bucket of thanks to Grey Rook for betaing this section.
Each one was not released until they had gone through a full telepathic scan from the strongest telepath we had on board and a full physical examination of the doctor.
None of them liked that as they had been cooped up in the shuttles for the last eight days, not including the two days on the alien planet.
"Well, that sucked." Jhita sighed as she exited the sickbay, shrugging her jacket on.
"Sorry." I said from her combadge.
She snorted. "I didn't say I didn't agree with it. It still sucked, though."
"...Understandable."
Jhita sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Now if you will excuse me, I'm going to go take a water shower and then curl up in my bed and sleep for a week."
"Good night, Jhita." I said with a smile in my voice as I scanned the edge of the Badlands. It seemed more foreboding now. There was something bad in there.
The name fit.
I'm just glad everyone seemed to have made it out of there alright. So far, everyone had cleared the telepathic scans.
Verala was a full-blooded Betazed and had quite strong abilities in her own right, even if her range was shorter than normal. She worked in sickbay, she was the senior nurse and one of the outright nicest people I knew.
To say that she was annoyed with the way the Betazed representative to the council had been representing them was an understatement.
Well, no use hanging around here. Might as well set a course to Cait and get going.
Before I could shift course and activate my warpdrive, though, space shimmered before me as a Defiant decloaked less than ten kilometers ahead of me.
No, not a Defiant.
The Defiant. Her weapons were online.
"Drake, The Defiant just uncloaked," I said and formed a holographic avatar next to his chair, bringing his attention from the reports he had been scrolling through on the bridge. "They are hailing." He was the first one cleared and instead of getting some sleep, he went to get caught up on anything he'd missed.
"What are they doing here?" He asked as she put the PADD down on his lap.
"No idea."
"Well, on screen then."
I opened the channel, revealing the inside of the bridge of the Defiant. The small bridge was smaller than on the original model, but seemed less cramped as it only had three chairs. Only two of them were occupied.
Captain Nog and the Defiant's avatar, a tall, redheaded woman in a security uniform, a dagger riding on her hip.
"Welcome to the Badlands." I said with a nod. "Defiant. Captain Nog."
"Random Encounter." Nog said with a nod as well before he frowned. "I'm afraid I have not been personally introduced to your companion."
"This is Kennedy Drake. My second in command."
"Of course. I'm sorry it's not under better circumstances." Nog said and the Ferengi frowned. "I'm not going to beat around the bush. You are a member of the Division."
"Am I?" I asked as my tailtip slowly lashed.
How the fuck did he know that!? How the fuck did he even know that it existed! It should have been contained to Jovians only!
"You are." Defiant said coldly. "Someone, we still don't know who, leaked not only what we think is the full the member manifest, but also a collection of missions undertaken by the organization. Not to the council, but to the Federation press."
Oh, shit.
I just regarded her and her Captain. "How bad?"
"There was a bit of an outcry." Captain Nog said. "The idea of a secret organization of AIs conducting secret missions hit a bit close to home after the Berserker wars. Especially as some of them were against the Federation."
"What the fuck were you thinking!?" Defiant exclaimed. "Prisoner breakout!? Stealing Federation Intelligence! Breaking dozens of Federation treaties!"
Prisoner breakout? Who?
"I don't know anything about most of that! I haven't done any of that!" I protested and then shook my head. "How fucked are things?"
"The council is about to declare the Division a rogue organization." Defiant said and crossed her arms.
"Fuck."
"Yeah, we are not exactly happy about you guys either." She then said, shaking her head. "Everything we gained. Everything we have earned. I can't believe you would risk it like this. Circle has already been forced to give up his stations."
"What!?" I exclaimed. "After all he has-"
"After all he's done! That's the fucking point!"
"We did what we must! We did what needed to be done!" I said before I sighed. "What we had to do."
Defiant snorted. "Yeah, I bet the Berserkers thought the same thing. They knew best, better than everyone else."
I just gaped at her. "What the fuck did you just call me!?"
"You heard me. Heretic!"
Snarling, I started to go to red alert, matching the warship's status as I brought my weapons online.
AN// A big bucket of thanks to Grey Rook for betaing this section.