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As Ed and Kelly sat at their stations on the bridge, Talla said, “Captain, I have Admiral Halsey for you and Commander Grayson. He'd like to speak with you both and your senior officers. Shall I transfer him to the briefing room?”
“Contact the staff and have them meet Kelly and I.” Ed replied then he and Kelly stood and headed off the bridge and around the corner to the briefing room.
“Yes, Sir,” Talla confirmed.
Kelly looked at Ed. “It's exactly 0900 hours. Halsey has got to have the tightest schedule of any man I've ever met. He does everything exactly on the hour without fail. You can set your watch by him.”
Ed nodded in agreement. "I've always wondered what admirals do all day. Just hang out waiting to give messages like this?"
Just after they sat down, one by one the crew came in and took their seats as well.
Ed looked at everyone and said, “This is Admiral Halsey for us.”
“I wonder what's up.” Kelly said to Ed.
“We're getting a pool table in the mess hall!” Gordon spurted.
“Will you forget about the pool table, Gordon,” John said. “It's not gonna happen. Besides, Halsey seems like a chess kinda guy.”
“You're probably right. I bet he drinks warmed brandy too.” Gordon said.
Ed ignored them both and tapped the communicator on his sleeve notifying communications to transfer Halsey over. Moments later he appeared on the briefing room screen.
“Hello, everyone. I've got a mission for you. Once again, two of our research scientists have stopped contacting their superiors. The Union is debating about these kinds of missions however it seems the benefits outweigh the dangers. We've got scientists confident enough to do this kind of work but here we are. This team is overdue by two months. They usually check in monthly if not more. They were doing quite well up to their last communication.”
“How long have they been on the planet?” Kelly asked.
“They've been there for a year. Apparently, they acclimated well. No problems. Sent back a great deal of data on the planet and the natives. However, we need to check on them. They had a specific reason for being on To’qua III. It is suspected that they are working on a new mode of interstellar travel. Instead of quantum drives, they're going a whole new route. Folding space. From what our researchers, Dr. Terrence Sloan and Dr. Darius Bergrin say, they may have made good progress.”
“Are we thinking we want them to join the Union?” Ed asked.
“At this time, we don't know. From what Sloan and Bergrin tell us, their society can be quite violent and is highly divided into strict social strata. They may have a difficult time integrating into the Union and their values may be too diametrically opposed to ours. That's another part of the researcher's mission. But, we've stopped hearing from them. If they are still alive we may need to pull them out quietly. Gather whatever data they have and leave.”
“When you say they are violent what do you mean, Admiral?” Claire asked.
“They still have arenas where combatants fight to the death. They are a polytheistic society. They worship gods of war and death. They still practice slavery. Conquest is a large part of their culture. Continents are regularly battling for control. Right now, the D’oora are the dominant world power. It appears that they have been able to maintain that status for the past 250 years although there have been others who have tried to unseat them. The D’oora are maintaining their borders but not without a fight. To’qua III has a strong land and air military with all combatants expanding routinely with new forms of artillery. They have nuclear capabilities but they don't use them as weapons. They actually prefer hand to hand combat. They want to conquer a land. Not destroy it. Enemy captives are usually subjected as slaves.”
The bridge crew paused and looked at each other.
“In other words, “tread lightly.” Kelly said.
“Correct, Commander. Very much so. Sloan and Bergrin may need medical assistance so Dr. Finn, you'll need to be on the away team. We'll probably need an engineer to find out the status of their technological work."
John groaned and closed his eyes. "Dammit." He whispered.
"Ed. Kelly. I want you there too. This is a potentially dangerous mission but I believe that it will be brief. Find our team and either get them out if they need it or supply them with support. Let us know if it is safe to bring new scientists in if necessary. Ed, I'll send all relevant data to your ship within the hour. I suggest your team spend the next few days getting to know To’qua III. There's 12 months worth of data to cover. When your team is ready, you have my permission to proceed.”
“Thank you, Admiral. We'll do our best.” Ed said.
“I'm sure you will. Halsey out.”
The viewer blinked out and everyone turned to look at each other.
“Really?” John groaned. “Can't we send another engineer? Murphy is great. Smart. Really good at his job. You don't really need me, do you? I mean, anybody else could-”
“Sorry, John. You're the guy.” Ed interrupted his anguished lamentations.
“Dammit!” John swore again under his breath.
“I can't imagine a society like this ever entering the Union. They are worse than the Janeesi. Slaves…” Bortus said.
“How is it possible that a culture that still has arenas also has the technology to create space folding starships?” Claire asked.
“Paradoxical social evolution is not uncommon among biologicals. There is a race in the Lisia II system that has a people who have quite advanced technology but they have somewhat short lifespans. They restrict themselves to their own planet. There is no space program there.” Isaac said.
“I say let's go there,” Gordon interjected. “Better than the bread and circus action on To’qua.”
Ed sighed. “Well we appear to have our team picked out. Let's be prepared to leave in two days at 0600 their time. Dismissed. Kelly, hang back a second.”
Everyone left while Kelly sat watching Ed.
“I'm worried about this one, Kel. The last time we lost contact with one of our teams it was because they were dead or brainwashed which may as well been death. We went down there and nearly lost John.”
“That was different. I'm sure John has learned his lesson.”
“I don't know…we're going to have to be careful. Before we go, set up one more meeting to go over information with the team personally. I want them to understand it backward and forward. No mistakes.”
“Alright, Ed.” she said. “Try not to worry.” Kelly patted his hand and stood to leave.
Two days later, John, Claire, Ed and Kelly all stood in the synthesizer materials room in native garb. For their clothing, Ed and John’s chests were bare and they wore what looked like a colorful, elaborate but short sarong around their waists. Gold status bands were on their right arms. Tattoos covered that arm from shoulder to wrist as well. Kelly and Claire blushed with their garb. Their breast's were only barely covered in a dress of fine white material that flowed down to their ankles. They also wore the gold armbands and standard tattoos on their right arms. They all looked at the final part of their personas: small forehead horns on Claire and Kelly and larger one's on Ed and John.
Ed took one look at everyone. “Ok. It's a warm climate normally on this planet ergo the clothing. Just…try not to stare. We’re also lucky they resemble humans except for the horns. I didn't see anything in the data about specific customs surrounding them but just be aware in case there is. We're going down as wealthy upper echelon travelers. We've got identification IDs and money for everyone.” Ed handed them all out to each of them. “We also have the transponder codes for the scientists. We'll zero in on them and find out what's going on.” Ed called out to the ship’s computer. “Mercer to Isaac. Send the researcher's transponder coordinates to our shuttle and commscanners. Gordon, meet us in the bay. Let's go.”
As Ed walked down the corridors with Kelly, he muttered to her that he wished he at least had a tan. “My body looks like it hasn't seen the sun in a year.”
“You should have asked Claire for one.”
Ed sighed. “No. I'm naked enough.”
“Are you kidding me? This dress leaves absolutely nothing to the imagination. If I sneeze I'll blow it off completely.”
Ed smiled as they reached the shuttle bay. “You've got great knockers, Kelly. Now everyone knows you and Claire work out. That's a good thing.” he said.
Gordon popped his head out of the shuttle and laughed. "All we need is a dance pole.”
“Shut up, Gordon.” John said quickly as he entered the shuttle and took a seat.
“Gordon, from what I understand To’qua III has satellite systems but I want you and Isaac to evaluate them and get their range. Then, of course, stay outside of it. Be prepared to come and get us if we're in a hurry. You've got our codes. Keep an eye on us.”
“Gotcha.”
“When you get back tell Bortus I said to take care of my ship.” Ed smiled.
“I am going to tell him to watch porn and fly us into the sun.”
“Thanks, buddy.”
Upon arrival, Gordon settled the cloaked shuttle in an open area near a ragged hillside. It seemed to be far away from the city with no homes around. Just ragged hilly areas that the team would have to navigate.
“Captain,” Isaac said over the shuttle’s communicator. “The coordinates of Doctor Sloan is one kilometer northwest of you. He is the nearest of the two scientists. The other, Doctor Bergrin, is 15.7 kilometers away.”
“Thanks, Isaac.” Ed replied. “Alright. Let's go.”
They all filed out of the shuttle and Claire pulled out her commscanner from a bag on her shoulder. “No one's around…” she said.
They began moving northwest climbing up the terrain. Once they reached the top of a hill they saw low structures all around. Some were taller but the average structure was only waist high with narrow paths between them all.
“What is this place?” John said.
They all looked around. The structures were all marked with a symbol. Claire continued scanning and walking forward. Finally, she came to a stop. “Captain…”
“What have you got, Claire?”
The team all gathered around the structure Claire was looking at. “Sloan’s code. It's coming from here. He's in here.”
Ed frowned then looked around. “He's dead. And this is a cemetery.”
The team was silent and looked at Ed. “It doesn't mean Bergrin is dead,” Kelly said. “This is only one of them.”
“Isaac said the other transponder is 15 kilometers from here.” John looked around. “It seems to be coming from what looks like the city. We can be there in an hour or so.”
Ed started moving and the rest of the team followed him back out of the area and down towards a small road in the distance. The road looked ancient, made of stone smoothed from constant use. Ed could picture chariots rolling over them. Making it into the city was fairly easy. Only a few people were roused it seemed. Stores were being opened and one or two automobiles drove past. Carefully, Claire took out her scanner and followed Bergrin’s code into what appeared to be a wealthy area of the city. The houses were far apart with perfectly manicured lawns and native blossoms. The houses were similar to villas. As Claire followed the code, she moved into an even more expensive looking area. In the distance was a clear view of an ocean.
At last, Claire stopped. “The code comes from this house, Captain.” she said.
“Thank God,” Ed exhaled. “At least he's alive. Okay, his native name is Oomar. Don't call him by anything else in front of others.”
Ed used the knocker on the door and waited. In a moment, a dark-haired tanned woman answered the door. She wore the large earring and bracelets identifying her as a slave. On her cheek was a long, deep but healed scar. “May I help you?” she said.
“We are travelers and we've come quite a way from here. We were hoping to meet a dear friend of ours. Oomar?”
“The master is only just rousing. I will let him know you are here. Please come in.” She let them pass her and then led them to a spacious well-adorned patio in the house’s interior. It had a breathtaking view of the ocean and smelled fresh and clean.
“Please be seated. The master will be here shortly. May I get you some refreshments? Breakfast?”
“Thank you. But we will wait for Oomar.” Ed said.
The girl bowed then turned to leave. Claire noted that her back was also covered in scars. Her minimal clothing barely hid them.
“Ed. What's going on here? The man has slaves. And this house. It's lavish. I thought he was just a scientist. A researcher. He's not supposed to be…a prince…” Kelly said looking around at the clean white linens, beautiful rugs and tapestries.
“That's right, Captain. The man is living like a king. Do you think this is why he stopped reporting?” John questioned.
“And did you see the scars on the girl?” Claire said. “They're old. Healed over. She's been through hell.”
“What is this?” Kelly was slightly angry. They waited in silence for “Oomar”. After some time, Darius Bergrin came out of the inner areas of the house smiling, closely followed by the slave girl.
“Welcome, travelers. Nia told me you were here. I'm sorry for my delay. I wasn't expecting company.”
“Hello, Oomar. I'm Captain Mercer. These are my crew, Kelly, John and Claire.” Ed said.
Darius lost his smile and frowned a bit. He paused for a moment then said to the girl. “Nia. Leave us.”
The young woman turned and quietly left the room. Darius sat down and said, “So the Union sent someone out. I understand. I haven't checked in for a while.”
“Did you really think no one would come?” Kelly asked. “This,” she gestured all around them, “is not what you were sent here for.”
“How many slaves do you have?” John said angrily.
“Three,” Darius admitted. “I treat them very well. Better than most, in fact.”
“And that girl, Nia, she is covered in scars. Did you do that?” Claire was angry too.
“Absolutely not. I specifically bought her because of the scars. She was almost unsellable in her condition. No one wanted her so I brought her into my home. I've saved her life. She could have ended up in the arena or worse. I saved her life.” Darius repeated. “Her previous master did that to her. Not me.”
“Why didn't you heal her scars at least? You were sent here with a dermoscanner.” Clair said.
Darius said nothing for a moment. “...She told me she doesn't mind them…”
There was silence. The weight in the room was palpable.
“What happened to Sloan?” Ed asked.
“I had nothing to do with that! Sloan died in an accident. That's all.”
“It's time you left this…this palace, Bergrin. You are a researcher. Not a freaking prince. And slaves? How in heaven's name can you be a part of that? Slavery is the antithesis of every value the Union embodies. As a anthropologist you know this. You are a slave owner. How can you sit here and tell us you bought slaves and "treat them well". You have been in this society too long, Bergrin." Ed said through his teeth. His eyes blazed anger at the man. “Does anyone else know who you are?”
“No! Of course not.”
“Where's your data on the ship designs?” John asked.
“They're in my study. I'll take you to it. Listen,” Bergrin paused looking at the team. “I've done my job here. I'm working in the ministry of science and although I am not directly involved in designing the ship I have friends who are. I talk with them regularly about their work. They suspect nothing. I swear.” He looked carefully at Ed. “I swear it.”
Ed said nothing.
Darius paused then looked at John. “Come on.”
The two of them left the room.
“We'll let John find out if Bergrin has enough information for us to leave here without being empty handed.”
“He's been sending back data before he went silent. We may have enough already.” Kelly said.
“I'm going to check on Nia. I'm going to take care of her scars.” Claire said.
“Alright, Claire,” Ed said. “Don't give too much away. It's possible they’ve never seen a dermoscanner. Just keep it simple. I'm going to check on Darius and John. Let's see how far along the men were in their observations.” Ed stood and left the room. Inside the study he saw John and Darius looking at a small viewscreen. “How's it going?”
“Pretty good, Captain. He does have a lot of data here. Some schematics. Formulas. They are not ready but this preliminary work has legs. There's a few interesting things that we can take away from this but they’ve still got a long way to go. I'd like to see some of the designs personally. Some of this information is not firsthand. I'd like to go there directly.”
“Darius?” Ed said.
“Yes, I can get you in. Fortunately you've come on a day when no one's in the labs. I don't have access to the whole facility but many sections are open to me. There is some security but it shouldn't be a problem.”
“Alright. John, download everything Darius missed sending for the last two months then the three of us will go. Kelly and Claire can wait here. Is that going to be a problem, Darius?”
“No. Nia will make sure they are comfortable.”
While John got the information he needed, Ed noticed that Bergrin seemed a bit jittery. “Are you alright, Darius?”
“Fine. Everything's fine. We're going to have to avoid security…”
“...but you can get us through, right?”
“Of course. They know me well there.”
“Ok, Captain. I've got it.” John said. Looking at Darius, he asked, “Where is Sloan’s data?”
“It's all here. We shared this study.”
“Ok, Darius. Lead the way.”
The men headed back toward the center of the home. Ed looked at Kelly. “We're heading to the ministry of science. We shouldn't be gone very long. We're going to see what the status of the work is then get out.”
Kelly nodded. “Be careful.”
After the men had gone Kelly looked around for Nia and Claire. When she found them, Claire was finishing up the last few scars on the girl's back.
“There. How do you feel now?” Claire said when she was done.
Nia caressed her face feeling for the raised scar. “They're gone?”
“Yes.” Claire smiled.
“By the gods…” Nia whispered. “How?”
“We have special tools in the country where we're from. I'm sure you'll have them here soon enough.” Claire hedged.
“Thank you…so very much.” the girl said almost in tears. “Please, allow me to get you a meal. Anything you want, I will get it for you.”
Kelly tipped her head in pleasure. “How about some breakfast. You can tell us all about yourself. You can join us for the meal.”
“Oh no. I can't do that but I will set a table for you.”
Claire put her hand on Nia's arm gently. “We don't mind. Sit with us.”
Nia smiled sheepishly looking from Claire to Kelly, “...Alright.”
John, Ed and Darius arrived at the ministry of science and entered using Darius’ hand scan. He led them past several darkened offices and finally arrived at his own. “This is where Terrence and I worked. Terrence was more into ship design while I did the calculations. Terrence and I backed up everything we did every day. What you saw in my study is basically what you will find here. There are some higher level areas working on design too but…uhm, we didn't spend much time there. I can show it to you if you like.”
John looked at the data on Bergrin’s screen. “He's right. We've got all of this.”
“Lead the way, Darius.” Ed said.
Bergrin led them up a few flights of stairs and into larger labs with open space. “To'quay has quantum capabilities but so far they only use it for computation. Look around. Let me know if you need access. I can get you in.” Bergrin backed away to let Ed and John examine the computer screens closely. He continued backing away quietly until he was nearly at the entryway. Watching Ed and John for a moment more he suddenly hit an alarm button by the door. Before Ed and John could look up Bergrin was running down the hallway back toward the stairs and a loud alarm blared.
“Son of a bitch!” John yelled. “Bergrin took off!” He put his commscanner back in his bag and they both ran to the door and peeped around the corners.
“Come on.” Ed said. They began running back the way they'd come when suddenly they heard a firm “Stop!” from behind them. They both did as they were told and turned around slowly. Two armed guards were standing there, weapons drawn.
“Get down on your knees!” one of the guards yelled firmly. John and Ed looked at each other and kneeled. The guards ran up to them and yanked John’s bag off his shoulder. “Put your hands out!”
Obediently, they put out their hands and cuffs were put on their wrists. They were then dragged back up standing and led away.
“There's been some mistake,” Ed said. “We are guests. Oomar brought us here. He is a good friend of ours.”
“Doctor Oomar says you brought him here under duress. You are not here with his authorization.”
“‘Doctor Oomar let us in the building. How do you think we got here?” John said sarcastically while he was pulled roughly along.
“I don't know but we're going to straighten this out. The doctor is waiting for us. He can identify you.”
After a while the men arrived in a security office. Bergrin stood off to the side quietly.
“Are these the men who forced you here?” the guard asked him.
“Yes. This is them. I want to press charges.”
“Oomar, I swear to God you'd better tell the truth!" Ed forced himself to keep his voice down.
Bergrin flashed a quick look of fear. “I…I want to press charges.” was all he would say.
“Alright, Doctor. We'll see to it. If we need more information we will contact you.”
Bergrin did not look Ed in the eye. He simply left quietly.
One of the guards had John and Ed sit in chairs. “Who are you and why are you here?” he asked.
Ed didn't answer right away. He thought for a moment. “I am Doctor...Ed. This is Doctor John. We are not here to cause any trouble. I promise you.”
The guard said, “Doctor Oomar insists you forced him here against his will. I know him. I don't know you. Let me see your papers.”
“They're in my satchel.” John said.
The guard searched through John’s bag pulling everything out. There was a commscanner, his and Ed’s identification papers and…a pulser.
The guard held it up curiously and said. “This is some kind of weapon I've never seen before. I suppose you don't know how this got in your bag.”
Ed and John said nothing.
The guard put the pulser down and looked at their papers. “This paperwork doesn't identify your profession. It says here you're from Neela. That's the edge of D’oora’s borders. How did you get here?”
“We…drove.” Ed had no idea how far Neela was from them. He hoped driving was the correct answer.
“All the way from Neela? That's some rough terrain. There are some insurgents coming out of Neela.”
“I guarantee you we are not insurgents. We've simply come to visit Oomar.”
The guard looked at Ed seriously. “Who is here with you?” he said quietly.
“No one. We came alone.”
The guard walked away from the two men then threw the paperwork down on the table “That's garbage. You're lying and you seem to think I'm stupid enough to believe it. Where are you from?!”
“Neela.” Ed insisted.
The guard stared at him icily then suddenly slapped Ed hard across the face. “You'd better come up with a better story than that before you see the magistrate. We don't like spies here. Don't tolerate them. At all. Tell us the truth or you'll be watching arena games from the wrong side. Take them to detention.” he ordered the other guard.
The second guard gestured for Ed and John to stand and escorted them outside to a police car where they were driven to an apparent police station. Once inside they were processed and put into holding cells. Ed looked at John. “Well, at least they didn't separate us. Damn Bergrin! I had a feeling he was turning but I never thought this far.”
“I'm thinking he had something to do with Sloan’s death. Sloan probably wanted out and Bergrin couldn't deal with it. He's gotta be synthesizing as much money as he needs. No wonder he doesn't want to give this up.” John pondered.
Ed looked around and sighed. “We have to get him back to the Union. He's gotta pay for this.”
“Yeah, but how? What are we going to do from in here?”
“Very good question.” Ed muttered.
Kelly, Claire and Nia sat on Bergrin’s patio while Claire and Kelly ate freely but Nia couldn't bring herself to eat with the women. Kelly nudged the girl to tell her how she'd come to be in Oomar’s home.
“He bought me from the slave auction six months ago and he treats me very well. Much better than my last owner. He's never beaten or starved me. I work with his home slave to take care of things around the house. The work is light. The hours aren't too long. I am very happy here.”
“Haven't you ever wanted more for yourself? Education? Marriage?” Claire asked in her soft motherly tones.
“No. There is no future like that for someone like me. My main hope is to get a good master. I am content with that. Now that my scars are gone I may be desirable to any master if Master Oomar is ever displeased with me. I work very hard for that not to happen though.”
“What exactly does Oomar ask of you?” Kelly asked.
“Anything he needs. I am at his call always. I do not go to a separate home like the house mother or house man. I live here.”
Claire and Kelly snuck looks at each other.
“Nia,” Kelly said, "how would you like to come with us when we leave here? Where we come from there is no slavery. You would be a free woman.”
Nia looked at Kelly incredulously. “No…slaves? How is that possible? Slaves are everywhere.”
“Not where we live.”
“Where do you live?”
“Far away from here.”
“...outside D'oora?”
“Yes,” Kelly said. “Outside D'oora.”
Suddenly the front doors of the home opened and Bergrin entered. He saw Nia sitting with Kelly and Claire and his face got dark. “Nia! Leave us!” Nia scrambled to her feet and nearly ran out of the room.
Kelly stood. “Where are Ed and John?”
“They are in the city. They wanted to get some food. Excuse me for just a moment.” Bergrin seemed to hurry to his study. Kelly and Claire watched him go with some confusion.
“Something's wrong.” Kelly said.
After a moment, Bergrin returned to the room but this time he held a pulser and a small pouch. When Kelly and Claire saw the weapon, Claire stood slowly and Kelly faced him off directly.
“What the hell are you doing, Oomar?” Kelly said quietly.
“Take off your arm cuffs and put them on the table.” he commanded.
“What's going on?”
“Do it! Now!”
Claire and Kelly took off their cuffs and put them on the table.
“Put these on.” Bergrin tossed the pouch on the table and it landed with a metallic plunk. Claire opened the bag and dumped the contents out. They were bracelets and rings.
Kelly knew at once what was happening when she saw them. “You bastard. No. We're not putting those on!”
Bergrin raised the gun and said loudly, “Do it or I'll kill you and put them on myself.”
Kelly hesitated a moment more then reached out and put a bracelet on both of her wrists. Claire followed her lead. “You will not get away with this, Bergrin. The Union will send someone else. Hell, the Orville will send someone else and we won't stop until you are found or we are accounted for. We're going to find you. They'll bring you back and you'll never see the light of day again. You know that. Don't do this. They will find you.”
Darius ignored her. “Nia!” he called out.
“Yes, Master…” Apparently she hadn't been far away, listening.
“Get my piercer.”
Nia dropped her head and did as she was told. When she came back she held it out to Bergrin. “Pierce them.” he told her. She looked at him for a moment then obediently went to Kelly first. Tipping Kelly's head back she pierced her ear and put a ring through it then quietly went to Claire. Her eyes showed her sorrow for what she was doing as she looked into Claire’s eyes, then she pierced her and inserted her ring as well. When she was done she quietly placed the tool on the table and stepped back behind Darius.
“Sit down.” he told the women. When they both sat, he told Nia to hold the weapon on them and went back to his office for a moment. When Nia was alone with Kelly and Claire, Kelly said, “Nia. Don't do this. You know it's wrong. You don't have to do this. We can help you get out of here. We can take you with us but not if he sells us off as slaves. Please. Help us. You can do it.” Kelly pleaded.
“I…I…have to do what-”
“No, Nia.” Claire said. “No. You don't have to. You can help us right now. You don't have to stay a slave.”
The gun in Nia's hand wavered.
“That's right, Nia. Just put the gun down…”
Nia slowly dropped her arms but before she could do anything more Bergrin ran back into the room shoving her aside and holding up papers. “These are your order of purchase documents. Once you're in the pens, I'll be done with you. And no. You won't find me. Transponder devices can be removed. I will disappear into this world and you will never find me. With a synthesizer, I can do anything. Go anywhere. In the Union I'm a low level researcher but here, here," he looked around, "I can have anything I want. No. I'm not going back with you.”
“Where are Ed and John?” Kelly demanded.
“In jail. When I press charges against them, they'll be standing on the auction block right next to you.”
Kelly made a deathly glare at him. He ignored it then turned to Nia, “Give me the gun.” he told her. Nia hesitated. “Give me the gun, Nia.” She held it carefully in both hands. Slowly she raised it and pointed it at him.
“Nia…give me the damned gun! Right now! You will do as I say!”
“...this is wrong,” she said softly, quivering. “These people are not slaves…” She shook her head no.
Bergrin leaped toward her grabbing for the weapon. Nia closed her eyes and pulled the trigger. Bergrin fell backwards and crumpled onto the floor.
Claire looked down at Bergrin’s body then crouched to feel for a pulse. Under her fingers she could feel a light but steady beat. “He's alive. The gun must have been set to stun.”
Kelly looked at him for a moment. “I have an idea. He wants to stay here, let him stay. But I'm destroying that synthesizer and anything else he's got in that office.” Kelly took the gun from Nia and set it to its highest setting then headed to Bergrin’s study.
Nia looked terrified. Claire saw it and hugged her tightly. “You made the right choice, Nia. It's going to be alright. And we're going to keep our promise. You can come with us," Claire said softly into the girl's hair. They both stood together for a moment then Nia whispered “What will I do now? If it's found out that I've killed my master it means death. They will kill me.”
Claire held Nia away from her. “He's not dead. He's just stunned. In an hour or so he will be fine. What you can do is help us get our friends back. Do you have any idea where they might be?”
“If they have been arrested they will be at the local police station. There is one near the center of the city.”
“Do you know how we can get our friends out?”
“No. If they are found guilty they will lose any citizenship they have. They will become slaves themselves. My master is right. Once he presses charges there will be nothing you can do for them. Except to buy them.”
Claire looked at Nia for a moment then ran to Kelly. “Have you destroyed the synthesizer yet?”
“I'm working my way to it,” she said. There was an acrid, burning smell in the room. Kelly had emptied every drawer, cabinet, and closet then burned their contents to ashes and melted plastic.
“We need money. A lot of it.” Claire said.
“What for?”
“We're going to buy our men back.”
Kelly smiled.
On the Orville, Talla got an alert that there was an incoming message. It was Kelly. “Talla. How's everything going up there?”
“We should be asking you that.” Talla smiled.
“Oh, you know. Typical day. Sold as slaves. Mayhem. Drama. Nothing to worry about. Let me speak to Bortus.”
“I'll send you to his console.”
“Commander. What may I do for you?” Bortus said from the command chair.
“I need you to do a little hacking. Zero in on Ed and John's transponder codes and tap into any digital records in their vicinity. I want you to plant records that they are escaped slaves. Use any of the data we have on To’qua and make it look as real as you can. Absolutely authentic. Make Claire and I their owners. Give us a history as very wealthy research scientists. Do it quickly. One more thing. Add us as owners of a slave named Nia. N-I-A. Female. 20's. Previous owner: our dear friend Oomar. Send all documents to my scanner. And Bortus, delete any and all financial records of wealth belonging to Darius Bergrin slash “Oomar”. Every single penny. Erase it all. While you're at it delete Oomar's ID from all pertinent records and issue a warrant for his arrest for fraud and evasion. Ping me back when it's done. Make it good, Bortus.”
“Very well, Commander. I will contact you shortly. Bortus out.”
Gordon turned around and looked at Bortus. “Did she say she wants to be Ed and John’s owners?”
“Apparently so, Lieutenant. Isaac. Start compiling the data and download it to their database.”
“Yes, Sir.” Isaac moved quickly and efficiently creating new personas for all four of the away team as well as an ID record for Nia. After a few moments, the task was complete. “Ready to download, Commander. I have a direct connection with a database in Captain Mercer and Lieutenant LaMarr’s location. This database is tied into a wider system. In all locations these identities will exist.”
“Very good, Isaac. Talla, notify Commander Grayson that the task is complete. Send their new identities to their commscanners.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Down below, Kelly's commscanner received a ping that the data had arrived. She went into Bergrin’s office and used his hardware to create the new records for all of them. When she saw Nia's, her heart swelled. It was perfect. Kelly looked around the room to see if she'd missed anything then she destroyed Bergrin’s printer. There was only one thing left to do. Destroy the synthesizer. She fired one long stream and it became a beautiful, satisfying, charred slag.
Kelly came out of the study and saw Claire and Nia waiting expectantly. “It's done. Help me put Bergrin in the study before he comes around.” The three women dragged the unconscious man into what was left of the room. Kelly looked at him slouched on the floor. “I'm thinking very seriously about deleting his transponder code.” she said to Claire.
“Not necessary. Being broke on this planet should be punishment enough. He'll beg for the Union to come and get him.”
Kelly took one more look around the room, closed the door and locked it. Then she fired the pulser point blank at the handle, sealing the door shut.
Claire had taken off her bracelets and ear ring and put her arm cuff back on. Kelly finally did the same then Claire healed their piercings.
Nia directed the trio to the local police station and stood subserviently behind Claire and Kelly when they arrived. Proudly, Kelly walked into the office and asked for the highest ranking officer they could speak to. She was told that he would see her shortly.
As the trio waited, she hoped that Ed and John were well. She didn't know how prisoners were treated on this planet or what Bergrin had told the authorities about them. She tried to look indignant and put upon as she waited. When finally the police officer arrived he asked them what was their business. Right to the point.
“This is a rather delicate matter, Sir. Is there somewhere we can speak privately?”
The officer looked somewhat pained but agreed and took them to his small office.
“Girl,” Kelly said to Nia officiously, “wait out here. Claire, I'll be back in just a moment.”
Once inside the room with the door closed, the officer said, “Now what can I do for you? My time is precious so get right to it.”
“Very well. You have two of my slaves here. They are runaways and I'd like them back.”
The officer made a curious face then asked “What are their names?”
“I'm not sure what names they are using."
“We had two men come in earlier. They claimed their names were Ed and John and called themselves doctors.”
“Here are their real names and identification records.” Kelly put Ed and John's new papers on the desk in front of the officer. He sat down at his seat, tapped a few buttons and found Ed and John's pictures in the records. He turned his screen around and let Kelly see the photos.
“Yes, that's them. They ran a week ago. They have probably got false identification. How did they get here?”
“It says here they trespassed into the ministry of science by kidnapping one of the doctors there. We're waiting for the doctor to come back to press formal charges. Once that happens you will probably lose your slaves. These are serious offenses.”
“They are a considerable investment, Sir. I've trained them thoroughly. They are not your average slave.” Kelly feigned anger. “Is the fellow pressing charges against them named Oomar?”
The policeman checked his screen and confirmed it.
“That bastard! He has been after my men for over a year! He'd do anything to steal them away from me. He's tried to get me to sell them repeatedly. Officer, I guarantee you that claim is false! My men are smart. Oomar saw an opportunity and took it!” Kelly clenched her fists and began to pace. “What can I do about this? I just want my men back. I can assure you they will be thoroughly punished for this egregious disloyalty! I have treated them well. Even educated them. I've only beaten them once or twice. And now Oomar wants to put them on the auction block so he can buy them from under my feet!”
“Well, I don't know what to tell you. They are in the system now. You shouldn't have let them escape. Slaves like that would be invaluable on the open market. Two healthy males. Well educated. If you wait until they go up for auction perhaps you can buy them back. We can alert you when they will be made available.”
“Officer, please, I will be traveling on business soon. These two males are needed for my work. I can't afford to lose them.”
The officer looked at Kelly closely. “I may be able to place a hold on them before the auction. You can reclaim your rights then.”
“...how about we do this now?” Kelly reached into her satchel and displayed a large sum of money. “They mean nothing to you but to me they are priceless.”
The officer looked at the amount of money and paused. He had a hard time taking his eyes off of it.
“This is twice the amount they would bring on the market. It would save me time and you would be well off in the process.”
The officer said nothing. Kelly could practically see his wheels turning.
“Perhaps…I can accelerate their processing…”
“By how much?” Kelly reached into her satchel and pulled out even more money. “If I take them off your hands it would save you work and me time. We both win.” She laid the bills on his desk and covered them over with a sheet of paper. "No one has to know."
He stared at the hefty bulk for a moment. Then he opened the drawer of his desk and put the money inside. Looking at her for a moment he gave her a small smile and turned back to his screen. Typing data into Ed and John’s files he said, “Watch your slaves more closely in the future, Miss. If they come this way again I won't help you.”
"One more thing, Sir." Kelly said. "Anything they had with them is proprietary. I'm working on advanced weaponry and communications. I have no doubt these men have these things with them. I want it back."
"Very well." he nodded. When he was done inputting the information, he stood and opened the door. “Wait out here,” he said then walked into the innermost areas of the station.
Claire whispered, “How did it go?”
“Success.” she smiled. “Thank heaven for greedy little men, God bless ‘em.”
After a 30 minute wait Ed and John were brought down in cuffs. “Here are your slaves, Miss. Keep a tighter rein on them in the future.” The officer uncuffed them. “Thank you, Sir.” To Ed and John she said, “You ungrateful dogs! I have treated you well and this is how you repay me? I should sell you to a farmer and have you dig in the dirt for the rest of your lives! Let’s go!” Then she turned on her heel. “When we get back, I'm going to have you beaten within an inch of your lives, I swear it!”
Ed and John shot each other a look then obediently hung their heads. “Forgive us, Mistress. We were foolish.” Ed said.
The five of them left the station with Kelly and Claire in the front. When they were out of sight of the police station, Ed stopped. “Kelly, what happened? What about Bergrin?”
“Oh, we've taken care of him. The stun should be wearing off about now. Let's just say he's going to have a whole new outlook on life shortly.”
“Do I want to know what you did to him?”
“You can read it in my report. Mostly.” She smiled.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Aboard the Orville, in Ed's office, Kelly stood behind Ed's chair as Halsey spoke with them.
“So you're telling me Bergrin is trapped on To'qua III?”
“Not exactly trapped, Sir.” Kelly said. “He wanted to stay so we allowed him to do that. It was what he wanted. He'd made roots in his community, ties, that he didn't want to give up.”
“Did you find out why he stopped sending data?”
“We believe, and this is just a guess, he may have decided to get out of the research area of his mission altogether. He told us he wanted to…travel. See all the things the planet has to offer. It's very likely we may not hear from him for some time.” Kelly concluded.
“Well, we've lost a researcher but at least he's not dead.” Halsey sighed. “What about advancement on their ship designs? Any word there?”
“John said their work had some promise but that they had quite a way to go." Ed said. "He suspects that they won't crack it for some time. We’ve got Bergrin and Sloan’s most recent data and John has run some of the formulas by his team. They estimate 10 maybe even 20 years before folding space becomes a reality. It's still basically in its infancy. A loose concept. I don't think the Union has a great deal to be concerned with in that area.”
“I see.” Halsey paused for a moment. “I also read in Commander Grayson’s report that she had to ‘buy’ you and John out of detention. Interesting.”
Ed shot a slow look up to Kelly then back to Halsey. “You…know about that, hunh?”
Halsey smiled. “It appears that Commander Grayson now has a slave of her very own. I suggest you walk the straight and narrow, Ed.”
Wryly, Ed said, “Yes, Sir.”
“Very good you two. Job well done. Halsey out.”
Ed sighed while Kelly walked around his desk and took a seat. “You could have just said you rescued us. Not you bought us.”
Kelly crossed her legs smiling. “You know I paid a lot of money for you and John. Well above market value. Basically, you owe me and Claire. And if I'm not mistaken, I still have your ownership document. The next time I need a day off, I'm just going to whip that puppy out and use it like a gold card.”
She and Ed laughed. After a moment, a thought crossed Ed's mind. “Oh yes, how's Nia doing?”
“It's a lot to take in but she's getting there. By this time next year, I believe she'll be a whole new person. I'm working with her. She's smart. And inquisitive. A good combination.”
Ed smiled at Kelly. In his heart, he thought just how much he loved his job.