The Fates Series 03 Veil of Innocence

by Alys Landale

  So, here's the usual. I don't own any of the Star Trek characters in this story. If I did I would be a lot richer. But Takma, Kail, Rosin, Aria, Xara, and all the other characters that you have never heard of before because they aren't in the Star Trek universe, they belong to me. I would also like to apologize for not having the doctor, Harry, Tuvok, or Seven in the story more. I'll try to make up for it in this one.

  The Fates Series

  Veil of Innocence

  By: Alys Landale

  No matter who it might be, whenever two people are confined to small quarters together, the tension is always thick.

  "Damnit, don't do that!"

  Aria and Paris had been stuck inside the small shuttle for over a day now with little to keep them occupied. The only thing that separated them was the wall of curses forged from the two roommates.

  "If you would be still, I wouldn't have to," Paris responded to Aria's protesting.

  Aria grew still. Tom then gently raised the bandage that she had wrapped around her shoulder.

  No, two people could never get along in such close proximity to one another for over a day. However, both Aria and Paris had always been exceptions to the rule.

  "It looks like it's healing fairly well. I wouldn't move it too much or it might open up again." Paris began to wrap her shoulder back up. He made sure to be as careful as possible as he did this.

  He had awoken a couple of hours ago to find her at the helm. After she had refused to go to sleep as he had asked, the two had begun to talk. Once he saw her wince in pain from her injury, he demanded she let him take a look at it. After a few protests, she had finally consented.

  "You're pretty good at that," she said. The man had the most nimble fingers that she had ever felt. That was probably why he was such a good pilot.

  "Yeah, well I'm finding out all kinds of things I can do." he said absently.

  She turned to face him. "I'm sorry."

  He gave half a smile, "It's not your fault. If it wasn't for you I'd probably still be stuck in that damn cell."

  She let her hand wander up to his hair. She had never seen a being with such golden hair. She gently pushed a piece off his forehead. "I can't make up for what they did to you, but if you want, I could try to help you to remember your past."

  He let his eyes meet hers. They were the deepest violet he had ever seen. But then again he couldn't remember much. Her blue hair also accented the delicate features of her face. But he knew that despite her tiny body and the beauty she possessed, a warrior's spirit filled her soul.

  "Can you do that?" he asked.

  "I won't make any promises but I will tell you this. I’ll try as hard as possible to help you."

  "Thank you. That means a lot."

  Aria was caught off guard by the sincerity in his voice. No one had ever spoken to her like that before. The trust that he had in her meant a lot.

  She soon realized how close they had become. She quickly pulled back. "Umm, what about you. I mean I should look over your wounds as well. They might need some tending to."

  "No need. I checked them a while ago. It looks like they have all sealed up."

  She nodded. She knew he had an advanced healing factor so there wasn't much point in feeling over his body. That would just put more ideas in her head. She couldn't let her own emotions cloud the mission that she had been preordained to fill. It wasn't her destiny to be with him. She just had to get him ready for his own destiny.

  *I just need to clear my mind.* she told herself.

  "Well, do you think you could take the helm? I‘d like to go in the back and try to clean myself up."

  "No problem. Do you mind telling me just where we're going?" he asked.

  She thought about not telling him. No what was she thinking, this man trusted her, she should trust him. "We're going to one of the Resistance Bases in this area. I'm a Commander there so I'm sure they'll help us."

  "The Resistance it is then." He turned to the Helm. From the information he had 'assimilated' he knew what the Resistance was. It was a group of rebel forces who were trying to bring down the Empire and return freedom to the territories the Empire had conquered. From the files at Takma's base, they appeared to be made up of almost a hundred different species, all of which the

  Empire had subjected to its rule.

  Aria went to the rear of the shuttle. She had to get her mind off the man at the Helm. He didn't even have a name yet, but all she could think about was calling out his name in a very pleasurable moment.

  *You are too horny for your own good Aria.*

  Curses rained through the air as Takma and Kail stepped out of their escape pod. Not only had she lost one of her secret facilities and a means to dethrone her husband, but Takma was now forced to explain to her spouse, Portus, just what had happened. Of course, just what lie she was going to rely on this time was still up for debate.

  "Have you figured out what story you are going to use." Kail asked her.

  She silently fumed. "Just go along with what I say. And remember, not a word about the Resistance ship that we sent out."

  Kail nodded. He wasn't stupid. If the Pretor knew that they had been conspiring against him, neither one would be alive tomorrow.

  The ship that had brought them in was none other than Portus's personal battleship. He would be looking for an explanation and she needed a good one. She just hoped that time would be on her side and he would be his usual tardy self.

  "Why Takma, how did you ever come to be out here."

  Takma's hopes were dashed the moment she heard her husband's words. He always put up a front in the presence of his inferiors; she only hoped that he wouldn't be too mad once they were in private.

  "Portus my dear, I'm so thankful that you were able to find us." Takma flashed her husband the most sincere smile she could create.

  "That still doesn't explain what you’re doing here." He was cutting to the chase. Takma could read the expression of his face: what the hell were you doing.

  She knew that he didn't appear to be as tough as he actually was. He was tall with slicked-back black hair. He had the usual tan skin of most Parvanians as well as deep spikes over his onyx eyes. By any other standard, he would be considered quite handsome. All except for the cold, icy glare that emanated from his eyes. It was the glare of someone who had seen his share of battles. Someone who had killed men in cold blood for no reason at all. It was the glare of a murderous dictator. But of course, to be a Pretor in the Empire, one had to have killed at least a few on his rise to the top.

  Takma turned back to the subject at hand. "I was overseeing some research in one of my laboratories when the substances that we were experimenting on got out of control. We were forced to evacuate and use the self-destruct to prevent contaminating the area around us. I'm just thankful that you were here to rescue us, otherwise we might still be floating out there in that escape pod."

  She said these words in the most feminine voice possible. She tried to make his hormones override his logic. That was usually how she got what she wanted.

  He seemed to buy it. "Perhaps next time you will inform me of your whereabouts before you go about doing things of this nature." He turned to Kail. "I instructed you to watch out for her. Is this how you obey orders?"

  Kail looked down. "I am sorry sir. It will not happen again."

  "It had better not. I don't like failure, General. Remember, you are just as expendable as anyone else."

  "Yes sir." replied Kail.

  "Now Takma, since I have finally been able to track down my wife, I was wondering if you might endow this ship with your presence for the time being. I realize how you can never stay in one place f
or a long time, but I am 'asking' you to at least join me for dinner tonight."

  Takma picked up the sarcasm as he said 'asking'. If she denied there was no telling what the consequences. "I would be honored."

  "Very well, I shall send for you tonight." He then slightly bowed. "Until tonight then."

  She bowed in response. It was a Parvanian custom to do so when greeting or leaving someone for whom they held respect.

  Takma just did it for reputation's sake.

  As Portus left, both Takma and Kail breathed an involuntary sigh of relief. Now all they had to do was make sure that no one else could dispute their story.

  She turned to Kail. "Now, you make sure that no other 'witnesses' are alive to let the truth get out. But if you find Doctor Rosin, keep him alive. He might still be of use."

  Kail nodded. "And while I'm shooting down escape pods what might I ask will you be doing."

  She smiled. "Why I'll be getting ready for dinner."

  *

  Seven reviewed the tricorder readings brought back from a week ago. She had not had time to properly review them due to the chaos that had ensued after the death of Mr. Paris. When she had first heard the news, she had felt a pain growing inside her. She could not decipher what it meant; all she knew was that she had felt the same thing the moment One had died. She had at first attempted to talk with Captain Janeway about it, but after bringing up the topic the captain had become even more distant. She seemed to seclude herself since arriving back from the mission *I shall consult the Doctor then* she resolved.

  Ensign Kim then interrupted her reverie as he entered astrometrics.

  “Seven,” he said in greeting.

  “Ensign Kim, I have just begun reviewing the data of these tricorders. It seems that this technology is quite more advanced than that of Voyager. It would be advantageous to attempt to equip Voyager with these shield specifications. I believe that we could modify our current shielding by inducing a post harmonic spectrum into...”

  “Thanks Seven but how about we just finish reviewing everything first then see what modifications we can make.” Harry walked past Seven over to a console on the other side of the room. He tried not to make eye contact with the Borg but was unsuccessful.

  “Ensign Kim, your eyes are bloodshot and your speech is two decibels lower than its normal pitch. It appears that you have not been using enough time to regenerate. Explain.” Seven raised an ocular implant. Usually the ensign was one of the most reliable people on the ship. He was one of the few people that she found ‘predictable’. Now she was puzzled at his recent show of carelessness. She also seemed annoyed by it as well, but she decided to ask the doctor about that later.

  “I just didn’t get enough sleep last night that’s all. Now could we please get to work?” He brushed her off gruffly.

  “I have observed that since the away team returned you have used that excuse six times. Is it the death of Mr. Paris that has

  brought this recent lack of sleep?”

  Harry’s face reddened. “His death?! You treat it like you don’t even care. I’ve spent the entire last week comforting

  B’Elanna, trying to keep up the image that nothing’s wrong, and you ask me if it is his ‘death’ that has caused this.” Harry immediately regretted letting his temper go. Seven was still trying to understand her emotions. He shouldn’t begrudge her just because she had stated what she was thinking. “I’m sorry Seven. It’s just, he was my best friend. Whenever I needed to talk to someone, he was the first person that I would turn to. And now that he’s gone, I’ve been someone that everyone else could relinquish their problems onto. But there hasn’t been anyone I could talk to about this.”

  Seven stared at Harry. She was still trying to comprehend the flood of emotions that he had unleashed. “I am sorry for any offense that I may have made toward you. I have been experiencing similar... feelings since first hearing of Mr. Paris. I have tried to decipher these feelings but have been unsuccessful. After approaching Captain Janeway on the matter, I was given the impression that she did not want to discuss the matter. Perhaps it would be beneficial to both of us if we each spoke to the other about these emotions.”

  It was Harry’s turn to be awestruck. He had never thought that Seven was also upset about this. She had worn her own ‘mask’ to the matter so well that he couldn’t tell what she had felt. He felt a little guilty about being so blind. He had considered himself one of the few people on Voyager who really understood her.

  “Okay Seven, where do you want to start.”

  *

  “So Takma just what were you doing out in that research base of yours anyway?”

  Takma was alone with Portus in his private chamber. They sat at the dining table eating. She had dreaded this moment. He was not as shrewd as she, but he was by no means dumb either. He was also twice as strong as she, and that was the biggest odd against her.

  She then decided to play her gambit. “Well, if you must know, I was there aiding in the capture of an alien vessel.”

  He looked puzzled. “And why didn’t you just alert me to its presence. I could have sent you some of my ships to aid in its capture.”

  She could see he was beginning to fall for it. Fortunately for her Kail had announced the news that all the survivors of the base had been taken care of. He also had another bit of news. The ship, Voyager that they had tried to capture had destroyed the ship they had sent. Usually she would be extremely upset over this kind of turn of events, however this only proved to help her in a liable excuse.

  “Well, you see, there is this ship Voyager. It is unlike any we have encountered before. I first encountered it while on the

  Bonthos with General Kail that is why we were still together. He was helping me capture the vessel. I had intended to use it so as to prove to you that I can take care of myself. However it destroyed the ship that I deployed after it.” She held her breath. If the Fates were kind, he would buy it.

  “And just where is this ship now?”

  The Fates had shown down upon her. “We last had their coordinates located in the Decan sector of this territory.”

  “Then I will send this fleet after it. Don’t worry, we shall have the ship.” He then began to eat again. This was not what

  Takma wanted though.

  “My dear, I was wondering if you might let me take care of this matter.” He looked up at this but she continued. “In many of the species we have conquered before, they have alerted their allies about us and we have wasted precious resources and time in tracking down and conquering all of them. It would be much more practical if we could study this species before imprisoning them.

  Scans have shown that they are not even from this quadrant. If we could convince them that we are trying to help them then perhaps we could gain the needed information more easily and in the process find a way to find out where others of their species reside and then conquer them.”

  He was silent for a few moments. Takma thought that perhaps she had overstepped her bounds this time. Finally he spoke. “I always knew that you were a smart being my dear but this... This is pure genius. With any luck, we can use them in overthrowing some of our Resistance enemies as well. Good work my dear.”

  She breathed a sigh of relief. She didn’t want to tell him her real reasons for doing this. If she could find a route to this species’ home world she might be able to find even more like the alien she had discovered at the space station. *Yes this might prove to be more profitable than I had first anticipated.*

  Paris guided the shuttle down to the planet below. It was a desert planet. Violent storms filled the upper atmosphere which made it difficult to land. Aria thanked the Spirit that he was such a good pilot. She wasn’t too bad herself but she usually managed to have at least made whatever engineer was below cuss her into the ground for the damage she had caused to a shuttle, or sometimes building. However, the man at the Helm had no apparent trouble bringing them down to the surface.

  The s
huttle rocked to the side for one moment. “Sorry about that,” replied Paris. “It looks like there’s a little more turbulence than first anticipated.” He straightened the ship out. “There is a base down there, right.”

  “Oh yeah, there’s a base ‘down’ there alright.” Aria smiled a little as she said this.

  Paris on the other hand looked puzzled. However, all his questions were answered as the clouds parted. Aria came to stand behind him. He stared out the window at a huge canyon underneath them. It looked like a bottomless pit.

  “Just take us down that chasm there,” she said. He looked a bit suspicious. “Or would you rather have me take over.” she asked.

  “No thanks. I think I can handle it.”

  He flew them down between the ledges of rocks down to the bottom of the chasm. He was about to ask her when it ended when he saw a flicker of metal from the side of the canyon.

  *I guess there isn’t a bottom.* he thought.

  “Nope there isn’t. The pit extends all the way to the center of the planet and out to the other side.”

  Paris had almost forgotten that Aria and he still had the telepathic link they had established earlier.

  He looked at the structure before him. He could tell that the metal walls were encased with shields and at least a few yards thick on the front side. All the other sides were embedded within the rock of the surrounding wall.

  “Mind telling me the name of this establishment?”

  Aria replied in a professional tone. “This is Resistance headquarters. It’s called Kuran.”

  Paris nodded and took another look at the building. “Well, do you think we should knock?”

  Danag sat at the Communications controls inside the Resistance Base. He was bored beyond belief. *Damnit, what do I have to do to get some action around here.*

  At this point, he would give anything to just be on a ship caught in a dogfight with Imperial fighters, instead of being stuck inside this boring little room. It wasn’t that he actually liked fighting that well, in fact he usually shunned it whenever possible. But sometimes boredom could drive a person mad.