The Fates Series 07 A Gambit Set

by Alys Landale

  Finally, she decided to just ask a simple question. “Rune, do you ever have dreams about other people?”

  Tom’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  She pressed her lips together as she began to think of a way to ask this without letting Rune know her secret. It wasn’t time for him to know. Not just yet. “Do you ever have dreams about what will happen to people you know and people you’ve never seen before?”

  He brought the little girl onto his lap. Her usual spark had dimmed considerably. At one time, it could light an entire room, but today it seemed so weak that it couldn’t even fill a thimble.

  “Sometimes,” he said. “I’ve had dreams about what had happened to those I was close to. I’d sometimes dream that I had lost someone or that they had been caught by the Empire.”

  “Do you think it could ever come true?” she asked.

  “Some believe that dreams are prophecies, but I think that a person makes his own destiny. A dream can’t foretell a person’s fate. There’s always a chance to change the outcome.” He paused for a moment as he watched her take in the information he had just given her. “Why do you ask?”

  She hesitated for a moment. “Nothing,” she said. “I was just curious.”

  He wished she would tell him what was wrong, but he didn’t try to push. She would tell him when she was ready. He just hoped that time wouldn’t be too far away.

  Gerek stretched his arms out behind him. His ship was being taken care of in the shuttle bay; now all he had to do was take care of a few more things and he would be on his way.

  The trader paused as he walked out of his room. He would miss this place. True, the Resistance wasn’t paradise, but it was better than some of the places he had visited before.

  A young female officer walked past him. He kept a sharp eye on her as she went down the corridor behind him. Yes, he would miss that, too.

  But right now, he had to find that fiery half Klingon he had met earlier. When he had first met Voyager’s crew, he had immediately been drawn to her. But the time wasn’t right then. He had Seven of Nine to keep his attention occupied. She proved to be extremely.... logical. He gave a deep smile. Logic was what usually got him in trouble, as it had been in that case. But Voyager’s chief Engineer was on his mind now. He smiled. She would provide much better company than an ex-Borg.

  Sargon paced back and forth in his room. He needed to get some air. As he left his quarters, his mind began to replay the plan in his mind. Just one gun that was all he needed. Then he could....

  He had been so wrapped up in his thoughts that he had failed to notice Gerek walking up to him. The Parvanian had practically run into the trader before he caught himself.

  “Whoa, there,” Gerek said. “Don’t tell me you’ve turned blind on me, Sargon.”

  The Engineer didn’t even hear Gerek’s words. “Sorry,” he muttered and walked away.

  A puzzled look passed over Gerek’s face. Sargon had never been one to say he was sorry very easily. Gerek tried to catch up with him as he walked away. “If you don’t mind me saying, you aren’t exactly your usual self today Sargon. Is something wrong?”

  The Parvanian paused. He stopped in his tracks and looked over to where Gerek stood. “Look, I don’t want to talk about it.”

  Gerek shrugged. “In that case, I don’t want to hear it. Now, on a lighter tone, do you know where Rune is, or for that matter, Lieutenant Torres. They’re usually together, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find them.”

  A shadow passed over Sargon’s face for a moment. He pushed down his anger as he said. “Don’t ask me. I’m not the one sleeping with her.”

  Gerek was stunned for a second by Sargon’s words. He watched as the Parvanian made his way down the corridor. That man was definitely not all there today.

  *I suppose I’ll just have to find them myself.* Gerek said. With that he made his way to the base’s one gathering spot. He had heard that most of the Federation crews had made their way over there. With any luck, the crew of Voyager had as well.

  Tom gave Voyager’s senior staff a tour of the facility. This base was one of the largest the Resistance had to offer. It was more than a mile in diameter and consisted of eight stories worth of buildings buried deep beneath the planet’s soil. The entire first level was devoted solely to a shuttle bay. The levels below that were offices and storehouses. The Resistance had run across this complex almost fifteen years ago and it had been theirs ever since.

  Now Tom finally led his group to the last stop on their tour. “And this,” he motioned to the area around him, “is the mess hall.”

  The room that they were in was only a small amount larger than Voyager’s mess hall. Tables filled the room and lined the walls. A small bar was present to one side and seemed to be delivering a small amount of drinks to those who could afford it. On the other side, a line was being formed around a long counter. All in the Resistance were forced to eat the same thing. If

  Voyager’s crew thought that Neelix’s food was bad; they would have quickly changed their mind. The officers at this base were given enough food to keep them going. As far as the variety of what they were eating, there wasn’t any. Sometimes they would go for as long as a month eating the same thing everyday.

  B’Elanna took in the sites around her. It reminded her of her days in the Maquis, but they had had nothing like this. With a base this large, and this kind of organization, they would have easily been able to overthrow the Cardassians.

  Her attention was averted for a moment as she saw another enter through the door. Sargon found a table in the back of the room and sat down by himself.

  Paris watched the Parvanian’s actions. Sargon looked to be in a no shit mode right now. *May the Spirit help the soul who crosses him today.*

  “I had no idea that the Resistance had anything like this,” Janeway commented.

  Tom smiled. “We have a lot few people know about.”

  The fact that he said ‘we’ and not ‘they’ struck Janeway. She still regarded Tom as a Starfleet officer, not a Resistance one.

  Just as these thoughts were passing through the captain’s mind, a voice interrupted her reverie. She gave a slightly exasperated sigh as she immediately placed it.

  “Ah, Captain Janeway. I see the Fates have brought us together once again.”

  Kathryn felt like rolling her eyes at Gerek but she merely said. “It’s nice to see you again Gerek.”

  Harry frowned, as the trader seemed to leer at the women around him. At least there was one good thing about it. He knew better than to mess with Seven. Harry was still proud of how the ex-Borg had handled herself the last time the two had met.

  *Served him right,* thought the Ensign. *Maybe next time he’ll realize you don’t mess with a Borg. Even if she is the hottest thing in the galaxy.*

  Gerek was immune to the gaze Harry was giving him. Instead, he made his way over to where B’Elanna stood next to Paris.

  “So, have you considered my offer?” Gerek asked.

  B’Elanna shot him a death glare. “Get any ideas and I’ll break your neck.”

  Gerek took her words in stride. Tom only chuckled slightly. One thing was for sure, he never had to worry about B’Elanna taking care of herself. Tom’s eyes were then caught by a Starfleet officer walking over to Sargon’s table.

  *This isn’t going to be good.* he thought to himself.

  Sargon dabbled in the drink he had ordered. Just staring at the crimson liquid seemed to put him at ease almost as much as drinking it did. Just about, everyone in the Resistance knew better than to mess with him while he was like this. So far, no one had been stupid enough to approach him, but it looked like one fool was on his way.

  The Enterprise’s Chief Engineer, Geordi La Forge approached the man at the table. He had been told that this was the best engineer in the Resistance. With any luck, maybe he would agree to work with La Forge on a few of the engineering problems he was currently experiencing.

  “M
ind if I sit down?”

  Sargon looked up at the human. His eyes seemed to take in the man’s features. After a few seconds, he turned his gaze back down to the glass in his hands.

  Geordi paused for a moment and then spoke again. “I’m the Chief Engineer aboard the Enterprise. I heard that you were the best engineer here, so I thought maybe we could work together. I’m always open to another...”

  “I don’t give a damn what you want. Now get out of my face before I lose my temper.” Sargon turned his attention back to his drink. His eyes seemed focused on the swirls the red liquid was making in his glass.

  Geordi remained there for another moment. He then stepped away. He had actually thought this man would be open to increasing their odds in battle. He took it he was wrong.

  “I suppose you’re too drunk to care about anything,” he said. As he turned his back on the Parvanian, he then muttered.

  “What would you care about anyway? It’s not your people that are in danger.”

  Sargon’s eyes widened for a second. The anger that he had been trying to push down suddenly stormed to the surface. With one move, he was out of his seat. The glass he had been so preoccupied with clattered to the ground. Its contents staining the floor a deep crimson.

  Geordi was only able to turn his head around enough to see a glimpse of his attacker. In one swift move, the Parvanian grabbed the human by the neck and slammed him down onto the table.

  Silence moved like a predator throughout the room and quickly enveloped all of the occupants in its tendrils. Sargon’s words sliced through the mess hall as easily as a Batleth would through a man’s throat.

  “Don’t ever presume to think you know me.” The Parvanian whispered harshly. He tightened his grip on the human’s neck causing La Forge to gasp harder for breath. “You don’t know anything. You think you can come in here and know everything that’s going on in just a matter of minutes. Well, listen to me you pampered little shit. I’ve lived through it all. So don’t tell me it’s not my people.”

  Geordi looked up into the man’s eyes. There was a faint sign of madness intermingled with sheer rage inside those black orbs. This man was about to kill him. Sargon didn’t care. He was crazy and now he was ready to kill someone. Geordi just happened to be the first person made available.

  As La Forge’s world began to grow dark, he wondered just what could drive a man to this point.

  Paris snatched Sargon off of the smaller human. Tom knew that Sargon had a short fuse, but not even he was prone to exploding like this.

  The Parvanian felt a pair of hands pulling him away from his prey. Instinctively, he lashed out at the man behind him. Paris caught the man’s arm and twisted it behind him. Sargon continued to struggle as Tom pulled him away from La Forge.

  Janeway ran over to make sure that Geordi was alright. She was relieved when the man began to gasp for breath. At least he was still breathing.

  “Are you alright?” she asked.

  Geordi felt the captain place a reassuring hand on his shoulder and help him up to his feet. He staggered for a moment but then said, “Yeah, I’m fine.”

  Chakotay was now at Paris’s side. The two men tried to take control of the Parvanian. Sargon no longer seemed to be satisfied with only attacking La Forge. He now tried to lash out at Paris as well.

  “Sargon, get a hold of yourself!” Paris yelled.

  The other man ignored his superior. “Don’t tell me what to do you bas....”

  Paris was sick of this. Friend or no friend, he was ready to stop this now. Removing his hand from Sargon’s wrist, he pushed the Parvanian hard onto the floor.

  Sargon seemed momentarily stunned by this turn of events. He remained there for a few seconds as Paris stood looking down at him.

  He looked up at the faces that were staring down at him. One face separated itself from the rest as he stared up into the cold blue eyes of his old captain. Sargon’s anger had been extinguished for now. He remained on the floor while his breathing began to return to normal.

  Tom watched for the Parvanian to make a move. B’Elanna moved over to his side. She placed a hand on his shoulder as if for support. Tom never let his eyes leave the man on the floor. He remained silent as Sargon pulled himself up off the floor.

  The Parvanian slowly lifted himself back to his feet. Tom’s eyes kept him silent as he waited for Paris to say something. Sargon looked around the room for a few moments. Everyone’s attention seemed to rest on him. He then turned back to Rune. The man’s eyes were cold as the icy blue they resembled. Sargon opened his mouth to say something, but he was quickly cut off.

  “In my ready room now, officer.”

  Tom’s voice was barely above a whisper as he said this, but his meaning was conveyed all too clearly. Sargon lowered his head and left the room. Tom followed close behind. This was one Parvanian that was about to feel the wrath of Tom Paris.

  “Alright, I’m waiting for an explanation.”

  Sargon looked over his shoulder at Rune. No, correction, that was Tom Paris. After all, he was a member of Starfleet now.

  That’s why he came back. To protect his precious Alpha Quadrant from Takma and the rest of the Empire.

  Tom waited for Sargon to say something. After several minutes of silence, Paris tried again. “I’m getting tired of this Sargon. I want to know just what the Hell is going on and I want to know now.”

  The Parvanian stared at his superior in mock stupefaction. “What do you mean?”

  Tom brought a hand to his head. His patience was running extremely thin. “What I mean, is your behavior over the past few days. You’re temper has flared up at the least provocation. You’ve attacked officers on several different occasions over the last three days and I want to know why.”

  Sargon stared Paris in the eye. “It’s none of your business.”

  “In case you’ve forgotten, I’m your superior. That makes it my business.”

  Sargon’s mouth dropped open. “Some superior. You disappear for over a month and when we find you, you’re back in the Alpha Quadrant with a position in Starfleet. If Takma hadn’t attacked Deep Space Nine, you would have never come back to the Delta Quadrant.”

  Paris forced his anger down. He had never heard Sargon speak this way to a superior before. Sure, he had been known to lose his temper often enough, but this just wasn’t like him.

  Tom looked Sargon over for a few seconds. The man had deep circles under his eyes. That along with the emotions that were rolling off of him was enough to make Paris realize that he was suffering from a deep problem.

  In a softer voice, he said. “I had always planned on returning to the Delta Quadrant. I just didn’t have the chance until your vessel returned.”

  Sargon turned his gaze away from Paris. “By the way you act around that woman, you wouldn’t know it.”

  Tom’s eyes narrowed. Perhaps he was getting somewhere. “What does B’Elanna have to do with it?”

  The Parvanian turned around sharply. He gave a small chuckle. “What does she have to do with it?! Aria isn’t dead for more than a month and already you find another woman to replace her. I see you really mourned her passing.”

  Tom just stared at Sargon as he walked onto the other side of the room. “You actually think that’s what I did.” At Sargon’s silence, he continued. “I still mourn her passing, but B’Elanna and I had been together long before I knew Aria. It wasn’t until last month that I was able to remember her. What am I supposed to do, just throw away everything that B’Elanna and I had?”

  Sargon was still facing the wall. He had become extremely quiet as he let the information sink in. He had no idea why he had been so angry with Rune. The man had a right to his past and that included the people along with it. But still, Sargon couldn’t believe that Paris could just toss Aria aside like that.

  “But... but how could you just throw everything you and Aria had away like it never existed?”

  It was Tom’s turn to be silent. He waited a few m
oments and then responded. “I loved Aria. I still do, in a way. But what

  B’Elanna and I have is...indescribable. I’ll always hold Aria close to me, but what we shared just wasn’t the same as what B’Elanna and I have.” At the Parvanian’s lack of reply, Tom continued. “I know this isn’t about me. I realize that you’ve just lost someone close to you, someone extremely close, but you can’t let your grief take over.”

  The Parvanian suddenly came to life. He spun around and grabbed Paris by the collar. “Just what do you know about...?”

  He stopped midsentence when he realized that Paris had gone through the same thing. He had lost Aria. But the difference between the two of them was that Paris had moved on, Sargon never would.

  The Engineer relaxed his group on Tom’s collar and backed away. “I just... I can’t go on without her,” he said.

  Tom lowered his head. He closed his eyes to block away the pain as well. Sargon’s emotions were buffeting against him with fury.

  “I know how you feel.” Tom said. “When I lost Aria, I didn’t think I could go on either. But I found a way. I found my peace with what happened. You just have to do the same.”

  Sargon put a hand over his eyes to try and block away the tears. He had never cried since he heard the news of Meylin’s death. Hell, he had never cried since his parent’s death. He hadn’t cried; he hadn’t eaten; he hadn’t slept. Now all of this was taking its toll on his weak body.

  Paris noticed the Parvanian begin to sway. “Why don’t you go to your quarters and get some rest.”

  All Sargon could do was nod. All the fight had left him for now. He let Landis lead him to his quarters. Rune said a few more words once they reached his door but Sargon didn’t pay any attention to them. Instead, he just walked into the dimly lit room and fell onto his bed.

  *Find your peace.* The words echoed in his mind. How was he supposed to find his peace? Not even the Spirit felt necessary to keep Meylin alive. If the Fates wouldn’t protect her, then it was up to Sargon to take his destiny into his own hands.