CHAPTER THIRTYONE
Counselor Troi, Doctor Selar, and Princess Simone stood before the door leading out of the Chosen’s compound. It was an ornately decorated metallic door standing in a marble frame. There was no obvious control mechanism to open the door that Troi could discern, but that was a popular feature of doors for at least the last couple of centuries. Of course, it wasn’t a good idea to compare the architecture of this place to Federation. There could be any sort of opening mechanism, from pheromones to the emission of radiation, but this one was most likely operated by telepathy. Then again, she realized that she was assuming that the designers were human size. The doors were huge, so they might have been giants, but looking up didn’t reveal any control interfaces either.
“So, how do we get through?” Deanna asked.
“There must be a sensor or a pressure plate here somewhere,” Selar said, searching the frame.
"Something's different," Simone noticed, touching her forehead.
"Yes. I feel it, too," Counselor Troi said. "There's someone else channeling our energies."
"It’s Tammas!" Simone said, suddenly full of energy. When she realized how emotional her outburst had sounded, she said it again, in a more controlled, Vulcan manner. “It’s Tam. We should try to escape now.”
“I am unable to find the mechanism,” Selar said.
“Just step back,” Simone instructed. She knew for a fact that she could open the door with her telekinesis, but she was uncertain what or who might be on the other side of the door, waiting for an escape attempt. Still, she felt it was now or never. She concentrated on the door, noticing the flow of energy through the operating mechanism. To open the door, all she had to do was change the polarity of one path on a circuit board.
The door slid open and she slipped into a defensive position, half expecting to be rushed by guards. The corridor beyond was empty.
"Where do you think you're going?"
Simone turned to face one of her fellow Chosen. In a small community such as this, everyone knew everyone else, telepathic abilities aside. The person addressing her was T’litha. She was the oldest person, and Vulcan, present and had been held hostage the longest. Consequently, she had assumed a leadership role in their community. She was aware of Simone’s Princess status, but it hadn’t changed the social dynamics much. They were all prisoners here, so there were different rules.
"I'm leaving," Simone explained.
"I can't permit that," the T’litha said. "There's no one out there to drag you back in when you fall ill and we don't wish to be made sick by your defiance."
"I'm not going to get sick. The rules have changed," Simone said. "There's a new element involved, and if we don't take this opportunity to escape, we might never get another one. Or do you prefer it here in captivity?"
"I've been in worse places," she admitted. "Regardless, you're not leaving."
"And I guess you're going to try and stop me?" Simone said, feeling rather confrontational. She blamed this on Tammas as well.
T’Litha smiled, making a small motion with her hand. Five of her elected goon squad stepped forward. Counselor Troi and Doctor Selar took up positions to either side of Simone. Posturing had begun. What the opposing group didn't see were Simone's cousins coming up from behind. If they chose the hard way, it would be over quickly. Simone hoped they chose the hard way. Negotiations might take too long. A crowd was gathering to watch, interested to know if there was soon to be a change in authority.
"Wait a minute," Counselor Troi said. "Can't you feel it? The tension? The hate. It's not our reality. These feelings are coming from outside of us, from the ones in control of the energy. We don't have to act on their emotions. In fact, maybe we can change them. There's a war raging above us and though we may not control the power, we can certainly influence it."
"We've tried. Nothing works," the Chosen said.
"It didn't work before because there was only one in charge. Now there's two. That gives us options. We can choose who to support," Counselor Troi said.
All of the Chosen reflected on this, wanting to test it, but afraid of the possible repercussions. No one wanted to be sick and no one wanted to be punished should the endeavor fail.
"I'm going out that door," Simone said again. "You can join me, or you can wait here, but do not try to stop me."
And with that, Simone turned and exited the Chamber of the Chosen. She felt herself growing ill with every step, until she stopped, closed her eyes, and blocked all feed back from Rojan. She allowed her connection to Garcia to strengthen and fill her with his mental energies. It was more than just borrowing energies. Given the number of people channeling, there was an abundance of “chi” to draw on and somehow the structure of the facility enhanced and increased the amount available. Before it had been a trickle, but now it was a full cascade, a torrent of energy. If energy was water, then this was like standing under a waterfall. The pain receded and she continued on her way, unimpeded. Doctor Selar and Counselor Troi followed. All the Chosen decided then and there who they would support. They followed Simone.
"No!" Rojan yelled. "I brought you together. You belong to me!"
That one moment of distraction was enough. N'elent had slipped behind Rojan and delivered a near fatal blow. He jerked away, the knife sticking in his back, and fell to the floor.
Tammas let out a scream and fell to the floor as well. Gowr grabbed N’elent just as she was about to take hold of the knife and twist it, making a fatal strike.
“That’s right,” Rojan laughed, panting. He spit blood. “Kill me and kill him.” At that moment the door burst open and more soldiers began filing through. Gowr drew his disruptors and started firing into the soldiers, and N’elent emulated him, having collected the disruptor that Garcia had discarded. People fell, but they kept coming, marching over their own wounded and dead. Firing at the floor dispersed energy, reflecting it up at various angles, taking down dozens of soldiers, but still they came.
“You can’t win, Jude. Surrender now and I will allow your pets to live,” Rojan laughed.
N’elent laughed. “Come on, then,” she yelled, drawing a second weapon and firing. She was going to make sure she took out as many as she could before she died. Again.
And they would have died had Tammas not intervened. Using Kelvan technology, Tammas immobilized the approaching army and reduced them to their essential elements. He staggered to his knees and crawled over to Rojan. He put a knee on the man’s back and took hold of the knife.
Rojan laughed. “You can’t do it. Neither you nor your friends can kill me. It is the weakness your kind are heir to. We are one now. If I die, you die," Rojan said. "The Chosen may support you temporarily, but they will turn on you eventually if you don't show them who's boss and I will be waiting to take back control when that happens."
N’elent went to strike at Rojan again in frustration, but Gowr held her back.
“Forget it,” Tammas said. He pulled the knife out of Rojan’s back and let it clatter to the floor. He screamed in sympathetic pain, falling back against the throne. As the pain subsided he reached out with one hand to do a healing, a power made possible by the Chosen, facilitated by the Guardian of this Communication Fortress.
"That's right, son," Rojan laughed. "Heal me. Together we will rule the Galaxy. Rojan and Jude.”
Tam's Kelvan bracelet glowed briefly as he sought options simultaneously as he chose to heal Rojan. The Fortress bracelet flared with an intense white light, before the glow receded like a dying ember thrown from a campfire. It remained a cool orange. As Rojan’s health improved, Tam’s sympathetic pains faded even further into the back of his mind, mere memories that only required distraction to lessen the intensity. Tammas stood, smiling. Gowr and N'elent watched Garcia, puzzled, not enthused by what he had done. Even so, they understood.
“My name is Tammas,” Tam told Rojan with no uncertainty in his voice. He sat down on the throne. “Cadet Tammas Parkin Arblaster-Garcia.”
Rojan came to his knees, laughing even louder. "I knew you would give in to me," Rojan began. “I knew.” Rojan paused, horror growing over his face. He grabbed at the Fortress bracelet that was no longer glowing.
Tammas reclined back in the chair, gazing at Rojan's growing rage, only slightly amused by the elder’s reaction. He was finding it more and more difficult to stay focus given the amount of people vying for his attention. The fortress bracelet pulsed with activity, like a computer constantly accessing the hard drive.
"What have you done to me?!" Rojan yelled.
"I genetically altered your body so that you would be incapable of utilizing any type of psionic abilities,'" Tammas explained.
Rojan exploded with rage and attacked with the knife that had only recently been in his back. Gowr and N’elent simultaneously struck the man in his kidneys, driving him to his knees before Tammas. Rojan looked up at Tammas, clutching his gut with both hands. He snarled, anger lighting his eyes luminescent red.
“I’m not finished with you,” Rojan said, and his finger slipped onto the button of his Kelvan wrist band.
Garcia raced for his Kelvan bracelet, faster than Rojan, but Rojan had the head start. This was a gun fight, similar to those in the old west. Their bracelets both lit. They both disappeared.
Gowr and N’elent looked around. It didn’t occurred to them to look up until a yellowish-orange blood fell like rain around them. They looked up to see two monstrous creatures over head. They aimed their weapons at the floating blobs, but not knowing which to shoot at, they were hesitant. The creatures were like two squids fighting, or better, two squid mating. A tentacle gripping a knife clattered to the floor beside Gowr.
There must have been hundreds of tentacles, and it was impossible to tell where one creature started and the other ended. They spun like a living whirlpools, tearing at each other’s flesh.
One of the creatures let out a scream that caused Gowr and N’elent to fall to their knees in pain, covering their ears. It was followed by an explosive sound, like a balloon rupturing. The fatally wounded one fell towards the ground, collapsing in on itself like a weather balloon loosing its hydrogen gas. Its body surface rippled with undulating waves of escaping gasses and fluids. The blood hitting the floor in torrents appeared to be boiling. The other creature followed, pulled down by the weight of the other, as they continued to battle. And then it was over. The broken one had apparently died, judging from its limp tentacles. It fell to the floor and finished deflating like a water bed with a dozen punctures, oozing multi-colored fluids, and bubbling gasses. The remaining one began to rise again. It drifted over the dais. Its arms dangled around the throne and around the Klingons, almost protectively. And then it was gone.
Tammas appeared back on his chair. His clothes were not torn but his flesh was marked as if he had been whipped with leather.
“What was that?” Gowr asked.
“A Kelvan,” Tammas said. “He’s dead, now.”
The Kelvan body disappeared and again Rojan was back, gasping. His clothes were also torn, and he had similar wounds streaking across his flesh.
Gowr looked to Garcia for an explanation, but Garcia didn’t issue one. Either he had been mistaken about Rojan being dead, or Rojan had managed to issue one last thought command to the Kelvan computer, directing it to convert him back to his human body, thereby saving his life.
Rojan bowed to Garcia. He appeared to be winded and defeated. “How is this possible?” he asked, his eyes on Garcia’s feet.
“You created me,” Tammas said, as if that were explanation enough.
Rojan nodded. That was it. He should have known. Should have seen it coming.
“Will you doom the Kelvan to extinction?” Rojan asked.
“Let that be your last battlefield,” Tammas mumbled.
“What?” Gowr asked.
“Something Kirk once said,” Tammas spoke up. “I understand it now. Either you learn to cooperate with your fellow humans, or the race wars will drive you to extinction. Whether the differences be race, sex, or ideas, you eventually have to decide what is more important, your species survival or your beliefs. If you don’t look out for your fellow life forms that share your planet, you will discover in hindsight that a lost species might have saved you from extinction, like the whales. If you don’t live in harmony with the intelligent machines you create, you go the way of Exo Three, where the machines killed off their organic creators, just another version of Terminator. And if you don’t create peace with alien life forms, well then it’s War of the Worlds. No, Rojan, I haven’t condemned you to death. Your inability to adapt, to find peace, has led your species to extinction.”
“You’re one of us,” Rojan said.
“No. I am unique, a one of a kind. My off spring will carry my genetic line, but the Kelvan perspective dies with me,” Tammas told him.
“Yes, it will,” Rojan said.
Rojan had once again found the knife. Tammas seemed to hesitate, which prompted Rojan to rush him. Tammas pushed the button on his bracelet and froze Rojan in place with the Kelvan technology. He stood up, pried the d'k tahg, the Klingon knife, he had picked up in the armory, from Rojan’s fingers, aimed, and pulled back slowly, as if increasing tension on a bow. He was emitting a low hum which would explode into a scream as the knife pushed through flesh into Rojan’s human heart.
"Tam!" Simone yelled, obviously wanting him to end the violence now.
Tammas looked at her and then at Rojan. He released him from his hold.
Rojan slumped to the floor, laughing. "I told you you couldn’t do it. You're weak. That’s the problem with Humanity. You'll let them control you. You need me."
“Don’t listen to him, Tam,” Deanna said.
Tammas threw the dagger down on the ground, obviously angry, but in control.
“It’s only a matter of time, and then we will regroup, and do it all again,” Rojan said. “You’re not fit to rule the galaxy.”
Tammas depressed the button on his Kelvan bracelet and Rojan disappeared, replaced by a polyhedron, dappled in blue and green, like a giant sweet tart. He kicked it like a soccer ball, sending it flying.
"That was unnecessary," Simone said.
Garcia found the thought of candy humorous. He laughed, taking his place on his throne. It didn’t occur to him his laugh was very similar to Rojan’s laugh. He laughed even harder, as if it were contagious, spreading to every fiber of his being. He found himself unable to quit. Even when his chest pained him from laughing so hard he couldn’t quit. He spun the throne around, howling with delight. Somewhere up above, the Klingon Captain, Glor, was mirroring his actions, spinning his command chair around, spitting out orders, and reveling in the glory of battle. There was nothing to compare to the battle raging above in any of their histories. The theatre of operation was larger than even the Federation’s showdown with the single, Borg ship. He did pause in his laughter when, for just a moment it appeared that the Enterprise was breaking apart, and he almost reached out to reassemble it, but then he laughed even harder at his misperception. The Enterprise had merely separated from the saucer section.
"Gowr, my brother," Tammas said. "You and N'elent are needed on the Pa Nun. Enjoy!"
Before they could protest, they were gone. Tammas smiled at their adaptability. Once on board the Pa Nun, they fell to their stations. Glor howled with delight knowing Tammas had been successful. He also believed they would have a powerful new weapon on their side. Simone, Selar, and Counselor Troi approached the dais, trying to get Tam's attention. He spun around and faced them.
"Hello, Counselor Troi. It's been a long time," Tammas said.
Deanna tried to be civil, but found herself at a loss for words. There was a first time for every thing, Tammas thought.
"Tammas," Selar interrupted. "Talk to me."
"Anything in particular?" Tammas asked. “Tell me, was I that much of a burden that you just passed me off without giving me any say in the matter?”
“Our relationship was one of convenience, one built on logic,” Selar said. “The transfer of that relationship was just as logical at the time.”
“It’s not like I asked you for your help, you know. You abandoned me just like the others. Just like Troi,” Tammas said.
“I never abandoned you,” Troi argued.
“It’s all right, Troi,” Tammas said, each word distinct as if he were practicing speech all over again. “I’m so over you. Now that I have you right where I want you. I have all of the Chosen.”
"You're human," Simone pointed out. "It is only natural for you to be attracted to more than one partner. Very few species actually mate for life. Most have multiple partners."
"Ha! Don't try to pass my fallibility off on physiology," Tammas argued. "If you recall, I am a doctor. I know human physiology and psychology. I know the human animal. And I know me better than ever, thanks to this power. I am just as evil and corrupt as Rojan ever was. He just didn't understand the full potential he had here. Give me a fulcrum and a lever big enough and I will move worlds. Ha! I am the Fulcrum, and you are my lever. Things are definitely going to change around here..."
"Tam!" Deanna shouted, taking on a parental tone. "You will release the flows of power this instant."
Tammas laughed, barely able to keep from falling out of his chair. He was quite aware of the other Chosen joining him in the audience chamber. They stood back, allowing the people who knew him best to try their logic on him with their voice while they each focused on thoughts of good will.
"What?" Tammas asked Deanna, pulling himself into some resemblance of authority. After all, the ruler of the Universe should show some control and a sense of decorum. "Let go? For once in my life, I have something to cling to, something I've never had before..." Tammas sang. He frowned at her lack of response. "You know, you never laugh at my jokes. My musical references are just wasted on you. Phew, right over the head." He roared with laughter, trimming his hair with his hand. He spun his chair. "I’m just beside myself with amazement. Good one, Gowr. Nice hit... Who put Riker in charge of the battle bridge?! You’re drifting to Starboard... That's better. Stay on target..."
"Tam," Counselor Troi tried. "You could stop the battle up there."
"What? And violate the prime directive?" Tammas asked. "Oh, such a double edged sword I weave... Somebody stop me! Quick, what movie was that from, Troi? Ehhhh. Wrong answer."
"Tam," Simone tried again.
"Drop it, Princess!" Tammas warned her. "You don’t want me any more than the others. You were just scared of being alone and so you snatched me away from Selar. You tricked her.”
“I did it to save you,” Simone said. “To save us.”
“I’m sure. It was purely motivated by logic,” Tammas said.
“Not completely,” Simone said, looking away. She had liked him from the moment she had first met him, when she had interrupted the tea he was sharing with her grandmother, T’Pau. She had not pursued a friendship because there had been no logic in it. There was no reason for them to interact.
Tammas was amazed “What? A Vulcan response without duplicity?
“I am sorry,” Selar said. “I permitted this.”
Tammas sighed. “No goodbye, no warning, just pull the old plug on Tammas. Just like a woman. Drop the man for someone new and then regrets it when the old flame comes into power and money. I bet you want me back now, don’t you? You, too, Counselor. Is that regret I’m sensing? Now that I don’t need from you."
“Fine,” Deanna said. “Let us go if you don’t need us.”
Tammas was silent. His eyes never left Deanna. He could let them go. He really didn’t need them. He could live entirely off the fantasy Deanna in his head. Better than a holodeck.
“Go ahead, Tammas,” Deanna said. “Let go of us.”
Tammas was stunned. It was that simple. So, why the hesitation, he wondered.
"I can’t," Tammas said finally, his voice like a child that can’t get his hand out of a jar because he simply won’t release the goodies tight in his fist. “I won’t.”
“Why not?” Deanna asked.
“You might as well ask me to cut off my arm, or a leg,” Tammas said. "You're all a part of me. We're one. And I'm not going back to the solitude of being human, ever. This is better than the Borg collective. Interesting parallel."
“You were never alone,” Deanna said. “I was always with you.”
"You have me," Simone offered, stepping forward. "Let the others go, Tammas. Just you and me. We can stay here and listen to the calls of the Universe, just you and me."
"Yeah, because you’re not a frigid little..." Tammas began.
“Tammas Garcia! Let us go,” Deanna interrupted.
"Tammas," Simone tried, more soothingly. "You've always been a man of great love and passion. Look in your heart. The harder you try to hold onto something, the harder it is to keep it. The only way to keep our good rapport is to let us go. If we stay in your life, then that is love. If we go, it wasn't meant to be, and that doesn't mean we left because you were evil, or even undesirable. It's because we have our own paths to follow. You know this. You teach this. You live this! Let go, Tam."
"I'm afraid. I don't want to be alone, like in the before time,” Tammas said, his head dropping with the sudden change in emotions. He crossed his arms, taking on the look of a sulking child who was unable to reason out the problem.
"You will never be alone. Your soul is too generous for you to ever be alone," Simone assured him.
"Absolute power corrupts absolutely," Tammas quoted, understanding. He sighed, envisioning all the wonderful things he could do for the Federation, no, for the Galaxy! And then he realized why he had taken the prime directive as his oath. He would hate it if some other higher life form exercised the same form of control over him that he was contemplating exerting over everyone else. Sure, Q could probably do lots of good for his friends, but who could stand his wrath if he were angered? Tammas wasn't ready to play the part of a god, but still, how could he let go of such power, and live knowing that it was always there, just waiting for him to take it up again. Or worse, what if someone else came along to use it? It was so easy....
“I can't ever go back to what I was before,” Tammas said quietly. “I've just learned to see. You can't ask me to go back to being blind... I can't...”
"We'll help you adjust," Counselor Troi said. "Trust me, once more."
"No. I can't go back... But you're right. I know you're right. You have your own path. I have to let you go to follow your path. No one has a right to dominate, and no one should be dominated. Your grandmother needs you, Simone. Go to her..." Tammas dismissed her with a wave of his hand and suddenly she was gone.
Tammas was crying now. "Perhaps our paths will meet again, Selar. It would be good to walk with you once more..."
Then Selar was gone.
“Tammas, what are you thinking. What are you about to do?” Deanna asked, reaching out for him.
“Just letting you go,” Tammas said. “The only way I know how. Thank you for the beach. And chewing gum.”
Deanna opened her mouth to protest, but before the words came, she was gone. Tammas closed his eyes. He transported all the Chosen to various ships. It would be standing room only on the Enterprise and Sutherland, but as Tammas was transporting the captives to the ships, two more Federation Starships dropped out of warp. He spread the people amongst the new ships. Even with the last of the Chosen gone, though, there was still the taint of power. It was more diffused and his head was less noisy with the demands and concerns of the others, but it was still leaving a bad taste in his mouth. Ambivalence still reigned, and he struggled not to bring them back, struggled not to fight to keep what he had. He knew it was necessary to let go, but he just couldn’t do it completely. He wasn't ready. None of them were ready.
Tammas shivered. As he had feared, he was not able to severe the bonds any more than he could amputate his own leg. Separating Rojan from their group was easy, like pulling a pained tooth, but these others in his head were healthy parts of him and he wanted health so desperately he could taste it, and couldn’t let go. He brushed wildly at his face. It felt as if he had just walked through a spider web and his nerve endings were firing as if there were still tangles of silk tickling his face, his nose, and neck. He was startled by Simone and Counselor Troi's voice as they called out to him. It was as if they were still there, standing right there with him.
"You have to let go, too!" Tammas pleaded. “You’re holding on. Why are you holding on? You wanted this!”
"Not like this," Simone said.
"No. I'm freeing you. All of you. Why won't you let go?” Tammas asked. "It’s the only way you can be free."
"Tammas," Counselor Troi interrupted. "There's always another way."
"Not this time. We haven't evolved enough for this toy. I always thought I would make a good god, a benevolent dictator, but I would abuse even this lesser power. I still have so much to learn. I have evolved too fast as it is. I'm not ready. The rate of evolution is increasing as our species mix, but I am not ready. Go now. Go!"
“Two new ships arriving in this sector,” Data announced.
"What?" Picard asked.
“It’s the Infinity, Captain,” Worf said. “And the Klingon ship Wolverine.”
"On screen!” Picard said.
"Captain Picard. Are you in need of assistance?" Janeway asked.
"I think we got it under control, thank you,” Captain Glor chimed in on the communication.
“Who are you?” Janeway asked.
"That was Captain Glor of the Pa Nun," Commander Riker said, standing. "Clear this channel, Captain Glor."
"Commander, please,” Glor said. “I was not aware that you were in charge of this battle. Naturally, now that I have done all the work, I place my ships at your disposal.”
“Your ships?” Picard asked.
“Yes, I’ve commandeered two Romulan Vessels,” Glor said proudly.
A Romulan cut in on the frequency. “You will surrender our ships immediately!”
“Your ships? I found them unmanned, floating free in Federation Space,” Glor said. “I claim salvage rights.”
“Surrender my ships or face the consequences,” the Romulan said.
“Data, kill this noise,” Picard said, reaching for his forehead. Though Glor technically had salvage rights, he didn’t want to deal with it at this time.
“Captain, the remaining Kelvan ship is retreating towards the Wormhole. It’s got a tractor beam on the Borg ship and it is taking it with it,” Data announced.
“Data, open hailing frequencies and tell everyone to finish off that Borg ship,” Captain Picard said. “It’s imperative that the Kelvan’s not escape with Borg technology.”
"I hear you, Captain,” Riker said, his voice clear over the audio. “Two captured Romulan ships have just entered the wormhole. It looks like it is stable.”
Doctor Selar appeared on the Bridge of the Enterprise. Before Picard could welcome her back, Troi appeared right next to her. She seemed to be reaching out to someone.
"Sir," Worf interrupted the welcome home. "The planetoid is moving. Its current trajectory has it on a collision course with the sun."
"It's Tam," Doctor Selar said. "He's attempting to destroy it."
"Captain, we have to beam him out of there. He’s going to commit suicide," Deanna added.
"Bring us around on an intercept course. Transporter room, as soon as you get a lock on Garcia’s coordinates, beam him up. Data, prepare to lower shields on my command," Captain Picard ordered.
"Sir!" Brooks shouted. She didn't have to add an explanation. The answer was clear enough on the main viewer. Someone was attacking them again.
“Data, hail Riker and tell him the situation. One of us has to get close enough to beam Garcia off the planetoid,” Picard said.
“Aye, Captain,” Data agreed.
"Evasive!" Picard yelled. "Get us out of the battle, Brooks."
"Sir, the Pa Nun is going after Garcia. They are requesting back up," Data said.
"Acknowledge their request. Get us over there now. Make a hole if you can't find one,” Picard said.
"I'm trying, Captain..." Brooks said. Not only were they maneuvering around live ships and dodging stray torpedoes, but there was a tremendous amount of battle debris to avoid.
Simone found herself suddenly in Ten Forward, on the Enterprise. She didn’t know it was the Enterprise, but she was comforted to