But A Walking Shadow
2301, Deck 7, Main Transporter, 1000 hours
"No. No, I can't do this!" Casana squealed and turned to run, but was blocked by Sahar and Suvak.
"Yes, you can," Sahar reassured her, turning her around.
"I can't. Danny will find out about Shen," she whispered nervously, despite being alone with the two of them in the corridor.
"Lieutenant Commander Ben-David is already aware of the symbiont," Suvak explained.
"What?!" Casana cried, looking with horror at Suvak.
"It was necessary to inform him in order to maintain your secret."
"He'll alter the transporter records after beaming to hide the symbiont," Sahar said calmingly. Casana took a deep breath and nodded her consent. Slowly, they coaxed her into the transporter room, but as soon as the door opened and she saw the pad, Casana again tried to run.
"Transporter room, Bridge, what's taking so long?" asked Lieutenant Commander Osuna over the intercom.
"Some minor technical glitches. We'll have it ironed out in a moment, sir." Danny smiled at Casana.
"Pick up the pace. The survey team on the service needs to be relieved. Bridge out." More than a year had passed since exercises with the Gorn, and the
Athena
was now on the other side of Federation space, surveying planets core-ward of the Federation/Cardassian border. They were currently in orbit around a typical M-Class planet with the ruins of a now-extinct pre-industrial civilization. Sahar, now a full Lieutenant, was leading a survey team to the surface.
"Wait, what if there's an accident?" Casana whined, trying to slip by Sahar and Suvak to no avail.
"We don't have time for this," Sahar sighed to Suvak. They each grabbed an arm and carried the squirming Trill to the transporter pad. Lieutenant Morgan was already on the pad waiting for them, and laughed at the three of them. They lifted Casana up and set her on one of the transport pads.
"Stay," Sahar pointed at her as she took her position.
"Bridge, we are ready for transport," Sahar said.
"Very well. Energize."
******
Surface of Beta Cutal IV, Survey Team Basecamp, 0650 hours local
In a matter of seconds, Sahar, Suvak, Casana, and Kara materialized on the surface of the planet. They had beamed down a few meters inside the campsite perimeter, a large ring of sensors and force field generators designed to ensure the camp was secure while the team was away. "Oh, god," Casana gasped as she patted herself down franticly. "Oh, god, did it work? I felt something. Something went wrong! Do I still have spots?" she cried.
"You're fine," Sahar said impatiently without looking at Casana. "Let's go. We're late."
The team they were relieving, led by Lieutenant Commander Tokada, was waiting for them in the middle of the camp.
"Gamma team reporting, sir," Sahar said as they approached.
"About time. What took you so long?" he scowled.
"Transporter problems. Everything's working now, though."
"Alright, fine," Tokada grumbled. "Beta team stands relieved.
Athena
, four to beam up." As Tokada and the three other survey team members were beamed up, Sahar surveyed the camp. A large, prefabricated building had been assembled in the center of the camp, designed to serve as the sleeping quarters, mess, and command center for the survey teams. A small building had been erected next to the main building, housing the scientific equipment and facilities.
Around the buildings were several other pieces of equipment, including an atmospheric monitoring station, an emergency comm relay, and several storage containers. Lastly, there was a six-man shuttle parked on the surface for emergency evacuation.
The survey of the planet had been planned in three phases. Alpha team selected the campsite and constructed the buildings and perimeter, which had taken several days. Beta had been a geological/environmental survey team. They had just finished their two-week survey. Gamma was Sahar's team. Normally, security officers did not lead survey teams, but this system was between Cardassian and Federation space, and tensions had been mounting in recent years as the two powers grew nearer to each other.
The campsite was in foothills west of a massive mountain range. The white peaks stretched north to south as far as the eye could see, rising steeply into the sky. The rumble from a number of large waterfalls could be heard in the distance, feeding several small streams that ran around and through the camp. To the west, the streams merged into a wide, deep river. The river wound through the lightly wooded lowlands which stretched several dozen kilometers west to the coast of one of Beta Cutal IV's oceans.
In these lowlands, a few kilometers from the campsite, lay Gamma's area of interest. Built into the rolling hills, where several streams met to form the river, was a sprawling, deserted city. Scans had found no power sources of any kind, no trace of industrialization, and no living animals larger than a dog. Gamma had three weeks to examine the city.
"Get set up. We start tomorrow," Sahar ordered.
******
Basecamp, 2340 hours local
Suvak sat motionless on her small bed in the main building, a single candle burning in front of her, deep in meditation. She sat, back stiff, legs crossed, hands on her knees, eyes closed, concentrating inward. She focused her mind on relaxing her body. Her heart rate slowed, blood pressure fell, breathing slowed. One by one, she slowed each of her body's core functions, reaching a state of total calm.
Or at least that was her intention.
This time, it was different. Regardless of how much she focused, she could not calm her body. It was unsettling for her, something she had not experienced for many years. Suvak was nothing if not persistent, but it was to no avail. She focused harder, pushing the limits of her mental discipline.
Her pulse raced, her breathing quickened, and she grew hot. She felt something else, too, something she did not recognize. It was energizing, yet painful. Suvak could not understand the strange experience. She focused harder, but it was useless. She could not stem the tide of sensation.
Her eyes snapped open. She finally recognized what she felt.
Emotion.
Rage. Humiliation, betrayal, and rage. Her hands gripped her knees tightly, the nails digging into her bare flesh. She blinked several times, and the feelings began to fade. Slowly, her body relaxed, and she lay back to sleep.
Casana was also unsettled. She was afraid that she would be discovered, that her secret would be revealed. Yet, at the same time, she knew the potential good that could be done.
I cannot win
, she thought.
The Joining was a glorious thing, and she knew the Federation would benefit greatly from the vast knowledge and experience of the Joined Trill. She was certain that the Federation would use this resource wisely. The expertise of the Joined Trill could alter the course of history, if used correctly.
But at the same time, she was afraid of what would happen if the Symbiosis Commission found out that she had failed to keep her secret. They had handed out punishments to those that had violated the oaths taken before the Joining, and those punishments were harsh. Besides, if their secret became common knowledge, it could put her race in terrible danger.
Casana felt trapped. Trapped between what she knew should happen and what she could actually do.
Sahar, meanwhile, was afraid. It was not a fear that enveloped her, drowning out all other feelings. Rather, it was a fear that sat in the back of her mind, slowly gnawing away at her. With each passing second, it grew nearer, causing her to curl up in her bed. She knew she should know what she was afraid of, but she couldn't figure it out.
It was the kind of fear that haunts. She knew something was wrong, but had no idea what, and was powerless to stop it. It was as though a great storm was brewing over the horizon. It was out of sight, but the perceptive could still sense its approach. And she knew that when it came, she would be in the eye of the storm.
With this realization, panic swept through her. She had to escape what was coming, but no escape was possible. Slowly, the panic receded, and she began to breathe easier. But in its place was something else.
Resignation.
Across the small room, Kara watched Sahar toss and turn. She knew that Sahar was under great pressure, and was afraid, but there was nothing she could do. Unlike Sahar, Kara was in the unique position of knowing exactly what was wrong.
Or, at least she thought she did.
Kara had seen the burden of command consume people, but she felt there was something else, something she was missing.
Something sinister.
******
Basecamp, 0600 hours local
Sahar snapped the clip into the base of her phaser and holstered it. "Ready?"
"Ready, Harry," Casana answered.
"Don't make me shoot you," Sahar sighed. "Move out." The four of them set out from basecamp towards the city. Though sunrise had technically occurred a few minutes before, Beta Cutal had not yet climbed above the mountains. As they hiked down towards the city, the shadow of the mountains could be seen clearly in the coastal waters of the ocean.
They followed one of the streams down the foothills. The trees grew dense near the water, providing a nearly solid green canopy. The foliage was dense enough that the forest floor was hard to see in the early morning light. After nearly half an hour picking their way through the thick brush, the team emerged from the forest onto a grass covered slope.
"Holy crap," Casana gasped, stopping in her tracks. Before them, only a few hundred meters away, stood a towering gatehouse built into the city's wall. It was made from glittering white stone, eroded heavily but still shining in the morning light. The wall towered more than 20 meters over them, with a gatehouse built in rising another 10. "That is awesome."
"Finally," Sahar smiled. "Eight years. Eight years, and I finally get to see a new civilization." A hand clasped her shoulder, and she glanced back into Kara's shining eyes.
"Let's take a look," she said softly.
"Agreed. Let's have a look."
