The court hall was full of people with different statuses within the Federation who were drawn to this unique case. The door opened as the judge walked to his seat. “All rise” everyone stood up as the judge walked to his seat and sat in his chair. Everyone else followed to sit down on their chair. “Today, we will start the trial of Captain Sazra Praugol, Captain of the USS Damascus. Please bring her in” Journalist micro cams powered up and started to fly up to face the door. 

The door opens as two security guards on each side enter the room, with Sazra walking in the middle with her hands in chains. Her eyes gave a red dimmed glow as she wore a gray uniform representing her status as a prisoner. Wearing no ranks, no badge. The micro cams went close to her to get a good view of her. The two guards placed her at the front bench Sazra put her hands on it but stood before the judge.

“Right, order in the room” The judge finally spoke as he looked around, waiting for everyone to calm down with the arrival of a well-known Captain. The room calms down as he nods, looking down at his PADD. “Alright, Captain Sazra Praugol, you stand before us for your crimes at Avalon Fleet Yards. You were seen in the act of letting the explosion go off, and lucky for you, there were no deaths. After that, you ran from the crime scene and resisted arrest. How do you plead” 

Sazra raised her head slightly and looked directly at the judge. “I plead guilty because my actions are a response to the lack of actions that Starfleet has done to protect the people in Delta Quadrant” Hearing a commotion starting around her, Sazra cold eyes stared at the judge. Taking a deep breath, “The Blood Dilithium has driven people to madness in that quadrant. We of the Fourth Fleet were not prepared for what was awaiting there. The Devore Imperium took drastic steps to expand on their greed. While they did that, they purged any telepathic that they deemed nothing but second or third-rate citizens. Torture them, kill them for joy” She placed her hands flat onto the table to lean forward. “And Starfleet did nothing to respond properly to defend them the weak” 

“Order in this court, or you shall be removed!” The judge slammed the hammer down a few times to get the room to settle down as he looked at Sazra who repositioned herself. “While you have agreed to your crimes that will make this case much easier to deal with. Some people disagree with your assessment Captain. The USS Damascus senior crew has filed a petition for unsoundness of mind. Counselor Nedzill Praugol supports this petition. Meaning your words are being challenged and every piece of evidence is being re-examined. The court has placed Investigator Lashnem Skess and Akke Oyem onto this case after this petition was made, and they will conclude the results of your actions Captain Praugol”

The door opened again as a woman with short dark red hair and formal clothing walked towards the bench. “Thank you judge for approving of Damascus petition. It has been a while since I stood here in these courts and the occasion is quite special for me” She stopped behind Sazra “I am here to defend my daughter in this case honorable judge” 

Her eyes narrowed upon hearing her mother’s name as she looked over her shoulder with her red eyes looking directly at her mother who was still looking at the judge with a soft smile on her face. Sazra looked back at the judge who was puzzled by the sudden and yet unique request that the councilor made. It was only a matter of time until…

“I have to object sir. Counselor Praugol is personally involved with Captain Praugol as it is her only daughter” The advocate had already jumped up from his chair to protest against this unlawfulness act. “Plus Captain Praugol has already admitted to the crime, so why would a petition of unsoundness of mind be approved?” 

The judge narrowed his eyes and looked at the advocate. “Because of the case presented to me by Counselor Praugol and the Damascus senior staff. I had to confirm the findings with Starfleet. But it seems that there is a possibility that Captain Praugol is under the influence of Blood Dilithium. During her mission in the Delta Quadrant, the Damascus was exposed to a long duration of Blood Dilithium, and we are still not entirely familiar with the effects of this crystal. Additionally, Captain Praugol’s sudden burst of admitting and stating that the Federation has not acted in their best way to defend the people of the Delta Quadrant makes the petition even stronger” The judge sighs a bit. “Therefore I will allow Counselor Praugol to stand in her stead to defend her daughter. The personal connection has nothing to do with the case that is being presented. However, I will point out that if I suspect that personal gain is involved in the case, then I will remove you from the case miss Praugol” 

The protesting advocate sat down disappointed by this sit back as Nedzill smiled softly. “Thank you for giving this opportunity honorable judge” Looking at Sazra finally as she sat down next to her. “Please take a seat dear” She placed down a PADD that she was holding that had all the information from the USS Damascus. 

She looks at the judge for a second as she shrugs and hears her mother command to sit down. Sazra muttered. However, she did sit down on the chair. “Why are you even here? You know what I did” Speaking directly to her mother but didn’t look at her. 

“Because my daughter has no valid reason to attack the very thing she has worked so hard for. Her principles and ideals are everything to her, which means that Starfleet is everything to her” She looked at her daughter. “So if the reports are right, you better get out of her” Looking back at the judge without a change in her facial expression. 

Sazra looked surprised at her mother and wanted to react as the judge slammed the hammer to begin the case.

I am Investigator Oyem, so Commander Ruslanovna, tell us what happened on the way back from Delta Quadrant. Please do not leave any details out of your testimony, as it might be the only way to save your Captain.

Bridge

Rubbing her face, Silina didn’t have much sleep for the last few days as the events of the Blood Crystalline Entity still woke her up in a sweat every night. The doctor had given her some calming pills, but they worked only briefly. It is just a matter of processing the events that had happened. Silina looked slowly upwards at the screen “ETA to the gate?”

“We arrre about 10 minutes out Commanderrr. We will be on time to catch the flight back to Alpha” K’Nala spoke from her console. The girl had been dealing with the same issue as Silina, but she actually had to take a leave and talk to some counselors. K’Nala hand was shaking as she made a fist “The ship is responding well. The quick repairrr did miracle work for us sirrr” 

Nodding to that, “That it did Ensign” Silina looked at her side to Rami, the two were still not leveled after her last conflict with him. But hopefully, he understands the reason she did it, and it would develop him further in his future career. “Lieutenant status of the ship systems from your side” Silina looked back at the screen waiting for his response.

“The ship’s weapon systems are still down. I disagree with the Captain’s choice to do this as anything could happen with our travels from here to Alpha or even in Alpha” Rami didn’t get a response from Silina and narrowed his eyes slightly.”Right….shields are holding at 78% and security teams are helping out where they can throughout the ship” He finished his report and just shook his head looking at his console.

Silina sighs. “Thank you for your report Lieutenant. What is the status of the ship Ensign?” Looking over her left shoulder to the young Bolian that looked surprised “Don’t worry Ensign, I am just asking for your report” She winks at him.

He nodded to her “Yes ma’am. The ship is running at full capacity concerning its engines. We have some decks that are still vacant due to the intense damage the Blood Crystalline Entity did to them. We need a dry dock to patch this ship up Commander. But all in all, we are holding together thanks to the amazing work of Commander Valerio. He has been working around the clock…..ehh” Drata shrugged knowing that he was not supposed to say that. 

Raising her eyebrow, Silina rolled her eyes “I told him to get some rest. Thanks for letting me know Ensign” Siilina tapped the side of the chair knowing that Sazra would not like that particular news “Anything else Ensign?” She resumed trying to distract her thoughts. 

“You are welcome… . No Commander, we should be able to hold it out until  we arrive at the dry docks. But I think it is a wise advice not to engage anything that could be potentially hostile as we shall not be able to hold our ground for very long” Drata resumed his report. 

“I am not planning on doing that Ensign trust me, we are heading straight for that gate and nothing will distract us” Silina confirmed even if it is just for herself. 

“Plan to do what?” A voice came from the turbolift as Sazra walked onto the bridge looking around and pats Drata on the shoulder who was saluting her. “Stop doing that please, I don’t need a saluting every time I arrive at the bridge Ensign” 

“Yes ma’am” Drata lowers his hand quickly and looks awkwardly at the console. 

Standing up, Silina stepped aside for Sazra to sit down. “The Ensign is advising us not to go into any combat with anyone as we will be wiped off the galaxy map in our current condition” Silina sits down in her own chair. “We will be arriving at the gate in less than 5 minutes Captain” 

Giving a firm nod to that “That sounds like a smart idea Ensign, we are barely to keep ourselves together as it is. Did Commander Valerio get his rest?” Sazra checked the messages on her command console and blinked as she looked at her side Silina “Did he?” 

“Well, it seems that he has been occupied with getting Damascus in one piece to the gate it seems. He has not really taken our advice to take a well-deserved rest Captain.” Silina shrugged at that as she knew the question was going to be mentioned to her “I will speak to him later after the jump that he should get a rest” 

“Make that an order” Sazra simply spoke as she had her eyes narrowed looking at Silina “Or I will advise mister Shew to escort our Chief to the brig and make him rest there” 

“The brig is not fully functional Captain” Rami pointed out “Energy is being directed to engines per your request” 

Biting her lower lip, Sazra looked at Rami “Be creative then, be it his room without any outside connections. Knowing him he will resume his work in his room” The ship then jumped out of warp and large amount of ships were visible “A good we have arrived, Ensign take us in line per flight commander orders” 

“Yes Captain, placing us in line” K’Nala replied as the ship moved to the designated location that was given by the traffic control that came from the flagship of this huge operation. 

Sazra looked back at Silina “Alright talk to our genius Chief when we get back to Alpha Quadrant and tell him that if he wishes to see his engineering again he will have to get some sleep.” Sazra leans back in her chair as she grabbed her head rubbing it slightly.

“Captain you alright?” Silina asked looking curious at Sazra as she simply wove it off “Alright…”

Well, let’s get this show on the road, shall we? Oh yea, my name is Investigator Skess from JAG ordered to investigate this case. Could you tell your side of the story Commander Valerio? What happened when you arrived back in Alpha Quadrant? Engineering

Rubbing his forehead, he took a deep breath to let it all sink in. The warp cell was fixed to acceptable standards, but it placed a used bandage on a broken leg. It would only hold for so long. They had already entered the Alpha Quadrant, so time was not directly in their favor. They needed to get to Avalon as quickly as possible to use their fleet yards to do emergency repairs. His eyes looked to the side, seeing the recent report status of the ship. He knew that at least one warp cell was going to be replaced for the amount of stress it had to endure. Well, what did you expect? The ship crashed into the side of an asteroid made up of blood dilithium.

Adrián knew that was not the only thing that needed repairs. The lower decks needed to be restructured after the amount of pressure it had endured during the attack of the Blood Crystalline Entity, and then there was the hole that the creature punctured in the upper decks. There was severe damage across the decks and blown plasma conduits. Yea, the Damascus was in one piece when they got her, but she had already been put into the grill at max heat. It would take weeks to get her fixed and back into the field. 

He dropped his head on the console. “Why did they even send a vessel like this so close to enemy space” Adrián mutters to himself. He really wanted to know the answer to that question. They required a bloody escort while operating in that grid. It was already dangerous enough by its own natural anomalies created by the Blood Dilithium. He took a few deep breaths at a slow pace trying to calm down and process a bit of what had happened so far.

“Did you get some sleep” A voice was heard behind Adrián, but it was familiar.

“Yes, Captain, I actually did sleep for a good hour and twenty minutes” Adrián looked at the direction of the voice seeing Sazra standing there with K’Nala standing at her side. “Welcome to engineering Ensign” 

“Hmmm,” Sazra responded with a huff of annoyance as she looked around, seeing quite some engineering doing their best to get the engineering back into shape. “What is the status report of our ship? Can we make Avalon?” Her attention dropped back to her Chief Engineer.

“Thank you, Commanderrr” K’Nala acknowledged the Commander’s welcome to the engineering and snapped back into attention letting her Captain take the lead in the conversation. 

Humming briefly at that as Adrián sat up and looked around. “She gave it her all. She is still doing everything she can to get us safely to our destination. But it will take every inch of her warp core to get us there. We have sustained significant damage from that Blood Crystalline Entity and the asteroid’s impact. My team works around the clock to check every system the ship has to keep the crew safe. The lower decks are still off-limit as we can’t guarantee their safety in that space.” Adrián shrugged at that last part, looked back at his Captain, and noticed a brief red glow in her eyes. “Captain, you alright?”

Sazra blinked her eyes for a bit as the red glow disappeared from them. “I am perfectly fine. The lack of sleep is also getting to me” She shrugged a bit. “But I can sleep when I am death, the ship needs her Captain” She took a deep breath “So how long do presume the Damascus will be in docks estimated on her damage right now?” 

“When you arrre death?” K’Nala looked confused and worried at her Captain.

“It is a figure of speech Ensign. She means that she is setting priorities elsewhere than her sleeping conditions at this moment. Which is not setting an example for the crew, to be honest,” Adrián smirks a bit. “The ship has damaged all decks, and her cell needs to be replaced. Well, that counts for one of them” He taps his left hand on the railing and looks around. “I can only presume numbers right now, but I take a guess at seven weeks minimum” 

Sazra rolled her eyes at the comment and placed her hand on the shoulder of the young Ensign. “Don’t worry, I can handle myself. I am obligated to watch over every crew member on this ship. Even at the cost of my own health, don’t tell our doctor or first officer that” She shrugged and pulled her hand back looking at Adrián. “Seven weeks in dry dock is not that bad. I expected longer seeing the severity of the damage to the ship. Keep me posted Commander” With that said she turned around and walked to the exit of the engineering followed by the Ensign. 

Dry Dock 14 – Avalon Fleet Yards.

So the ship managed to make it to the dry docks, but barely as its engines gave out when they entered the system. Some working bees had to pull the damaged ship into its docks. The docking port opened as Sazra and Adrián walked out, greeted by the operational chief at that given time. “Welcome to Avalon Fleet Yards. I see you have brought a very sick pup to my docks” The man spoke looking at the Damascus.

“Yea it does require some love, care, and maybe some paint here and there” Adrián smiled looking in the same direction “Can you patch her up?” 

The man scratches behind his head looking at the damage. “It will take some time, but she is fixable yea” He then points at the damaged warp cell. “But that I need to order…Starfleet Corps Engineer can deliver it within two or three weeks” 

While Adrián nodded, Sazra placed a hand on her head and then lowered it. “I will be taking a walk. Report to me later” Sazra spoke and walked away without waiting for a reaction.

The two looked at each other as Adrián just nodded “I got it covered here Captain, take it easy” 

Skess: Well, let us look at the security material and see what she is done since the crew said she was leaving the ship after the docking. Which is strange by itself. What is her reason for leaving the ship in such a hurry? 

Oyem: Especially when the crew didn’t notice anything weird in her behavior aside from her red glowing eyes. I have read the report on the Fourth Fleet operations in the Delta Quadrant regarding the Blood Dilithium. It did say that telepathies and telepathic sensitive people would be affected by the strange readings from this rock. If this were the case with Captain Praugol….well let’s see what she does.

Nearby the Dry Docks

People were doing their daily duties, walking to do their tasks, and talking to fellow officers to get specific tasks going. Avalon Fleet Yards was already busy as it was. Many ships from the Fourth Fleet that got damaged in their operations in Delta Quadrant would come to Avalon Fleet yards to get their repairs. Walking among the people, Sazra felt the sweat dripping down her neck as she felt quite warm. 

Officers that were passing her were looking at her as one stopped and looked at her “Captain are you alright?” 

Sazra snapped back to focus on the voice that was asking as she leaned on a wall with one hand. “It has been quite a day…” Her eyes looked at the neck and then back. “Lieutenant, do not worry about me, I need to have a walk around and get this stress out of my body. Please do continue your work” She wove him away seeing the Lieutenant nodding to her and walking away.

Taking a few deep breaths, Sazra pushed herself off the wall, continued walking, and tried her best to keep a poker face on to all the people around her. She knew that something was wrong with her. The mission in Delta Quadrant was sticking behind her, but what was sticking to her? Trying to reconnect all the dots of every single event that happened in Delta Quadrant. Meanwhile, she made her way unconsciously to the lower decks of the yards, where not many people were. 

On her left side, the ships were visible being in dry docks and getting their repairs to continue their mission out there. There was enough work that was left behind for the Fourth Fleet, and it was not holding out just because they were all in Delta Quadrant. Problems were growing in various locations and these ships needed to get back into the field. Sazra dropped to her knees and landed her hands flat onto the window breathing heavily “AHHHH” She screamed out. 

Her head was feeling as if it was being pulled apart. Only then did she notice in the reflection that her eyes were red again. She looked around at the ships, wondering if any blood dilithium was present at these docks. It was the only thing that was really affecting her. But then again, would Starfleet not take any preparation to handle this ore better in its processing, or were they really careless?

Another wave of pain hit her head as she rolled onto the floor. Grabbing her head, “Let it stop!!!!” She struggled as she knew one grave mistake that she had made. Exiting her ship without notifying her doctor of this problem that was developing rapidly. She pressed her combadge “Sazra to Kossaal” She almost begged in her voice for him to respond or to get any response from anyone. But the issue was that she was in an area with shield emitters that impacted the communications range.

“Kos…l her….Cap…n?” A static sound came over the line that interfered with the voice of Kossaal who tried his best to contact his captain.

“Help me….pain is to much” She rubbed firmly against her templates as Sazra closed her eyes.

“Te…whe.e…u are Captai…?!” 

But then her body became numb for a second, as shown on the security footage. It was like Sazra had a significant impact on her body. It only took a minute until her body started to move again. Sitting up as if nothing had happened. With her red eyes, she looked at her hands one by one and then to her left to the alley. She stood up and cracked her neck and just gave a brief nod to herself as she moved on as if nothing had happened. 

Dry Dock 2 – Lower Coupling Area

In another security footage, Sazra appears. Her facial expression looked focused as if she was on a mission. Moving to a coupling device and opening it up. She started pulling out some wires and rewiring others as an alert went off, making her look briefly over her shoulder. Her red eyes were still clearly visible. She looked back and continued her work pulling leverage that made the system slowly start to overload. She made her exit and rushed away from the crime scene.

It only took a few minutes until the system automatically kicked in locking down the area as overloaded plasma conduits caused a massive explosion. Dry dock 2 was no longer operational, and a ship that was trying to dock with it had to make emergency moves not to get hit but still sustained damage by the explosion. 

Sazra had rushed upwards, and security already had a profile on her looking for her. Everyone was on a high state of alert. Medical and engineer teams rushed to the area as security teams did their patrols locking the area to get the criminal that was responsible for this action. One of them was Miki, a Saurian that was assigned here on a temporary basis to help out with the incoming damaged ships. Miki couldn’t believe that a Captain would do such a terrible thing. 

But in his luck he rushed into an open space where also Sazra rushed into as they both looked at each other “Now Captain, let’s not do any rash things…”

Oyem: Alright reports stated that you, Lieutenant Miki, patrolled the area to find Captain Sazra Praugol after the bomb went off. You found her by accident in the corridor. What happened at that moment? Please don’t be shy about the details as it contributes to Captain Praugol’s case.

Lower Decks

Looking calmly with his big eyes at Sazra, Miki lifted his hand to give the impression of creating a calm-down situation. “We are looking for you to have a nice conversation about recent events on this base” He did notice her red eyes pinpointed at him. He didn’t see any species with such eyes, rarity? “So let us stop running Captain and walk with me back to the security office for a nice cup of tea or something else” 

Moving slowly down to her knees keeping her eyes locked on Miki. Sazra grabbed the iron pipe and with a smooth kick broke it off. Steam escapes from the floor as she twists the pipe around. “Less talking, more action Lieutenant. 101 of your security is not to underestimate your opponent or has Starfleet lost its vision on its principle of how to protect their people” She points the pipe at him. 

Lowering his hands and letting out a sigh “Well that went differently in my head” Miki shrugged and cracked his neck as he noticed how Sazra talked. It was like she talked about Starfleet as if she was not part of it. “Interesting” He raised his hands and looked at her. “I never underestimate anyone. I try to be civilized and talk first before resorting to violence. We are after all at the in the Klingon Empire” 

She nodded slightly and made the first move, swinging the pipe at him. The pipe misses as he could avoid it by ducking down, but Sazra had planned ahead, given him a knee, then slammed him on his back as she backed away. “You talk a lot, but your fighting is mediocre” She smirks letting the pipe hang for a second looking as Miki gets back on his feet.

 “Well, that was a nice move” Miki growled a bit feeling the pain in his back, and looked at Sazra. “I guess it is my move now right?” He didn’t wait for the answer and moved forward to give a swing Sazra missed as she moved her head slightly. But with the same swing, he also wanted to give her a knee at her side. But to Miki’s surprise, it was stopped by Sazra’s hand as she quickly grabbed it and swung him to the ground again only to back off again “Argg…you better than you look” 

“Well, times give you opportunities to grow and develop after all” Sazra replied walking around. “You have not called for help. It is a standard thing to do…but I presume the lower decks are blocking signals, so you can’t get any help.” She didn’t look at him and kept walking around while he tried to get back on his feet. 

Miki did get back on his feet again and caught his breath looking at the Captain. She was seasoned and knew quite well what she was doing, her body movements, her body itself was giving away the history, and it did pique his interest “So Captain, where you from….” Grabbing another loose pipe and broke it off “You seem …lost” He swung his pipe around and stopped before him looking at it. “What is your story” He Finally turned his attention to her.

Without a warning, she swung at him, but he managed to block her. “My story is that I am here to wake the Federation up and do what it promises its people to do.” Pushing herself away from him as she swung the pipe again at him only to get blocked and then blocked again. “Starfleet enters the wild Delta Quadrant expecting everything to be handed on a golden plate, but we faced the reality of what has truly happened with the crusade of the Devore Imperium” 

Blocking another hit, Miki was fortune that his reflects were spot on by training and specializing in battles like these. “Delta Quadrant, never been there but what I have heard from the returning ships it is hell there right now. The whole Blood Dilithium is one big bait. But it got resolved, or so I heard” Miki finally managed to hit her on the arm but was surprised that she didn’t react to it, and he had to block her smash. 

“Delta Quadrant will never be released from the sadistic and power-hunger of the Devore Imperium. The issue is not resolved. It is only beginning to evolve. Starfleet needs to return to Delta Quadrant and declare war upon the Devore Imperium! They are enslaving people. They are killing them for sports and their entertainment if you are just a telepathic person. You are nothing but a second-grade person that is below them” Her swings became more aggressive and unpredictable, and her emotions were getting to her. 

Power-hunger? Enslaving people? Miki started to wonder what the heck happened over there. But it didn’t break his focus on her, she swung a few times, and he noticed that the emotions were getting to her. That would mean that it was his time to take the chance to end it. “Starfleet did it task Captain, we are done in the Delta Quadrant and there are still ships operating there to do whatever it is needed. But declaring war is not within our principle. Again we are not the Klingon Empire or the old Romulan Empire.  We solve these issues by talking it out through diplomacy” He blocked another. Miki wondered if the Captain was suffering from the type of PSDT that she had witnessed in the Delta Quadrant. 

“Then Starfleet is better to be destroyed with their idealism, and fictional belief of peace that they try to imprint in others’ heads. While people are suffering!” Sazra charges with her pipe. 

Miki saw the opportunity and blocked the pipe away and with a swing manage to hit her at her side. Miki saw her drop to the floor and Miki quickly slammed her knock-out “Whatever you saw….experienced….rest now Captain”

The room looked vintage in its old wood style, giving off a warm but business vibe. A Betazoid was sitting in his chair as he looked over some files. The door chimed as his eyes redirected to the door. “Come in” The door opened as an elder Tellarite, and younger Bajoran walked into the office stopping at the judge’s desk. “Ahh, you have come to a conclusion?” 

Skess shrugged a bit. “Your honor we have a conclusion for the case of Captain Praugol” He placed the PADD down on the desk of Cornelio. “But we find this case rather interesting, especially with recent events that affected the fourth fleet as a whole” He looked at Oyem.

“Your honor as you will read in our findings the Captain’s weird behavior started when she returned from Delta Quadrant. We have other reports that indicate that crew members in Delta Quadrant have shown similar behavior to sabotage Starfleet installations” Oyem stood at attention before the judge.

Reading down the PADD that was given to him, Cornelio narrowed his eyes and looked up at the two of them. “So what you are saying is the operations that the Fourth Fleet has conducted in Delta Quadrant is the explanation to Captain Praugol rebel’s behavior?” He had difficulty understanding the gravity of the problem and looked at Skess “Is it a virus?”

Taking a deep breath “Not entirely. The reports we managed to gather from the Fourth Fleet are that they responded to a large and unknown anomaly in the Delta Quadrant. The operation was to investigate the Blood Dilithium appearance and assist any species. Fourth Fleet had aggressive encounters with certain species such as the Hirogen but mainly the Devore Imperium.” Skess nods to himself. “Fourth Fleet quickly understood the urgency of the situation and first reports showed that the Blood Dilithium affects those that got telepathic or sensitive to in losing their minds by hearing undescribable screams” 

Oyem followed up “We have read into the reports of the Damascus, Captain Praugol command, up as well. They went deep into the territory to get essential and invaluable information regarding the Blood Dilithium and its origin. They met up with quite some resistance and a secret experiment by the Devore Imperium against the telepathic” 

Tapping his finger on the desk “Come to a point. What has this all to do with Captain Praugol’s current situation? Is she medically speaking effected by whatever is out there in Delta Quadrant, or are her actions done by clear mind”. Cornelio was getting impatient and knowing that he had other cases to deal with didn’t help with such a long explanation. 

“The short answer is…it is not medical” Oyem shrugged

Before Cornelio interjected Skess spoke up “But at the same time it is medical…..” 

Rolling his eyes “Give me an explanation as to what you mean by that” Cornelio leans back in his chair “And please hurry I do not have all day” 

“Captain Praugol falls under the category of telepathic sensitive. She was not pulled off the mission into Delta Quadrant as Starfleet or Fourth Fleet deemed it safe within reason. Her experience also weighted in on this mission that Fourth Fleet desperately needed. But the mission reports state that she had been exposed to a few times against the Blood Dilithium” Skess explained. 

Nodding to Skess, Oyem continued “The thing is, we know little to nothing about the effects of the Blood Dilithium. We only know the facts of this case. One Captain Praugol has been exposed to the Blood Dilithium on more than one occasion. Two her First Officer reports that she has shown drastic mood swings in dire situations. Three her doctor states that she has been exposed to being in connection telepathically with a Blood Crystalline Entity for a long time which weakens her telepathic barrier. Lastly, the moment the Damascus docked at Avalon her personage changed. Her hatred of Starfleet and passion to put us down because we were not helping was not recognized as normal behavior based on her medical files.” 

Leaning forward onto his table, Cornelio narrows his eyes. “So if I understand this correctly, we are not dealing with Captain Praugol?” 

Skess and Oyem looked at each other and then back at the Judge. “That statement would be correct your honor. Blood Dilithium is stated to house the spirit, or kindred of passed away Brenari. We have the suspicion that because her mind protection layer was so drastically low….a spirit housed themselves into the body of Captain Praugol” Oyem explained carefully.

“That is very far-fetched, but I see the Fourth Fleet reports of these claims. I need to contact some of the JAG here at the office and even Fourth Fleet JAG” Cornelio shrugged looking at the PADD and seeing the reports that he mentioned. “Thanks for your report and effort in this investigation. You two are dismissed” He nods to them as a formal thanks.

They both nodded “You are welcome your honor” with that said they both left the office per the request of the judge leaving him behind. 

He leans in his chair “This case is getting more complicated by the minuted. First an explosion, then an outburst in my court and now the investigation report states that she is not in control of her own mind. This became from a criminal case to a political case in one go” Cornelio shrugged letting his head hang backwards having his eyes closed for a second. “I better get to work on this then” He shook his head and started to make calls and send away the messages that needed to be sent. 

Stretching a final time to get ready for it. Adrián sighed and really didn’t want to do this, but Starfleet could revoke his status due to the incomplete academy course of 101 survival. “How could they mess something up of this size” He shrugged and scratched the back of his head as he saw the arctic jacket at his side and saw Silina.

“Just hurry up already, you know what to do, and we got to get our Captain back” Silina was frustrated with the ordeal to come in between.

“Ayy ay Commander” Grabbing the jacket and putting it on. “It is not like I could help it that they screwed my record up” Adrián pulled the zipper up and looked at the PADD for the information the Academy had given him about the scenario.

Your starship responds to a distress beacon at a research outpost on a glaciated P-class planet. All communication attempts go unanswered. Due to interference from the weather, site transporting is too risky. Your shuttle had to make an emergency landing in a mountainous valley. Sensors are spotty, but they show the outpost is roughly a day and a half walk to the northwest. Communications with your starship are equally spotty. The shuttle has cold weather gear, but little else beyond standard rations and phasers.

He just nodded to himself “Please keep an eye out for Drata. He might be skilled but is still young to make mistakes in engineering” Adrián shrugged. “Computer start Survival Training Starfleet Academy 101 Dash Re Dash Exam” The computer bleeped. “Candidate Lieutenant Commander Adrián Valerio” The computer bleeped again as the door opened, showing the crashed shuttle and the snowy landscape as far as the eyes could see. “Well damn”

Pats on Adrián’s shoulders, Silina grinned “Have fun out there. I will grab some popcorn to keep myself entertained while you do this” With that said she pushed him into the room and waved as the door slowly closed. 

Almost stumbling over his feet, he looked behind him smirking at Silina and shaking his head. “I will get you back for this” He walked on the soft snow towards the crash site and carefully looked around. Rubbing his hands together as warm breath forms a cloud before him “Oh Academy scenarios are so cruel to technology. He walked into the shuttle to gather all the necessary equipment to survive this cold. ”Some thermal shoes will do the trick on long hikes” He changed his boots and felt the warmth at his feet.

Then grabbed a tricorder and tapped a few times on it to see if it was working. “Come on…come back to me” Slowly it lit up the lights as a smile appeared on his face. “Good, now let us see where this outpost is” He makes a scan from the area. There were a few readings due to the scan. The outpost was indeed northwest of the location and a half of a day walk. The other reading was the storm that was heading to his position from the southeast. It would catch him midway through the journey. “Of course it does…”

Taking a deep breath and placing all the needed food, water, and equipment into a bag he placed it on his back. He walked outside and saw the sun up in the sky and nodded to himself. “Let us get this over with” Adrián started to walk in the direction of the outpost leaving the shuttle behind. It was beyond saving anyway, so he had to focus on survival as was meant with this exam.

Cave

Moving through the snow as it got deeper, he tried his best to wave it off from him to create a more clear path without getting delayed. Adrián looked over his shoulder as his trim beard was covered with snow and his sunglasses reflected the incoming storm that was heading in his direction. “You are quicker than I expected…” He had been gathering small bushes of dry wood from trees that he passed by, there were not many, but he could use them for a campfire later on. 

Turning his head around to see if he could use anything, his head stopped at a potentially covered place. “A cave…” He muttered and moved in the direction of where it was. The wind was already picking up, and he could quickly feel the icy temperature drop. “Almost there…” He quickly made his way into the cave and took a second to breathe looking back at the exit and seeing the storm now really picking up and raging past the cave. “Well gonna stick around here for a while, time to use my engineering degree” He pulled out the wood that he gathered and placed it on the ground. Cutting off some of his rope he placed it into a fury ball and placed it below the wood grabbing a metal stick and some flint to use it to make sparks. 

It didn’t take long before Adrián managed to get the fire going. He smiled and sat back grabbing a dry snack from his bag to get his energy back. “Now it is resting time. I swear I passed this bull crap already. Yet here I am doing this shit again” Taking a bite and shaking his head “I know Silina is having a blast out of this” With that being said, Adrián grabbed the blank and took the rest his body needed.

After a few hours, the storm calmed down, and he slowly woke up from the sunshine that hit his face. “Five more minutes” He turned around and felt the cold on his face making him sit up immediately. “Oh, yea….this crap” He shook his head, grabbed the stuff, placed it back in the bag, and put out the fire. Adrián walked out and took a deep breath and continued his journey.

Outpost

He had walked already or a few hours until he looked up and saw the outpost right in front of him. “There you are bugger” Walking towards it. It took him not so long to reach it. He noticed there were lights on and such so he knocked on the door a few times. “Come on, open up” His eyes fell on the broken communication disk. “Well that explains the blackout”.

Someone did open the door by a young Betazoid male. “How did you get out there….”

“Lieutenant Commander Valerio, of the USS Damascus. I came down to investigate your outpost blackout. I already saw the reason. I can help you reestablish communication within a few hours” He smiled. “Don’t worry I know what I am doing. I am an engineer” 

The man just gave him a nod and let him into the outpost. “We were waiting for someone to come and investigate our situation. 

“Well, your wish came true” He dusted the snow off his jacket. “You got the tools with you?” Adrián looked at him waiting for the gear he needed to get this simulation to get it done, and he could go back to fixing the Damascus. The boy did rush off to get Adrián the tools he needed. 

It did not take Adrián long to fix the array, and communication was reestablished “There we go, rescue is on its way” With that the simulation came to an end as Adrián shrugged. “Computer status of my exam?” 

[Examination has been completed, you have passed the survival exam]

Nodding to that as he moved to the exit with the door opening, Silina stood there. “Not a word, I did my part, and now I am going to do the real work” Adrián was not in the mood for her giggles about him doing this exam. Silina didn’t say anything and just nodded to him.

“Drata kept himself pretty busy while you were occupied with this” Silina followed Adrián. “Avalon Fleet Yards assumes that the Damascus will be ready to go within a week or so” She tried to get him up to date on the things that happened the last few days. “Oh Captain Praugol case, the hearing will start tomorrow with the results of the investigators will be presented” 

That last one made Adrián stop and look at Silina. “Any word on that result? Does it look good for Sazra or are we bringing her to a penal colony?” He tried to joke it away.

“No idea as of yet known” Silina painfully replied. 

“All rise” A security officer spoke up as the judge entered the room. 

Everyone stood up as Sazra stayed in her seat but followed with her eyes the judge walking to his chair and taking a seat. The man waved his hand as everyone took a seat. Cornelio looked at the room and took a deep breath. “I have received the court’s investigator’s final conclusion on their investigation of the bombing of Avalon Fleet Yards that Captain Sazra Praugol did in her act. Much footage was scanned, many people were interviewed, and the evidence was gathered to form this conclusion” 

He took a deep breath as he had a PADD in front of him and tapped the desk a bit. “Captain Praugol, in service of Starfleet Task Force 86. Has been sent to a dangerous operation within the Delta Quadrant. To investigate the sudden appearance of the blood dilithium. Ships were attacked by the Devore Imperium, hunted by the Hirogens, and all while dealing with the intense effects of this blood dilithium that was caused by a combination of strong anomalous. Now I am no scientist and shall not try to understand this occurrence” He paused for a moment giving Sazra a glare. 

“But” He looked away from her and into the room “The situation that Damascus was in was also no easy task. They were sent out into the depths of space to investigate the heavy, dense appearance of the blood dilithium. They manage to survive a trap that the Devore Imperium laid. They survive an encounter with the first known and documented blood crystalline entity and can save a crew of trapped civilians”. He heard some people talking to each other, and it made him smash the hammer on the wood “Order in this court….I am not done yet” 

The room became quiet again as Cornelio nodded. “Miss Praugol is a Trill, and thus she is telepathic sensitive. Any telepathic were left behind by the reports given by the Fourth Fleet. Miss Praugol did the same thing with her crew. But Starfleet advises those sensitive to be watchful of the effects of the blood dilithium” He looked down at the report given about the situation and then looked back up. “The investigators have concluded that Captain Praugol was or still is under the influence of blood dilithium. The investigators state that her red pupil eyes and aggressive change in her behavior add up to the profile of someone that is under its influence. Therefore, this court acknowledges the report of the investigator’s work and states that Captain Praugol is not guilty under the charges that were laid upon her name” 

Some in the crowd cheered as others were in total disbelief. Sazra narrowed her eyes looking at the judge that also looked back at her with a calm expression. She stands up and slams her hands on the desk as her eyes glare red. “I will bomb the next starbase, starship, or planetary outpost! I shall not stop until you return to Delta Quadrant and bring the war to Devore Imperium!” 

Again Cornelio slammed the hammer on the table. “Order, order in this court!” Trying to calm everyone down in the room. He took another deep breath and eyed Nedzill who didn’t stop her daughter’s reckless behavior. Cornelio nods to himself. “That is indeed a worrying statement Captain Praugol, however, Starfleet Medical has not provided a solution to those that were affected by the blood dilithium and especially not in the state you are currently in. So the only solution I can offer right now is confinement at Starfleet Security Prison” 

Sazra growled at that statement and noticed that Nedzill stood relatively calmly up from her chair. Sazra seemed impressed by the amount of chaos she tried to create and not impacting this woman. What was she going to do now? Would she let her daughter be imprisoned?

“Your honor, I thank you for your verdict in granting my daughter freedom of these awful charges. But I must object to your ruling regarding her imprisonment. I would therefore offer you a different solution. I want to bring my daughter back to Trill so that she can be helped there with this illness” Nedzill didn’t look at her daughter who was surprised at this turn of events. “I have already been granted to use the USS Damascus to transport her back to Trill, and they shall provide the required security” 

Cornelio narrowed his eyes and looked at Sazra who was still looking at her mother and then back. “I grand your proposal, but the security detail will be handled by an external party that is not involved with the Damascus crew. Seeing she has a personal connection with its crew, I must therefore put in a safety check” Cornelio saw the nod from Nedzill and hammered one more time on the wood. “This concludes the case of Captain Praugol. Please escort her to the USS Damascus for transportation to Trill” He stood up and made his exit. 

“I don’t know what you are planning, but I assure you I will escape from your sticky claws” Sazra spoke looking at Nedzill who finally turned her attention to her daughter. “I will not be held back until I go back to the Delta Quadrant and save the people from the Devore Imperium” 

Two security guards grab Sazra by her arm at each side as Nedzill comes closer to her face. “And I won’t stop until I get my baby girl back from whatever creature is in her right now. I might be a counselor, but I am also a mother, and there is one thing you do not underestimate….because mother knows best.” With that she turned away from her daughter and walked out stopping at the door and looking at Commander Ruslanovna who was sitting in the back “Get your crew ready Commander. Starfleet has granted you temporary command of Damascus. Don’t make my request go to waste” 

Standing up and straightening out her jacket “No ma’am, let us get Captain Praugol back. The crew is ready for departure” She saw Nedzill nod to her and exit the room. Silina looked back at Sazra who exit the room at the side. “We will get you back for sure” She muttered. 

The bridge had a hectic operational duty to get the Damascus ready for launch. The doors of the turbolift opened as Council member Nedzill Praugol entered the bridge with her hands over each other in front of her. Her eyes looked around as they met up with Commander Ruslanovna. “Commander, I hope everything is arranged according to our agreement?” 

Silina had rushed up to the turbolift and gave a firm nod to the councilor “Yes, madam Praugol. We are ready to fly to Trill at your desired moment. This is Security Officer Lieutenant Miki. He is the one that Starfleet JAG has assigned to escort with his team Sazra Praugol” She waved a hand in the direction of the Saurian.

Nodding to Silina and standing there very formally while his eyes gazed at the councilor, “Madam Praugol, we are indeed in charge of transporting the prisoner to your desired location. We will act as the third party in this transportation mission to ensure that she arrives without harm” Miki said calmly.

Her eyes narrowed as Nedzill took a deep breath. “Understand me clearly, Lieutenant. I appreciate you are watching over her and doing your job. But if you might not have noticed, it is still my daughter you are talking about. So please refrain from her being called a prisoner as the judge already concluded that she is not” There was a moment of thought for her. “And thank you for your help in stopping her from doing more damage at Avalon Fleet Yards” 

“I apologize for my poor choice of words madam Praugol” Miki gave a slight bow to her out of respect “I will check on…madam Praugol right now” Miki gave a nod to both of them and left the bridge. 

Seeing the Lieutenant leaving the bridge “He did a good job on securing her, so I accepted his team for the transportation,” Silina pointed out

“I know, thank you” Nedzill replied with some concern on her facial expression. “Can we go?” 

“Commander Valerio, the status of the ship, please” Silina asked in his direction.

“Ship status is good. Engines are operational. Stats are in the green, and power flow is going well. Ensign Drata, your professional opinion on the Damascus?” Adrián looked at his assistant, that had helped him through difficult times in various missions already.

The Bolian was nervous and checked the systems “It …ehh it looks good sir” He gave a nod to himself and then looked at his Chief to nod again “Good to go” 

Giving him a pat on the back “Good, you heard my assistant Commander, we are good to go towards Trill” Adrián gave a smile to Silina and a friendly nod to the councilor who nodded back.

“Sounds like music in my ears. Ensign K’Nala plots a course for Trill, Commander Valerio and Ensign Drata to keep an eye out on our ship systems. Lieutenant Shew works with Lieutenant Miki on our VIP guest stay and keep an eye out for any drastic changes. Madam Praugol, if you be so kind to take a seat next to me” Silina had walked to her chair and seated in the Captains chair, which felt uncomfortable as it was not really her seat to begin with.

“Already on it” Rami pointed out as he was making sure that among the guest security team, his own security team was ready for anything that could happen with Captain Praugol’s uncertain behavior. 

“Clearrring the docks now, Starrrbase 1 has given the grrreen light on the go, plotted the courrrse to Trrrill. We arrre ready to go” The Damascus moves out of the dock, slowly getting into position and a safe distance from Starbase 1. K’Nala waited on the signal.

Silina saw the councilor sitting down next to her and nodded “Good, punch it, Ensign” With that the signal was given and the Damascus jumps into the warp with their next destination Trill. 

The beautiful, fully grown forest with clear blue skies. On the path, councilor Praugol walked up front, followed by Silina, a few security officers, Sazra, and Miki. They neared a large pond that gave the impression of pure serenity. It gave the group a second to embrace this peaceful nature. “Welcome back to Trill councilor Praugol. We of the Symbiosis Commission and Guardians of these sacred areas are here to witness the progression of joining,” One man spoke, letting his eye slide upon Sazra while she was looking down to the ground. 

Nedzill gave a soft smile to them and bowed slightly her head. “Thank you for your honor of welcoming us and overseeing this progression” Nedzill looked over her shoulder to Sazra and then back. “Plus, taking into consideration terms to save my daughter” 

The man narrowed his eyes and finally looked back at the councilor. “Madam councilor it is a very risky process and if we deem it to be dangerous for the symbiont, we will choose the life of the symbiont over that of your daughters”

“Excuse me?” Silina spoke up, looking at them both. “What do you mean this is a risky process? Why would you consider risking Captain Praugols life for …” Silina stopped seeing Nedzill raising a hand to her.

Giving a glare to Silina, Nedzill looked back at the guardian. “Apologies for the rude interjection of the Commander. She doesn’t understand our cultural standards. I understand the risk, and I am willing to take the risk to get my daughter back” Nedzill was focused on the guardian seeing some frustration.

“Very well, bring her inside” The guardians turned around as Nedzill waved her hand to Miki. “Bring her inside. I need to have a word with Commander Ruslanovna” Seeing Miki gave her a nod as the group with Sazra entered the sacred temple. Taking a deep breath as Nedzill turned her attention to Silina, “Listen to me very carefully right now, I know you love my daughter. You care for her. But I need you to stick it out on the sideline. Do not get involved in this ritual. If you do, your future with her is over” 

Silina blinked, surprised by the sudden warning she had received. “Is this ritual going to kill her” She points her hand to the entrance, but her eyes are locked on Nedzill. “And what do you mean by it will be over if I get involved”

Looking back at the entrance and seeing no one standing there, giving a slight nod to herself, Nedzill looked back at Silina. “Normally, I am old-fashioned. I am bound by traditions and respect for culture within my people’s history. But seeing my daughter grow, develop a path for herself within Starfleet, and gain all these new experiences I would dream of having. I have to come to the conclusion to weigh out between what is important to my daughter or to me.” She stepped closer to Silina and took a careful look at her face. “Our law forbade reassociation between the host and previously romantically involved with” 

Taking a step back, Silina now sees what Nedzill was trying to tell her “Meaning that if it was known about…” She took a few steps back to look at the pond “Oh damn that is …” 

Giving a slight nod to that “Seeing that her records still state that Sazra is single, nothing changes as the Trill don’t see it as a previous romantic involvement.” Nedzill took a deep breath looking to the entrance “The ritual is a risk, I knew from the start. We don’t know what the blood dilithium did to Sazra’s brain or even her soul. We know that she is in there and being held hostage by this unknown being. But there lies the risk” Placing her hands over each other as she looked back at Silina “The idea is that the symbiont will force the entity out of Sazra, but Sazra has to pick up herself as well” 

“You are taking a lot of a gamble in this fight. How do we know the symbiont will do what we expect it to do? What if Sazra cannot get herself up, and we don’t know what the entity in her will do to resist? Sazra might get severely medically injured in this ritual” Silina looked back at Nedzill and blinked for a second, seeing the warm yet sad facial expression of realization of a mother. “You already took that in account…” 

“I did” Nedzill replied. “The only thing we can do, is stand there and pray that she will come through this” Nedzill heard footsteps and looked over her shoulder “Ahh, guardian you are waiting for us?” She saw his nod as Nedzill nodded back. “Let us go, Commander, now please keep to our cultural ways” She started to walk behind the guardian into the temple. 

Silina took a deep breath and just nodded. “Yes, ma’am, I will” There was so much going through her mind. Would the entity let go of Sazra? Was the risk there that Sazra would get mentally injured? Would the symbiont not overwhelm the personality of Sazra? Would Sazra still feel the same for her? Walking through the hallways felt like an eternity. The memories of everything she and Sazra had experienced, from the first time they met at the academy to the turbolift kiss. Now Silina could only stand at the sideline to see the love of her life, fight for everything to reclaim her mind, and release her soul. Silina stood still at the side of Nedzill as she saw Sazra lying on the table with straps tied down.

The head guardian enters the room and looks at everyone as his eyes stop at the councilor. “Councilor, do understand that this a very rare case of acceptance. It is because of Sazra’s outstanding records in Starfleet and the field of Science that she is recognized as a potential host. But this…” He looked at Sazra and narrowed at the red pupil eyes that looked at him back. “Might fail. You accept the conditions of the outcome?” 

“You rather sacrifice your daughter than let me step up and fight for my people’s freedom,” Sazra finally spoke up as her eyes glared back at Nedzill. “You are a role model of a mother. I am going to enjoy this” 

Trying not to respond in pure grief and hatred, Nedzill felt a hand on her shoulder as she looked at her side, seeing Silina standing there. She gave a nod to her and looked back at the head guardian. “Please proceed with the ritual and I assure you my daughter will be the last one standing in this conflict” 

The screams of agony, the waves of mental abuse, and losing focus. It all happened so quickly when the procedure was performed on Sazra. The symbiont was now in her and made an immediate connection to her state of mind. Slowly opening her eyes, Sazra noticed that she was in a large dark area. She could see herself, yet her movements were like she moved so quickly she could see her movement being slowed down, trying to catch up. Her head moved up, looking into the darkness. “Where am I?” She mutters while slowly standing up on her feet. “Anyone here?”

A voice echoed next to her ear, “I am here,” making Sazra look at her side into the void. But when she looked back, an elderly woman in traditional Trill clothing stood before her “Sazra. You got quite a troubling mind. A history of struggle, pain, and grief. Yet you are a fighter, protecting those you care for and those you go that extra step” The elderly woman smiled at her.

“Who are you? Where am I? The last thing I remembered is that we traveled back to Alpha Quadrant and…” Sazra grabbed her head with one hand while trying to get the memories. “Everything went blank until now”

The smile faded slowly away as the elderly woman looked over her shoulder briefly, then back. “My name is Donam Kobahl. I am one of the memories stored and treasured in a symbiont. Your mother believed this was the only way to get you back, and I am glad the guardians agreed. Because she is right, I see a lot of potential in you. A future yet to be shaped that could benefit yourself and the Federation”

“A symbiont?” The eye pupils grew larger, realizing what was happening right now. “I am being joined…” Sazra was confused. It was the very thing that she objected against being fused with the memories of others and forced to follow Trill’s traditions. It was the reason she left Trill, to escape her own culture.

“I know,” The voice came from Donam, seeing Sazra looking back at her. “I know you are against this joining process, but let me make clear the predicament you are currently in” She waved her hands as various flashback memories appeared around Sazra. It showed the Blood Dilithium mission and the choices she made. The bombing at Avalon Fleet Yards, the arrest, the testifying, the argument with her mother.

Sazra looked back at Donam. “How? I don’t remember anything of this” 

Donam looked back over her shoulder as she turned around. “That is the reason…” In the direction of where she was looking in the black void red cracks appeared, slowly spreading. The sound was recognizable as if an enormous force had cracked the ice slowly. Suddenly it broke and collapsed as a red glow entered the area. In the middle, a man walked in with a smirk.

“That was quite the offensive power you got there, old lady” The man looked in the direction of Sazra. “Ahh, Captain Praugol, I have enjoyed my time in your body. I must apologize for the rude entrance and for taking you over like that. But you got to understand it is nothing personal, pure business. Your body is my means to get rid of the Imperium’s grasp of my people” 

Looking at the man, “Brenari…” Sazra stated when seeing the man standing there in full color and looking at her side, she saw the memory of being exposed to a large amount of Blood Dilithium radiation. “You took my body over when my mental state was the weakest. When you knew the course, you took over the wheel and cast me into the void” 

The man shrugged and raised his shoulders. “You give me an opportunity, and who am I not to take it. Though it was only moments that I was in your body, I realized that my own body was gone. A large amount of killing that the Imperium has done is somehow connected to this galactic event” He smiled. “Which I don’t mind as it gave me a second chance to save my people” 

Looking back at the Brenari, Sazra took a step before Donam. “Get the hell out of my head. You have no idea what damage you have done” She felt the rage building up. “To force yourself upon the Federation, you act with no regard for my achievement, my work, and my life” Sazra was furious that the man had used her for his benefit. 

Shaking his head at her, “Sadly, but no can do. The mission I have planned is taking longer than you think, and I need all the powers of the Federation to save my people. Screw policy, screw that all! I require the strength, and you are in my way” He raised his hand, and a blast of wind pushed against Sazra’s face making her step back. “Now, be a good girl and get back into your box” 

But a hand was placed on Sazra’s shoulder. As she looked at the hand, seeing Donam standing there with a smile. Donam looked at the Brenari. “But that is where you are wrong. She is not alone anymore. She has the strength of generations for her” Suddenly, and more people appear behind her. Five became ten, ten became thirty, and it kept growing. “We Trill stands behind her” 

The gust of wind started to shift back at the Brenari, and he felt it made him step back. “What, no…impossible what is this for-fault trick is this!” The Brenari placed his hands before him to cover his face from the building’s strong wind as he screamed, getting pushed out. 

Sazra looked back at Donam and noticed the others were already gone. “What just happened?”

Taking her hand on Sazra’s shoulder, Donam turned her attention to Sazra and placed her hands before her. “The being that occupied your body is now driven out. The procedure has succeeded. Now it is only fair to give you the choice you deserve, which you didn’t get from this man.” She reaches out her right hand, “Choose to remain as you are and not join with me, or” reaching out her left hand. “Be joined with me. Share all the knowledge and wisdom I can offer you from many generations. So you can develop yourself to become better and more resistant to these kinds of attacks” 

Taking a deep breath as she thought about it, she reached out her hand as everything started to fade away around her.

Temple – Ritual area

“Sir, we have responses. She is coming back”

“Get those restraints off her, Captain Praugol….take it easy”

Sazra opened her eyes and looked slowly around, seeing a force field above her head with a red mist in it “Is….is it contained?” She slowly sits up, watching it move around, trying to find a weakness in the force field. 

“It is Captain Praugol” Miki spoke, looking at her.

Taking a deep breath and looked at the people around her. Letting her feet touch the cold floor “It is now Captain Kobahl, Lieutenant” She looked at the guardian and bowed “I have accepted the bounding of Donam Kobahl, and we are now one” 

The guardian looked at her and gave the same respected bow back. “Then this ritual is complete” He nodded to the other guardians to move out. Her mother moved to her “Sazra?” She looked a bit emotional “I am….”

Sazra looked back at her “You did what you think was right mom. Donam explained that she agreed with your plan and offered me the choice to reject her after we cast out the Brenari. I choose to stick with her as we both got things to learn from each other” Sazra looked at the direction of Silina and smiled softly “It is good to see you with us Commander”

Giving a soft smile at her “It is good to have you back with us. We have to get this out of here, or the guardians will be on my neck within no time. The Damascus can beam it most likely over” She pointed at the red fog that was still trying to get out. 

“Be careful with it. While the intention may be hostile, it was only doing what was right in his perspective, and that was to save his people from harm” Sazra took a deep breath and looked at Miki. “You stopped me at the yard. I think I would need a skilled person like yourself on my ship. It is, of course, an offer, so think about it” Sazra smiled at him as he gave her a nod. Standing up on her feet made her loose balance as Silina quickly grabbed her side “Thank you….let us get out of here”