“Faust: Who holds the devil, let him hold him well,
He hardly will be caught a second time.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Faust, (First Part) 1808

With the heralding swirl of Molecular diffusion, a thin column of light was birthed, and the attendant glow and swirl of equilibrium heralded the arrival of Gul Yomat Ghallir from one form of bondage to the next.

As the glowing golden light of the transporter beam coalesce and began to fade and recede, the form of the True Way terrorist – leader found himself deposited by site – to – site transfer, to stand behind the shimmering containment field within the USS Hikaru Sulu’s brig – facility, having moments before been stood upon the Captain’s Yacht – by which Lieutenants Savak and Dolan had spirited him away from his long incarceration at the hands of the Obsidian Order.

A tall Cardassian Male, with a stentorian bearing and a watchful calculating gaze, Ghallir looked down to regard the handcuff bracelets that confined his wrists and then turned that gaze upwards to regard the woman who stood beyond the cell and raised an eyebrow, slightly disdainfully.

“With all these precautions, don’t you think that the cuffs are slightly surplus to requirements…. Captain…?”

“Shavda.” Raven confirmed as she stood beyond on the ‘right’ side of the containment field and regarded her guest with studied dispassion.

“Captain Raveen Shava.” She nodded. “Welcome aboard the USS Hikaru Sulu, Gul Ghallir and no – the cuffs stay on.”

Gul Yomat Ghallir smirked irksomely and made a show of looking around the spartan accommodations of the Brig – cell and shrugged diffidently.

“Well, as someone with regretfully more authority on such matters that I would care to entertain, I would say that one prison cell looks largely like the next – but I love what you’ve done with the place, Captain.”

The captive Gul sneered mockingly as he walked to the limits of his containment and regarded his new jailor through the shimmering energy – field that separated them. “Sort of an inoffensive, sterile impression, underpinned by a subtle reminder of primacy…how very ‘Federation’.”

Captain Shavda regarded the prisoner, fully aware that – even as restrained and contained as he thus was – that this was one of the most dangerous men in the Galaxy and that she railed to the very core of her moral – certitude to have to resort to engage with such a monster in such a ‘Faustian’ – bargain (even if her survival and that of everyone aboard and in this sector likely hinged upon Ghallir’s cooperation).

For his part, Yomat Ghallir stood expectantly, his own arms folded and a slightly mocking look of enquiry creasing his grey, reptilian – brow.

“I suppose that this is the part where you tell me why I am here?” The terrorist tutted and smiled a razor thin smile.

“Not that I don’t welcome the opportunity to get out and ‘stretch my legs’ once in a while, so to speak, but I’m fascinated to learn what you think that I can do for you, in return for my ‘freedom”, Captain Shavda, and what (apart from your henchperson’s crude machination to compel me to your service) you think would possibly incentivise me to care about whatever predicament you find yourself in?”

The True Way Commander looked to his side as a Hypospray arrived by transporter, appearing on the edge of the hard cot.

Yomat sighed and turned from regarding the object, back to the Captain and regarded her flatly.

“Crude, but effective – in terms of motivation, I suppose.” The Gul sounded almost bored as he indicated to the Injector with its life – saving antidote. “But have you ever considered, Captain, that I might actually find the prospect of death preferable to assisting someone the likes of you?” He taunted defiantly.

To her credit, Raveen’s stern subcontinental features did not waver in the slightest.

“Don’t take it then. Be my guest.” Shavda murmured non – committal.

“Gul Ghallir held her gaze for a moment and then laughed.

“Oh Captain Shavda !”He mocked, “What a delicious, but ultimately impotent display of bravado! But why would you go to all of the effort of having your mongrel break me out of containment, just for the pleasure of watching me die in a different cell?”

Ghallir narrowed his yellowing eyes and peered insightfully at Raveen. “No, Captain, you have brought me here for a more specific reason, have you not? Let us then not insult each other’s intelligence and just get to the why of it, shall we?”

At that point, Lieutenant Savak herself entered the Brig and hung back alongside Chief Trench as the Captain and her Prisoner traded barbs.

There was a long, pregnant pause, as Raveen pursed her lips and weighed up the likely consequences of entrusting everything into the hands of a man such as this and eventually, she sighed and signalled for Lieutenant Commander Sulan to come forward.

“Greeting’s, Gul Ghallir.” The Vulcan Strategic Operations Officer nodded politely.

Ghallir just raised an eyebrow expectantly.

“Currently all involved – species in the Alpha & Bravo quadrants have been balkanised and isolated from support and communication by a galaxy – wide phenomena that has effectively sundered all energetic subspace – interactions from the underlying subspace – grid.”

This admission of information obviously piqued the Gul’s interest, and he murmured “Interesting – go on…?”

Sulan nodded and continued.

“Whilst this phenomenon first appeared localised and random in morphology & distribution, it quickly became apparent that this was not attributable to a natural phenomenon and was the result of a targeted intervention. That supposition was proven accurate when the subspace network known as The Labyrinth re-opened and a race known as the Vaadwaur Supremacy staged a concerted attack from those portals.”

Whilst Sulan had been relating this strategic overview of the recent events that had befallen the former DMZ (and by extension the rest of the Galaxy in surrounding quadrants), Raveen watched as the Cardassian Gul lost all pretence of acidic confrontation and his face took on a calculating aspect as the former High Command officer absorbed the information and presumably inferred his own conclusions, based upon what he was hearing.

“Currently we are situated at the edge of the Corvallis – Uresis Asteroid belt, having successfully repelled a planetary assault by Supremacy forces on the world of New Providence and have formed a limited mutual – defence pact with the Bactra – Angelus Extractive GbmH Mining Corporation.” Sulan expounded, “We anticipate that the withdrawal of the Supremacy forces in this sector is temporary and soon the enemy will re-commit themselves to a return to hostilities with superior forces.”

“And you want my help, Captain?” Ghallir’s lips twisted wryly with considerable amusement. “Is that correct?”

Raveen nodded soberly

“As much as I regret it, my advisors feel that we lack the requisite brutality to engage with the enemy to ensure a reasonable chance of success.” The CO stated flatly, regretting that she must give voice to these facts.

“H’mm, quite so. Well, that certainly is a difficult conundrum in which you find yourself, Captain.” The Gul smiled nastily, “But beyond the bounds of chemical coercion – the question remains – why should I care to help you?”

Raveen regarded Ghallir coldly and replied.

“Because the lives of just over 800 Cardassian men, women and children – the survivors of the Vaadwaur attack on the agricultural colony of New Providence, that we were able to evacuate – also hang in the balance if you do not.”

Gul Yomat Ghallir’s face darkened at this news. Despite being the mastermind behind and perpetrator of multiple crimes at atrocities against the New Marquis, Federation and Cardassian Depta Council – his motivations for doing so lay squarely in what the man saw as the liberation of the Cardassian people from the shackles of tyranny. On this point, at least, he was forced to concede that his interests did indeed align (albeit temporarily) with that of his newest captors.

“That does put a slightly different complexion on matters.” Yomat muttered confoundedly. He nodded.

“Very well, Captain. I shall assist you in prosecuting your defence of this space and I do so solely in the interests of the protection of Cardassian citizens. Do I have your word that their rights will remain inviolate, after you have achieved your ends and prevailed against your aggressors?”

Captain Raveen Shavda nodded her assent.

“We are currently in the process of transferring the Cardassian settlers to protected accommodations in the Belt and have made firm commitments to assisting them with the restoration of their colony and ensuring an autonomous source of free energy to secure their economic independence, once we have defeated the Supremacy in this sector.”

Gul Yomat Ghallir smiled thinly and slowly clapped his hands together.

“Bravo, Captain!” He sneered, “How characteristically altruistic of you! And I supposed that this philanthropic outpouring of charitable excess has no bearing on the sort of soft – diplomacy that the Starfleet supposes will sunder these people further from their already waning cultural roots and bring them gratefully closer to the welcoming bosom of the United Federation of Planets?” The terrorist chided dryly.

Raveen frowned hotly.

“What the colonists choose to do with their freedom, once it is restored, is entirely a sovereign matter that is up to them, Gul Ghallir. Our offer of assistance has been extended on purely humanitarian grounds alone. As much as you might hate to admit, we are not the monsters that it is convenient for you to portray us as, for the furtherment of your own ends.”

Ghallir tilted his head back and laughed.

“Oh! Captain! This may not be such a dreary and wearisome incarceration after all!”

He went to sit at the edge of the hard cot and raised the Hypospray in salutation and injected himself in his ridged – neck, releasing the antidote into his bloodstream and buying another 12 – hour reprieve.

“I will of course require full access to your command-and-control facility and a comprehensive run down of both your data gathered in relation to this Supremacy and their forces; as well as a full accounting of your own resources and capability.” The Gul instructed, a man used to command and being obeyed.

Raveen shook her head.

“Not going to happen.” The CO responded bluntly.

Ghallir glared at her and began to protest, but Raveen held a commanding hand of her own up to cut him off.

“You will remain in this cell for the entirety of your duration onboard. You will be provided with a secure Datapad and dedicated communication link to Lieutenant – Commander Sulan only – so that he can provide what tactical and logistical information that is deemed pertinent for you receive such as is necessary to advise us and nothing more.”

“I protest most strongly, Captain!” The Gul remonstrated bitterly “You cannot expect the efficacy of my assistance, if I am to work so restrained!” He held his cuffed wrists up in metaphor.

Raveen was unmoved and she continued unabated.

“You will be provided with food and medical care. Every 12 hours you will be provided with a dose of the antidote to the Synthetic nano-virus, to counter its fatal effects. There will be no negotiations. Period.”

Ghallir pursed his lips sourly and rebutted.

“And when you have bested your foe, what becomes of me then Captain? Do the vials of antidote just stop coming and then you let the virus take its course? H’mmm?”

As much as Raveen was sorely tempted to do just this, as a practicing Hindu and Starfleet officer, she knew that she never would and was reasonably sure that the Gul knew this too. It was a gentle reminder that, for however subtle this man could be, that intellectually he was just as dangerous a foe to entreat with whilst he was locked behind that security containment – field, as he was a physical threat beyond it.

“If you don’t help us defeat the Supremacy, we’ll all be dead and nothing will matter.” She reasoned quite correctly.

“Let’s see if you can contribute anything meaningful to proceedings and then we’ll discuss your future, if your assistance actually helps us all to have one.”

Although he obviously wasn’t much reassured by this arrangement, Gul Yomat Ghallir nodded and stretched back on the cot and placed his hands behind his head, with a faint smile effacing his thin, grey – lips.

“Very well, Captain Shavda, we shall both put our fates in the hands of synchronicity and the furies then.” Yomat smiled at the roof.

“Now if you don’t mind, I’ve had a very long journey and an equally trying day and would like to get some sleep – if you could turn the lights down on your way out, that’d be wonderful?”

Captain Shavda swept out of the Brig accompanied by Sulan and Savak, genuinely glad to remove herself from the presence of the Cardassian Terrorist, although her mood was not well -served by the encounter or the events that had precipitated having the man aboard her ship.

“I hope that you two know exactly what the hell you are bloody doing?” The Captain fumed unhappily as the trio made for the Turbolifts.

“This is the only logical recourse available, Captain. That much has not changed.” Sulan nodded sagely, as the lift car arrived and they filtered in to take their places.

Raveen was little mollified and turned to skewer the Intelligence officer in her irksome – gaze.

“And YOU!” She glowered at Savak. “Not only have you likely instigated a further act of War by breaking that man out from an Obsidian Order secure facility by force – but by infecting him with a deadly pathogen to ensure his cooperation, you have overstepped a line drawn by the bounds of ethical behavior that have me strongly considering locking you up in the brig – pending Courts Martial proceedings!!!”

Lieutenant Savak looked wholly unperturbed by this tirade and raised a quizzical eyebrow in game response.

“It is indeed a reasonable supposition that the Obsidian Order will commit whatever martial forces they possess in this sector, to pursue and attempt to recapture Gul Ghallir, Captain. A fact that I am rather counting on that they do.”

Raveen stared at the Vulcan/Romulan woman, as if she had just lost her mind.

“You WANT the Obsidian Order to find us?!” The CO fumed with disbelief.

Savak shrugged noncommittally.

“You said yourself that we lack the fleet – assets to pursue a credible defence of this sector – when the Obsidian Order ships arrive, so likely will the returning forces of the Vaadwaur Supremacy – who will not differentiate between targets and will treat both as equally hostile. Whether they like it or not, the Obsidian Order forces will be thus – compelled to fight alongside our own, if not for any expedient save their own survival.”

Astounded as she was by Savak’s gall, Raveen was forced to concede that (somehow) this actually made sense.

“And on the subject of the ‘Synthetic Nano-Virus’, you would be correct that my actions would warrant a Court Martial hearing, if that was indeed what I had used to compel the prisoner.” Savak raised a knowing eyebrow again.

“Wait a minute?” Raveen frowned suspiciously, “Are you saying that you didn’t infect Ghallir with the virus?!”

Savak sniffed airily and nodded in the affirmative.

“Well certainly not a fatal one, that would be unethical, Captain.”

“Then…?” Raveen prompted.

“I had Doctor Allal provide me with a particularly virulent strain of ‘Denobulan – Flu’, the effects of which, when untreated, are quite discomforting I am assured – but certainly not fatal.” Savak smiled nastily.

“And the antidote?” Raveen wasn’t sure that she actually wanted to know the answer.

“Antibiotics.” The Starfleet Intelligence Officer confirmed, “Designed to alleviate the symptoms of the Flu every 12 hours, but if not administered – the worst that Gul Ghallir might suffer from is a high temperature, flop – sweats and a very sore throat. I lied.”

Captain Raveen Shavda regarded her new Intelligence Officer appraisingly and genuinely considered if the man they had locked up in the Brig, was in fact not the most dangerous person aboard after all?”