Part of USS Challenger: Rewrite the Stars and USS Ark Royal: Searchin’ In The Dark

Rewrite the Stars – 4

Pergamon V
Mid-March 2402
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“You’re needed in the cellar,” Lasko said as he emerged from the back area of the bar. 

Lasko was one of Tolas’ local contacts who he’d hired to help them man the bar. Gideon tossed the towel in his hand to Lasko. “Thanks.” He quickly made his way down the stairs to the store room, which doubled as a secure room where they could discuss matters without being overheard.

“Sweetheart! Look!” Mitchell said with over-the-top enthusiasm. Gideon rolled his eyes. “Tolas is here! Isn’t that great?!”

Tolas’s features gave away nothing of what he thought of Mitchell’s attitude. “I have news.”

“Go on,” Gideon said, closing the door and locking it.

Tolas perched on a crate. “Our attempts to spread word of your ability to supply ‘special merchandise’ have borne fruit. Gintak’s been sniffing around.”

“What’s our next step?” Gideon asked. “Can you set up a meeting with him?”

A calculating grin graced Tolas’ features. “I can do better than that.”

“What’s better than setting up a meeting with him?” Mitchell asked, leaning forward.

Tolas pulled an envelope from his satchel and handed it to Gideon. “There’s a monthly casino night happening tomorrow. A chance for the criminal underworld of Pergamon to come together to show how ‘noble’ and ‘charitable’ they are. I’ve got you both on the guest list.”

Gideon opened the envelope. Two invitations fell into the palm of his hand. “Supporting the Romulan Refugees Medical Fund,” Gideon read.

“Even when they’re being charitable, it’s not entirely above board,” Tolas explained. “The fund is a front for smuggling medical supplies in the region.”

Mitchell accepted the tickets from Gideon and studied them silently for a moment. “And Gintak’s going to be there?”

“He’s hosting it,” Tolas replied.

A thought struck Gideon that caused his stomach to drop. “Do we know who else is attending this thing?”

“We’ve managed to acquire the full guest list,” Tolas handed a PADD to Gideon. His eyes scanned the list of names, looking for one name: Niccollo Bianchi. His shoulders relaxed as he failed to find it.

Gideon could feel Mitchell watching him closely. “Anyone we know on the list?”

“Niran Syral’s going to be there,” Gideon told him.

“We’re hoping that Gintak will introduce you to him,” Tolas told them. He stepped toward the door. “I’ll stop by your apartment tomorrow afternoon to discuss tactics.”

Mitchell remained silent until Tolas was gone. Only then he asked, “Whose name were you looking for on the list?” 

“I wanted to see if Syral was on it,” Gideon lied.

He could feel Mitchell’s eyes boring through him, but he refused to look up to meet them. “Is that why you looked relieved after you looked through it?”

“What do you mean?” Gideon finally looked up to meet Mitchell’s gaze.

Mitchell glared at him. “Don’t play stupid. It doesn’t suit you. You were looking for a name on there, and when you didn’t find it, I could see you relax. Who were you looking for?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He knew Mitchell wasn’t going to be fobbed off quite so easily, but he wasn’t interested in opening up about his past with anyone, least of all Alexander Mitchell.

Mitchell stepped closer and lowered his voice. “I don’t like being kept in the dark. If something’s going on that could impact this mission, and it’s obvious there is, then I don’t just want to know. I need to know.”

Gideon met his questioning gaze. Mitchell was right. It wasn’t fair to keep him in the dark, especially when it could affect the success of their mission. But Gideon couldn’t bring himself to open up to Mitchell.

“It’s nothing,” Gideon lied. He quickly left the store room before Mitchell could question him further. They needed to focus on this casino night, not dwelling on Gideon’s past.


The strains of a string quartet struggled to be heard over the sound of a casino night, which was well underway. Every way they turned, groups of well-dressed people stood around tables; a dabo table to their left, a blackjack table to their right. A large poker table dominated the centre of the room.

The last time Gideon had been to one of these, he’d still been Liam McCartney. Back then, he’d been employed as one of Francisco Bianchi’s guards, and his reason for attending was as Nicco’s bodyguard. But they’d usually seek out some darkened corner of the venue and make out like the horny twenty-year-olds that they were.

It took effort for Gideon to remain relaxed when he felt Mitchell’s arm snake around his waist. “Where do we start?” Mitchell asked as he led Gideon towards a table heaving with drinks.

Gideon watched as Mitchell picked up a champagne flute and handed it to Gideon before reaching for his own. They turned back to the room, each of them slowly seeking any sign of their target.

“You see him?” Mitchell mumbled as he raised the glass to his lips.

“Not yet,” Gideon replied quietly.

They slowly worked their way around the room, introducing themselves to people. There was a great deal of interest in Gideon and Mitchell, or Nathaniel and Marcus, as everyone in the room knew them. 

It seemed like Tolas’s attempts to get word of their arms business out quietly had been successful. While no one mentioned it explicitly, many of the people they spoke to hinted at the other side of their business venture.

After almost two hours, Gideon and Mitchell found themselves standing off to one side. It was a welcome chance to catch their breath after many conversations with criminals posing as legitimate businesspeople. Mitchell had spent some time at the dabo wheel. He ended up losing more than he won.

“There he is,” Gideon mumbled. “One o’clock.”

It was their first sighting of Gintak all evening. He was engaged in a lively conversation with a group of well-dressed individuals. The group included a Cardassian woman in a stunning blue evening dress and a Barzan gentleman in a well-tailored suit with good shoes. 

“Looks like Syral is with him,” Mitchell added. “We should go make our introductions.”

Gideon nodded in agreement. Before they could make their move, Gintak had already excused himself from the group and was walking towards them. He continued working the crowd as he went, a few words with a Bolian woman, a pat on the back for a Bajoran man.

“I was hoping to meet you both,” Gintak said with a smile that showed off his sharp teeth. Gideon couldn’t help but remember Rule of Acquisition forty-eight: The bigger the smile, the sharper the knife.

Mitchell reached out first and shook his hand, “You know who we are?”

“Knowledge equals profit, Mister Pierce,” Gintak replied, quoting Rule of Acquisition seventy-four. “I’ve been hearing much about you.”

This evening had been the first time they’d been addressed using their cover name, but the fact that everyone was using it proved that their cover was working as it was intended. 

“Our reputation precedes us,” Gideon commented with his most charming smile.

Gintak looked at Gideon. “I believe you could help with a problem I’m having.”

“What problem is that?” Gideon took a sip of his drink. 

The Ferengi businessman led them to a quiet corner of the room. “I have a client who is trying to get his hands on a product that is difficult to come by. I haven’t had much success using my usual channels.”

“What makes you think we’ll be able to help?” Gideon asked.

Gintak grinned at them again, wider this time. “As you say, your reputation precedes you.”

“What is it you’re trying to acquire?”

“Trilithium.”

Gideon and Mitchell shared a look of shock that didn’t go unnoticed by Gintak, who seemed to buy their act. “Now you can understand the difficulty I’m having.”

“How have your supply chains been affected by the subspace disruption?” Gideon asked.

“Badly,” Gintak grumbled. “I haven’t been able to contact my suppliers beyond the local cluster. A shipment I was expecting from New Sydney never arrived. Have your own supply chains been affected?”

Mitchell nodded, “Most of our suppliers are on M’Talas Prime. We haven’t been able to reach anyone.”

“But we should be able to procure what you’re looking for,” Gideon quickly added.

“Really?” Gintak’s curiosity was piqued. “How have you managed to achieve this?”

Mitchell nonchalantly took a sip of his drink. “I’m afraid we can’t discuss that.”

“Of course,” Gintak said with a knowing grin. “You don’t want to risk your competitive advantage.”

Gideon winked and, with a smirk, added, “Exactly.”

“So your client gets his trilithium. What do you get?” Mitchell asked.

Gintak waved a hand in the air. “A modest broker’s fee. Twenty percent of the total transaction value.”

“Ten,” Mitchell immediately shot back.

“Nineteen.”

“Eleven.”

“Eighteen.”

“Thirteen.”

“Seventeen.”

“Fifteen.”

“Sixteen.”

“Fifteen. Final offer.”

Gintak smiled. “You drive a hard bargain, hew-mon. Fifteen it is.”

They immediately shook on it. “Why don’t you and your customer stop by the bar. We can discuss the specifics of his needs there.”

“I’ll be in touch,” Gintak told them. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”

They watched Syral walk away, sharing a brief look that silently communicated their surprise without broadcasting it to the rest of the room.

“Well, we didn’t get introduced to Syral, but it’s a start,” Mitchell muttered.

There wasn’t time for Gideon to celebrate because he spotted someone whose name hadn’t appeared on the guest list. Someone he’d been hoping to avoid. 

“Nicco,” Gideon breathed. “Shit.”

Mitchell looked over at him. “What?”

Gideon turned to face his ‘husband’. “Kiss me.”

“What?” The pitch of Mitchell’s voice rose, and his eyebrows shot into his forehead.

“Kiss me.”

“What are yo-”

Gideon stepped forward, placed his hands on either side of Mitchell’s head and pressed their lips together. Mitchell’s surprise was clear from the way his lips didn’t move for the first second or two of their kiss. Eventually, his brain kicked in, and Mitchell deepened their kiss.

There was no tenderness or affection in their kiss. It was a purely functional act, at least from Gideon’s perspective. He kept the kiss going until he was certain the threat was past them. Only then did he step back.

“Wow,” Mitchell’s eyes were glassy. “That was-”

“I’m sorry,” Gideon said hurriedly. “I shouldn’t have done that. But I had no choice.”

Mitchell’s brow furrowed. “I don’t-”

Gideon couldn’t speak. He walked away from Mitchell and rushed to the nearest bathroom. Finding it empty, he stepped over to the nearest sink and thrust his hand under the faucet. Cold water immediately began running into his cupped hands. He splashed the water on his face.

They’d been so close, less than a metre apart. His brain was telling him that if Nicco found out he was still alive and back on Pergamon, it could blow their mission and this chance to locate Captain Forrester would be lost. But his heart wanted nothing more than to find Nicco, drag him to one of those dark corners and kiss him.

Looking down at the sink, Gideon took a deep breath. “Get a grip.”

“Hey, Li.”

Gideon looked up in the mirror. Standing behind him, Nicco Bianchi was looking at him with an intensity that Gideon remembered well. He was pissed.

“Long time no see,” Nicco continued. “You look pretty good for a dead guy.”

Turning to face Nicco, Gideon drank in the man’s appearance. He looked as good as he always did. He kept his hair short, neatly styled. The suit he wore was perfectly tailored for his athletic body. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone, giving Gideon a good look at his chest hair. He wanted to rip the shirt open and-

“You just gonna ogle me? Or you think you’re going to say something?”

Gideon could feel the heat creeping up his face. “Sorry.”

“For ogling me?” Nicco asked tersely. “For faking your death? Or for leaving me behind?”

“For everything,” Gideon told him. “I had to leave. Frank would’ve killed me if I hadn’t.”

Nicco stuffed his hands in his pockets. “You promised you’d come back for me.”

“I tried to before I left,” Gideon told him. “But Frank had already sent you off-world.”

“He sent me to Uncle Gio,” Nicco explained. “He thought working for Gio would straighten me out.”

Gideon had long suspected that’s where Nicco had gone. “Did it?”

“No,” Nicco scoffed. His eyes softened. “You never tried to contact me.

It felt like someone was squeezing Gideon’s heart tightly. That grip only continued to tighten. “Yes, I did. But once I left Pergamon, my comm traffic was being monitored. All the messages I tried sending you bounced back.”

“Where’d you go?” Nicco asked.

There was no way he could tell Nicco that he was an undercover Starfleet Officer. He hated the idea of lying to Nicco, but he couldn’t put their mission any further at risk. 

“I got recruited by a mercenary group.”

Nicco nodded slowly. “Is that where you got your new name, Nathaniel?”

“Yeah.”

“Doesn’t suit you,” Nicco said with a smirk.

Gideon smiled and glanced at his feet, but that smile quickly faded when a thought struck him. “Does Frank know-”

“He has no idea you’re still alive,” Nicco assured him. “And I’m not going to tell him.”

A tightness in Gideon’s chest loosened, but it was only momentary when something else occurred to him. “Did you ever…I mean, is there…” He trailed off, unsure how best to ask the question.

“I dated. Hooked up plenty,” Nicco answered, knowing what Gideon was trying to ask. “But I could never love anyone the way I love you.”

Gideon closed his eyes and fought back tears.

“I guess you didn’t feel the same way,” Nicco’s words hit Gideon like a kick to the stomach. His eyes snapped open. “Not if your husband out there is anything to go by.”

Nicco didn’t sound hurt or upset. If anything, he sounded…amused?

Nicco stepped closer. So close that Gideon can feel Nicco’s breath on his skin, smell his aftershave. He placed a hand on Gideon’s chest. The feel of Nicco’s hand on him again felt good, right even. Their eyes met, and for a moment, Gideon was sure they would share a kiss.

“I saw you two kissing,” Nicco said, barely louder than a whisper. “That kiss was for my benefit. He’s not your husband.”

Gideon’s eyes narrowed. “You sound pretty certain.”

“I know what it’s like to be kissed by you when you’re in love.” His eyes flicked briefly to Gideon’s lips. “There was no feeling in that kiss, no passion. Not from you, anyway.”

“I never stopped loving you,” Gideon admitted. “There’s never been anyone else.”

They leaned closer. Gideon closed his eyes. He was opening a Pandora’s box, but in that moment, he didn’t care. But an obnoxious knock on the door snapped them back to reality, and they jumped apart. 

Mitchell’s voice called, “Nathaniel.”

“I’ll see you around, Li,” Nicco said sadly. He smoothly stepped towards the door. With one last look, he unlocked the door and left the bathroom. Beyond, Nicco could see Mitchell watching him as he walked away. 

Gideon walked out of the bathroom. Mitchell quickly followed. “Where are you going?”

“I’m not feeling well,” Gideon lied. “I’m gonna head back to the apartment.”

“Who was that?”

“No one.”

“Nath-”

Gideon stopped, turning to face Mitchell. “I’ll see you at home. He leaned in and placed a gentle kiss against Mitchell’s cheek before walking off.

The casino was a few blocks from their apartment. The transit system would get him home in a few minutes, but Gideon needed to clear his head, so he decided to walk. He barely noticed the bitterly cold evening air as he trudged through snow-covered streets. 

Seeing Nicco again, looking as good as he always did, had caused Gideon’s chest to ache. He’d wanted to lean in and kiss Nicco, feel his lips again, run his fingers through Nicco’s hair. For a brief moment, it looked like it was going to happen. Disappointment and relief mingled, an uneasy mixture, deep in his stomach, but he knew that once that dam burst, there would be no repairing it.

By the time he reached the apartment, Mitchell was already there waiting for him. The living room was lit by a single lamp behind the armchair. He held a cut-glass tumbler containing an inch of amber liquid in one hand.

“I think it’s time you told me what’s going on,” Mitchell’s eyes bored into Gideon, as if trying to peer into the depths of his soul for the answers.

As much as he wanted to brush him off and walk away, Gideon knew he owed Mitchell an explanation. He walked into the living room and lowered himself onto the couch next to Mitchell.

“Who’s Nicco?” Mitchell asked.

Gideon took a deep breath to steady himself. “Niccollo Bianchi. His father, Francisco, is head of one of the most powerful crime families on Pergamon. I started working for Francisco, Frank, when I was fifteen.”

“I thought you grew up on Gault?”

That was what his service record said. It was a lie, like so much of Gideon’s life. “I was born here on Pergamon. Lived here until I was twenty-one.”

“What happened?”

Gideon swallowed hard. He hadn’t spoken of that time in his life for a very long time. “Frank found Nicco and me in bed together. He tried to kill me. I went into hiding and survived by hacking public replicator terminals and picking pockets.”

“How’d you end up in Starfleet?” Mitchell set his drink on a nearby table.

A smile pulled at Nicco’s lips. “Picked the wrong pocket. Captain Okoye tracked me down to recover what I’d stolen from her. I begged her not to turn me in to the police. They’re in Frank’s pocket. I’d be dead within an hour of being arrested.”

“So what happened?” Mitchell asked, leaning forward.

Gideon looked down at his hands. “She offered me the chance of a new life far away. New identity and a chance to apply to Starfleet Academy. Okoye helped to fake my death, and I left Pergamon with her.”

“Is there a chance Nicco’s gonna tell his father you’re alive?”

“No,” Gideon replied with a slow shake of his head.

Mitchell looked sceptical.

“I’m certain,” Gideon insisted firmly.

“I hope you’re right,” Mitchell sighed. “Did Commodore Wyatt know all of this when she chose you for this assignment?”

There was little that Commodore Wyatt didn’t know. “Of course she did,” Gideon replied. “Being born here is why I was selected for this mission. She believed it was an ‘acceptable risk’.”

“Great,” Mitchell drawled. “Now what?”

Gideon wanted to leave immediately. He couldn’t remember being more shaken up than he’d felt tonight. But that wasn’t on the cards. “Now, we proceed as planned. I’ll send Tolas an update on tonight’s events.”

“And if your old boss finds out you’re not dead?”

“Then we’ll lose our best chance to find Forrester,” Gideon replied. “And I won’t make it off the planet alive.”