“Sir, there’s another storm forming around the runabout.”

Commander Jalor’s report didn’t come as a surprise to Sebastian. The away team had been missing for twelve hours. Since then, whenever they tried to beam someone down or send a runabout to try and land on the surface, a powerful storm popped up from nowhere. These storms were unlike anything the Challenger’s scientists had ever seen and forced the smaller vessels to abort their landing and return home.

“Challenger to Slieve Donard,” Captain Rix barked. “What’s your status?”

The voice of Commander Drake crackled over the comm system. “…ing knocked around pretty good. I think…we’ll ha…ort the landing.”

“Understood.” The communications were sketchy, but the crew on the bridge were in no doubt as to what Commander Drake was saying. “Return to the Challenger.”

The officers on the bridge fell silent. The steady thrum of the warp core and the gentle beep of the LCARS interfaces filled the silence.

“They’re down there, somewhere,” Sebastian mused aloud. “Why can’t we detect them?”

From the science station, Commander Jalor answered. “There’s something in the planet’s crust that prevents sensors from penetrating beneath.”

“Is it naturally occurring or artificial?” Rix asked.

Jalor answered immediately, “It’s naturally occurring.”

But the way these storms were forming around the runabout suggested they were anything but naturally occurring. Someone was controlling them. And that someone was holding the away team hostage.

“I should’ve gone with them,” Sebastian muttered.

A gentle hand reached for his arm. Sebastian looked to his left to find Valeth giving him a smile that was meant to reassure him. 

“Then you’d be missing too,” Valeth argued.

Sebastian huffed. “But then I’d be with them. I’d know they were okay.”

“Commander Montague.” Captain Rix’s commanding voice rang out. “Join me in the ready room.”

After securing his station, Sebastian followed the captain into his private office aft of the bridge. A large desk dominated the left-hand side of the room, in front of an expansive window through which they could see the planet. To the right was a conference table that could accommodate the Challenger’s senior officers and a more relaxed seating area featuring a couch, a coffee table and a recliner.

Captain Rix always kept the environmental controls in here a little warmer than on the bridge. It was a welcome change. Freshly cut flowers from the arboretum adorned the coffee table, held in a vase with an intricate pattern of circles and diamonds etched on it. The floral scent tickled Sebastian’s nose.

“How’re you holding up?” Rix asked.

Sebastian allowed his shoulders to slump. “Worried about the away team, sir. But I’m doing okay.”

“You understand that Doctor Montague’s going to go on a lot of away missions,” Rix began. “This won’t be the last time something like this will happen.”

“I’m your chief of security, sir,” Sebastian said. “I’m responsible for the safety of every member of this crew. But I won’t lie. I feel that burden acutely where Percy is concerned.”

A smile tugged at the corner of Rix’s lips. “He’s your little brother. It’s only natural.”

“Do you have any siblings, sir?”

Rix’s smile widened. “I’ve had brothers, I’ve had sisters, and I’ve had both at the same time. Joril Rix was the third of fifteen children.”

“Wow,” Sebastian’s eyebrows shot into his forehead.

The smile on Rix’s face faded. “I know how it feels to worry about the safety of your sibling. But I need to know your mind is focused on your job.”

“It is, sir,” Sebastian assured him. “You can count on me.”

Rix nodded. “Very good. Dismissed.”

Turning on his heel, Sebastian strode back towards the door. The sound of Rix stopped him in his tracks.

“We’ll get them back, Commander,” Rix told him. “All of them.”

“The Committee is in private deliberations and is not to be disturbed,” Rionel said in a low rumble.

That was hours ago. Percy had used the time by trying to get some more sleep, but sleep proved elusive, and he just ended up tossing and turning on the bunk. After the third hour, he climbed out of the bunk and joined Tanner and Yamada at the dining table that occupied the centre of the room.

A bowl of nutritional paste sat in front of Yamada. She studied the substance with a wrinkled nose and a curled lip. Beside her, Tanner watched her face with twinkling eyes. Yamada ran the spoon through the paste. It could best be described as goop. It was sticky and slipped slowly off the spoon, leaving some of itself behind.

Percy could get past how the paste looked. But he didn’t think the smell was something he could stomach. It smelled putrid. Like meat that had been left out in the blazing sun for days. The instant he caught a whiff of the paste, his stomach rolled violently.  

“This stuff doesn’t smell edible,” Yamada complained as she pushed the spoon back into the paste.

The right corner of Tanner’s lips curled up into a crooked smile. “Stop thinkin’ bout it and just do it.”

“If you’re so eager, why don’t you eat it?” Yamada pushed the bowl towards Tanner.

He pushed it straight back. “I ain’t the one who said I was hungry.”

Yamada grabbed the spoon and lifted it towards her mouth. Stopping halfway, she hesitated for a few seconds before swiftly swallowing it into her mouth and eating the paste. She swallowed it loudly and gasped once her mouth was empty. 

“Well?” Tanner asked, watching her expectantly.

The corners of Yamada’s mouth turned down, and her nose wrinkled. “It tastes as bad as it smells.”

“Are you sure this is the only source of sustenance?” Percy asked.

Tanner nodded slowly. “Ain’t nothing else on offer.”

At some point, they would all need to just do what Yamada had done; hold their nose and eat it.

“They’re ready for us,” Hayes announced as he entered the dorm.

Yamada pushed the bowl away from her as she, Percy and Tanner stood. They followed Hayes and Rionel through the tunnels. The lights were dimmer now than they had been earlier. Perhaps this was how they delineated between day and night?

The damp smell was becoming almost unnoticeable to Percy. Ithara told him that more than ten thousand Kaelani moved underground when the surface became unlivable. Now there were fewer than five thousand left. Percy counted another forty-two people on their walk to the Committee chambers. So far, they’d seen only a small fraction of the population. It made Percy wonder just how big this underground complex was. He hoped to be able to discover the answer to that question.

They were led into the Committee’s chambers. The room was almost empty this time, and the vanilla-like scent was stronger. Only Kaedric was waiting for them, standing in front of the platform. This development caused the hairs on the back of Percy’s neck to stand on end. Rionel approached Kaedric and bowed.

“High Keeper,” Rionel began. “The outsiders, as requested.”

Bowing again, Rionel stepped out of the way, though he hovered nearby.

“I was under the impression we were meeting with the Committee,” Hayes said.

Kaedric smiled, though it felt insincere, forced. “The Committee has completed its deliberations for the day. However, I was informed you have matters of import to discuss with us. I decided I would hear what you have to say.”

“I understand,” Hayes began. “Your people moved underground after the surface of your planet was rendered uninhabitable by radiation.”

The fake smile on Kaedric’s face widened. “Yes, I understand you’ve all been busy questioning my people.”

“As I said before, we’re explorers,” Hayes explained. “Our primary goal is to seek out new worlds and new civilisations. To learn as much as we can from them and, hopefully, live in peaceful co-existence.”

Brushing his heavy gold cloak to one side, Kaedric stepped forward. “Noble goals. Or empty platitudes to mask your true intentions.”

“Which are?”

“The subjugation of the Kaelani people,” Kaedric snarled.  “The occupation of our world and the theft of our atmospheric processor technology.”

Hayes remained calm in the face of those venomous accusations. “We are not subjugators, nor occupiers. We’re peaceful explorers. We have no interest in stealing your technology. If you ask us to leave and never return, we’ll respect your wishes.”

“Or perhaps you will leave, and return in greater numbers,” Kaedric accused. “You think my people fools?”

With a slow shake of his head, Hayes replied, “Of course not. But I can assure you, we are not a threat to your people.”

“We shall see.” Kaedric regarded them through narrow eyes.

Percy could feel beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He wiped it away with the sleeve of his uniform jacket.

“Our friends in orbit will be looking for us,” Hayes replied.

Kaedric’s smile returned. “Yes, they’ve been sending small ships to the surface. They were no match for the power we wield.”

What did that mean? Had the shuttles sent down by the Challenger crashed? Were people injured? Worse? Percy’s stomach twisted. Had Sebastian been on any of those shuttles?

“What did you do?” Hayes asked evenly.

The forced smile on Kaderic’s face widened. “We created storms that prevented your vessels from reaching the surface. None of them sustained significant damage.”

For the first time since being taken prisoner, Percy breathed a sigh of relief.

“Now,” Kaedric continued. “What did you wish to speak to the Committee about?”

After a momentary hesitation, Hayes said, “I wanted to offer our help.”

“Help with what?” Kaedric asked with an amused huff.

Hayes’ features softened. “Curing the Wasting.”

Percy didn’t expect what happened next. Kaedric laughed in Hayes’ face. It was a hysterical laugh that could have curled Percy’s hair had it been long enough. The sound echoed off the high rock ceiling in the expansive Committee chamber.

“The Wasting is a punishment from the Vezda,” Kaedric told Hayes once he’d calmed down. “You cannot cure the will of the gods.”

Gesturing with his hands, Hayes said, “How do you know this isn’t their will? Maybe us helping you cure this disease is exactly what they want.”

“You know nothing,” Kaedric growled. “We will only receive a cure for the Wasting when we prove ourselves worthy to the Vezda.”

Hayes’ shoulders sagged. “At least let Doctor Montague study some of your people. What harm could he do if the Wasting is truly incurable?”

“He can give my people false hope,” Kaedric said, with a glance at Percy. It felt like his insides had been turned to ice. “Your healer is forbidden from conducting any kind of experiments on my people.”

Percy may no longer have been confident about his theory, but he felt sure that if he could just study the Wasting, he could discover the root of what was killing the Kaelani.

“You should all be locked away,” Kaedric continued. “The longer you are allowed to walk amongst us, the greater the chance you will poison the minds of my people.”

“We’re not here to poison anyone’s mind,” Hayes argued. “We just want to learn about your people, and to help.”

Kaedric’s lip curled. “You are more dangerous than the Wasting. Alyra may not see it yet, but I do. When she finally comes to the realisation, she will agree with me on what needs to be done with you.”

“And that is?”

Brushing past Hayes, Kaedric stopped and half turned. “You’ll be executed.”

The relief Percy felt earlier was a distant memory, drained away with the threat of being executed. He couldn’t claim to know Kaedric well, but he didn’t strike Percy as the kind of man to make an idle threat. The blood drained from Percy’s features, and he swayed in place.

He glanced at Tanner. His lips were pursed, and his hands clenched several times in quick succession. Hayes’ features were inscrutable, though he refused to make eye contact with Percy. Looking at Yamada, he could see unshed tears pooling in her eyes. Percy could understand that reaction. He’d had to fight to keep his own at bay.

“I’ll escort you back to your dorm,” Rionel said, shocking the team out of their silence.

Percy trudged back to the dorm, paying little attention to the people they passed this time around. It was as if Kaedric’s words had struck him over the head, leaving him feeling dazed. When they arrived in the dorm, he ambled towards his bunk and sat heavily on the thin mattress.

“You okay?”

Looking up, Percy found Tanner standing over him. The light caught his golden blonde hair just so, making it look like he wore a halo above his head. Tanner hunched down in front of Percy.

“Yeah,” Percy lied. “I’m fine.”

Tanner looked like he didn’t believe him. “Look, we ain’t gonna be executed. Either the Commander’s gonna find a way to get us outta here, or the Challenger’s gonna rescue us.”

“But what if-”

Placing a hand on Percy’s shoulder, Tanner told him, “Don’t do that. Don’t think about what ifs.”

“That’s all I can think about right now,” Percy replied, struggling to keep his voice from breaking.

Tanner smiled sadly. “Then find something to distract you.”

You could distract me, Percy thought. He quickly disabused himself of the idea. Tanner was out of his league, and Percy was painfully aware of that. Right now, the best distraction Percy could think of didn’t involve pining over Tanner.

“Thanks.” Percy stood and approached Hayes. “Commander, I think I’ve developed a good rapport with the healer, Ithara. I’d like your permission to try getting their medical lab up and running. I believe together she and I could come up with a proper diagnosis for the Wasting.”

Hayes shook his head. “Permission denied.”

“But sir-”

“I’m sorry, doctor, but the Prime Directive is clear,” Hayes told him softly. “We offered our help, and its been rejected. We can’t force these people to accept our help. Our hands are tied.”

Hiding behind the Prime Directive wasn’t good enough for Percy. “With all due respect, sir, Kaedric doesn’t speak for his people. I’m sure there are plenty of people, like Ithara, who would welcome our help.”

“I’m sure you’re right,” Hayes agreed. “And I have no intention of letting the matter drop. I plan to make my case to Alyra privately. But you heard Kaedric. He’s waiting for us to give him an excuse to lock us up. If he finds out you’ve been studying the Wasting, you’ll be playing right into his hands.”

It felt like Percy’s whole body deflated. He rubbed the back of his neck as he walked back to his bunk. Rolling onto the mattress, Percy stared at the underside of the mattress above him. He knew Commander Hayes was right, that trying to diagnose and cure the Wasting would be too great a risk without the approval of the Kaelani.

But he couldn’t just sit on his hands doing nothing. He needed to help. Percy was sure he could work on diagnosing Ithara without Kaedric ever hearing about it.

If he was going to be executed, he was going to spend his final days productively. He didn’t have time to wait for Commander Hayes to talk Alyra around. No matter what Hayes had said, Percy was going to try to cure the Wasting.

Kaedric knew the tunnels of their underground city like the back of his hand. He’d visited every corner of their home and knew which tunnels saw very little foot traffic. That’s why he’d chosen this particular tunnel for this meeting.

“High Keeper,” Saelith bowed as she spoke.

There was little heat in this particular section of the city. Power had long ago been routed away from here when it had fallen into disuse as their population declined. The heavy cloak that Kaedric wore did little to shield him from the cold here. A shiver travelled through him as he approached Saelith.

The lights in this section didn’t work. The only source of illumination was from the handheld beacons that Kaedric and Saelith carried. They cast odd shadows on the walls around them. A slow drip of water could be heard echoing from somewhere further along the tunnel, a sign of the disrepair this section of the city had fallen into.

Kaedric smiled at her. “There is no need to stand on ceremony here, my friend. I apologise for my lateness. I was detained while speaking with the outsiders.”

“What did they have to say?” Saelith asked.

They started walking deeper into the tunnel. “They believe they can cure the Wasting.”

“The arrogance,” Saelith said with a chuckle. “Of believing you can defy the will of the gods.”

Kaedric nodded in agreement. “They also told me their friends will not stop looking for them until they find out what happened to them.”

“We should execute them now,” Saelith snapped. “And leave their bodies on the surface for their friends to find.”

If he’d had his way, Kaedric would have already done this. But Alyra was soft and wanted to learn more about the outsiders. But Kaedric was beginning to think his initial instinct to execute the newcomers was wrong.

“I’ve spent time praying to the Vezda for guidance,” Kaedric said. “I believe these newcomers have been sent to test us.”

Saelith’s eyes widened. “Sent by the Vezda?”

“Yes,” Kaedric replied with a nod.

With a curious expression, Saelith asked, “What do you believe we must do?”

“We must prove ourselves worthy,” Kaedric told her. “Only then will the Vezda return.”

A smile slowly crept onto Saelith’s face. “And cure the Wasting?”

“Yes,” Kaedric’s smile mirrored Saelith’s. “Cure the Wasting and return us to the surface.”

Saelith remained silent for a moment. It was a lot to process, the idea that their people’s suffering would soon be at an end, that the gods would return and reward them for their faith. 

“What must we do?” Saelith asked.

Kaedric soberly announced, “We must destroy the ship in orbit and offer up the four we hold to the Vezda.”

“The only way we could destroy their ship would be to channel a massive amount of power through the atmospheric processors and fire it at them,” Saelith explained.

That was Kaedric’s idea, too. It was gratifying to see that they agreed. A testament to their decades-long friendship.

“It will take every bit of power the city’s generators can provide,” Kaedric said. “But I believe we can do it.”

A shadow crossed Saelith’s delicate features. “I’ve studied our scans of their ship. It’s incredibly powerful.”

“As are we,” Kaedric assured her. “Have faith, old friend.”

As the chief scientist, Saelith had unfettered access to the information recorded by the sensors. It was no surprise that she had studied the Federation ship in orbit. 

Saelith seemed unsure, but nodded. “You will need to access the atmospheric processors’ central control centre. If the power feed’s back, it could destroy the city’s generators.”

“It will matter little once the Vezda return,” Kaedric replied. “They will provide.”

With a single nod, Saelith replied. “Of course.”

“I will need your help,” Kaedric told her.

With a bow of her head, Saelith affirmed, “I am your loyal servant.”

“We all serve the Vezda, Saelith.” Kaedric couldn’t keep the smile from his face. “And soon, they will walk among us once more.”