“What’s going to happen to us?”

Percy’s question echoed around the tunnel as he and Ithara were marched towards the Committee chamber by Saelith, Rionel and three other guards. His heart thundered in his chest. A bead of sweat rolled from his forehead, down his nose. The sweat had nothing to do with the temperature; the tunnels were as cold and damp as ever. He was sweating because of the four weapons pointed at him and Ithara.

“That will be for Alyra to decide,” Saelith told him, sounding uninterested. “But she will have no choice.”

“What does that mean?” Percy asked reluctantly, certain he already knew the answer.

Saelith paused before answering, “You’ll be executed.”

As they neared the Committee chambers, Commander Hayes’ voice echoed through the tunnel before Percy even had sight of him. 

“Let Doctor Montague study the Wasting,” Hayes implored. “Even if he can’t cure it, he may be able to help with new pain management techniques.”

A response didn’t come immediately, and before it did, Percy and Ithara emerged from the tunnel into the cavernous Committee chamber. Percy inhaled the sweet vanilla-like scent that always filled this room. It was a welcome relief from the dampness of the tunnels.

Hayes and Tanner were standing in the middle of the room speaking with Alyra, who was pacing back and forth with her hands clasped behind her back. The lights above were concentrated in the middle of the room. In the shadows around the periphery of the room, four aides looked on silently.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Alyra demanded when she noticed Percy and Ithara being escorted by armed guards.

Hayes’ gaze fell on Percy. He could feel the heat rising in his cheeks under Hayes’ glare, but Percy couldn’t bring himself to meet the Commander’s eyes. Chancing a look at Tanner, Percy looked into a concerned pair of grey/blue eyes. Percy quickly looked back at the imaginary point on the wall in front of him

“I found the outsider experimenting on Healer Ithara,” Saelith announced dramatically. “In defiance of the Committee’s edict.”

When he spoke, Hayes’ voice was hard. “Is this true?”

“Yes, sir,” Percy replied immediately.

Percy kept his eyes focused on a spot on the wall as Hayes stepped closer. “I believe my orders were clear, Lieutenant.”

Starfleet doctors were seldom addressed by their rank. That Hayes used Percy’s now was a bad omen. Of course, if Percy were executed, whatever punishment Hayes might have in mind would pale in comparison.

“They were, sir.”

Hayes continued to glare at Percy, who was steadfastly refusing to meet the commander’s eyes. Meanwhile, Alyra glanced at Ithara.

“Why are you here, healer…?” Alyra asked as she approached Ithara.

“Ithara,” Saelith supplied. “Is here because she is complicit in the outsider’s crime. She allowed herself to be experimented on.”

It was hardly an experiment, Percy wanted to argue. All I did was take some blood and analyse it. Saelith was making it sound like he’d cut people up or introduced new and exotic diseases to them.

“Is this true?” Alyra asked, stepping close to Ithara

Ithara swallowed. “It is, Chairwoman.”

“Why did you collude with the outsider?”

A sliver of hope ignited deep inside Percy. Alyra was in no rush to execute them; in fact, she seemed to want more information about their actions before the Committee decided on their fate. When he entered the Committee chamber, Percy was sure he was to be executed. Now, he wasn’t so sure.

“He believes he can discover the cause of the Wasting,” Ithara responded. “I wanted to help him.”

Alyra turned her attention to Percy. She moved closer, so her face was inches from his. He could feel her breath on his cheek. “You believe you can identify the cause of the Wasting?”

“I believe so,” Percy told her. “In fact, I believe we have.”

You could have heard a pin drop in the Committee chamber in the seconds after Percy spoke. Alyra’s face was frozen, her eyes wide and mouth hanging open. He could hardly blame her. He’d just told her in the hours he’d been on her planet, he’d just diagnosed the illness killing her people.

Alyra looked to Ithara, who nodded. “It’s true.”

“Committee member Saelith read out the results,” Percy explained. “Your people are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.”

The room came alive with those present murmuring amongst themselves, the sound echoing around the room. Alyra’s shock was apparent, while Saelith kept her features carefully schooled. If he didn’t know any better, he’d think she was bored. 

“You can treat this?” Alyra asked. Her entire being seemed to vibrate with a hopeful energy.

Percy nodded enthusiastically. “I believe so, yes.”

Alyra moved to the edge of the room, where she conducted a conversation with the four aides standing there. They were too far for Percy to hear what was being said.

“Are you sure about this?” Hayes stepped close to Percy and kept his voice low.

Percy kept his voice equally low. “Yes, sir.”

“What about that paste these folks eat?” Tanner asked. “Don’t that provide the vitamin D these people need?”

That was a good question. With a shrug, Percy replied, “I don’t have an answer to that, not yet. I’d need to study a sample of the paste.”

“Are you sure you can trust this outsider?” Alyra asked as she returned to the centre of the room, her eyes focused on Ithara.

Ithara nodded without hesitation. “With my life.” 

“None of this matters,” Saelith’s voice boomed, echoing off the stone walls and high ceiling. “They have admitted their crimes. There can be only one punishment. They must be executed at once.”

With deep furrows in her brow, Alyra turned to face Saelith, who wilted under Alyra’s intense gaze.

“None of this matters?” Alyra’s voice was filled with incredulity. “These outsiders tell us they can cure the Wasting, and you say it doesn’t matter?”

Alyra stepped ever closer to Saelith with every word, her voice gradually rising as she spoke until she shouted the last. 

“Only the Vezda can cure the Wasting,” Saelith shot back, jabbing an angry finger at Alyra.

The Vezda aren’t even gods, Percy thought bitterly. What kind of gods would inflict a slow death on the people they supposedly created? Having learned his lesson with Rionel, Percy kept that question to himself.

“Remarkable,” Alyra said with a hint of sarcasm. “I see you speak, yet I hear Kaedric so clearly.”

Saelith glowered at Alyra. “If Kaedric were here-”

“Where is Kaedric?” Alyra asked, narrowing her eyes. “The news of this outsider experimenting on one of our citizens should have grabbed his attention. I would’ve thought he would storm in here demanding their execution. Where is he?”

Not loud enough for anyone to hear, Percy mumbled, “Wasn’t experimenting on anyone.”

“Kaedric isn’t coming,” A new voice announced from the tunnel entrance. Standing there was a man Percy recognised as one of the seven Committee members, with Lieutenant Yamada standing beside him. Unlike Percy, she hadn’t been escorted here at gunpoint.

Everyone watched the man walk towards the centre of the room with Yamada in tow. She gave Percy a nod as she moved to stand beside Hayes and Tanner.

“What do you mean, Lethan?” Alyra asked.

Lethan held a device in his hand. “There’s something you must see.”

He lifted the device and tapped a command. A viewscreen appeared from thin air above them. Whatever holographic emitters were producing the image, they were well hidden. On the screen, Kaedric approached two guards standing at a tunnel with a gold and white arch. 

Although his back was to the camera, it was clear he was speaking with them. They couldn’t hear what was being said. There was no sound with these images. Kaedric reached into his cloak. A gasp escaped from Alyra’s lips as on the screen, the two guards were killed. Murdered, Percy corrected himself. It was only when he kneeled beside each of them that they could see the weapon in his hand, identical to the one Rionel had been pointing at Percy for too long.

Kaedric turned and looked down the camera lens. His jaw was set in a way that made him look determined. He turned and started down the corridor.

“I’ve seen enough,” Alyra said sadly. She advanced on Saelith. “What is Kaedric doing? Why is he going to the central control matrix? Why has he murdered two of our citizens?”

Though she was able to meet Alyra’s penetrating gaze, Saelith looked distinctly uncomfortable. “The Vezda require a sacrifice.”

“Why do the Vezda require the murder of two young guards?” Alyra asked hotly. 

Hayes answered the question, “Theirs isn’t the sacrifice she’s talking about. They were just collateral damage. Kaedric’s planning to sacrifice our ship and the people on it.”

“How?” Alyra demanded of Sealith, who said nothing.

Lieutenant Yamada spoke instead. “The atmospheric processors. If enough power is channelled through one of them towards Challenger, it could cripple her. Maybe even destroy her.”

“We will be rewarded in the coming Vezda Empire,” Saelith announced, though she didn’t sound sure of that.

“Detain Committee member Saelith,” Alyra snapped. “Lethan, go after Kaedric. Stop him from destroying the outsiders’ vessel and bring him back here to answer for his crimes.”

For the first time in more than half an hour, the weapons were no longer pointing at Percy. He hinged at the waist, placed his hands on his thighs and took several deep, steadying breaths. A hand gently rubbed his back. Percy closed his eyes and focused on his breath. He eventually straightened and found Yamada standing too far away to be rubbing his back, but Tanner was standing beside him. Percy could feel the heat rising in his cheeks.

“We should send the outsiders,” Lethan’s eyes flicked to Hayes. “They could reach Kaedric quicker than we-”

“No!” The deep roar that Saelith let out caught everyone by surprise. 

Reaching for Rionel’s weapon, Saelith tore it from his hands, adding a punch to his chest that caught him off balance and sent him into the arms of his fellow guards. It felt like the air had been sucked from the room, and time slowed to a crawl as she levelled it at Alyra.

“Kaedric must not be stopped,” Saelith’s voice was sure, though her shaking hand betrayed her nerves. “The outsiders’ lives must be offered to the Vezda.”

Before Percy could stop her, Ithara stepped between Saelith and Alyra. An instant later, the trigger was pulled, sending a superheated bolt of energy at Ithara. The blast struck her shoulder, sending her falling to the floor.

The guards were already subduing Saelith as Percy dropped to his knees beside Ithara. It looked like the disruptor blast had only glanced her shoulder. Ithara cried out in pain.

“You’re gonna be okay,” Percy assured her. He looked up at Alyra. “Do you have a medical kit?”

Alyra pointed to one of her aides and instructed them to bring the kit. Percy used the delay to examine the wound. Her clothes had been melted into the skin, but Percy had seen worse. The aide silently delivered the medical kit and stepped back. When Percy opened it, he recognised the hypospray and a few other devices.

“I’m gonna need your help here,” Percy told Ithara, trying to keep his tone light.

Ithara pointed at a vial of deep amber liquid. Through gritted teeth, she told him, “This will provide relief from the pain.”

“Got it.” Percy loaded the hypospray and set the dosage. But he had no idea how powerful this drug was, so he was completely guessing it. 

He showed Ithara the hypo’s settings. When she nodded, he pushed her sleeve back, pressed the hypo against her pale skin and activated it. Ithara winced momentarily, but within seconds her entire body relaxed.

“Now, which one of these is the dermal regenerator?” Percy asked, pointing to the kit.

Ithara shook her head. “There isn’t one.”

“You,” Percy looked up at the aide who had delivered the kit. “Go to the nearest clinic and get me a dermal regenerator.”

The aide didn’t move straight away. Instead, he looked to Alyra for permission. She nodded silently with the ghost of a smirk and amusement shining in her dark eyes.

“I’d like your permission to go after Kaedric,” Hayes said as he stepped towards Alyra.

Several seconds of silence followed as Alyra considered the idea. Finally, she said, “Very well. But he must be returned alive.”

“Understood,” Hayes nodded. He looked at his team. “Tanner, you’re with me. Yamada and Montague remain here.”

It was unlikely Percy would have been much use in chasing down Kaedric, so staying in the Committee chamber was the preferable option. Hayes and Tanner spoke with Lethan in hushed tones as Percy stood up. The Kaelari security chief handed them a device that looked like a tricorder and instructed them on how to use it. 

Tanner glanced over his shoulder and caught Percy watching them. He gave a wink and a lopsided smile before turning his focus back to the conversation with Lethan. Percy had to turn his head; otherwise, Tanner would have seen his face turning red. Unfortunately, Yamada saw it and smirked at him. Thankfully, she didn’t say anything.

Hayes and Tanner ran from the Committee chamber, chasing Kaedric down. Percy’s chest tightened as his friends left the chamber. He knew he wouldn’t be much use in this scenario, but in that moment, he regretted not being more athletic. 

If I make it out of this alive, I’m going to change that, Percy decided as he let out a shaky breath. Whether that would happen was now in Hayes’ and Tanner’s hands. I hope they’ll be okay.

It had been over a decade since Kaedric set foot in the central control matrix. Then he’d been the First Acolyte, High Keeper Caelis’ deputy, preparing to assume the heavy mantle of High Keeper himself. Caelis had imparted her knowledge of the facility, passed down through generations of High Keepers.

The room was in darkness, with only emergency lights providing what little light there was. There were three rows of consoles set across three different levels. All the consoles faced a large screen on the wall opposite the door Kaedric had just entered.

Moving to the console he needed, Kaedric reached out. The display lit up before he’d even touched it, bathing him in an ethereal olive green glow. Time was limited. No doubt Lethan’s security force was already following. But by the time they would reach him, it would be too late. Still, better to take every precaution. 

The first code he entered would lock the doors. The room was momentarily filled by the sound of a dull metallic thunk as the door locks engaged. Kaedric shivered. He wasn’t sure if it was the coldness of the room or the gravity of what he was about to do. 

Next, he activated the lights. The brightness overpowered his eyes, and he was forced to lower the level to something similar to the lighting he was used to in the tunnels. He moved from the master console to the power console. This was where he would be able to provide the processors with the power they would need to destroy the outsider vessel.

The scans Saelith had run indicated there were almost two thousand people onboard the outsiders’ vessel. That was a lot of death for the conscience of one man. But this was the only way to prove the Kaelani worthy of the Vezda’s return. He would learn to live with his actions if it ensured the return of the Vezda and the survival of his own people.

Kaedric moved to another nearby console. As he prepared to activate the atmospheric processors, he closed his eyes. 

“Mighty Vezda, we pray for your return and offer these outsiders as tribute.”

As he entered a series of commands, Kaedric could not just hear the hum of the processors, but he could feel the power being channelled into them beneath his feet. The whole room vibrated. Having that kind of power at one’s fingertips was intoxicating. 

“Once I’ve dealt with these outsiders,” Kaedric muttered. “I will deal with Alyra and her allies. No more dithering.”

As power continued to build in the atmospheric processors, Kaedric began to draw power from the underground city’s power generators. Destroying the outsiders’ vessel would require every bit of power he could muster. He targeted the ship in orbit. In just fifteen minutes, he would be ready to fire.

The Challenger’s senior officers gathered around the conference table in Captain Rix’s ready room. The freshly cut flowers tickled Sebastian’s nose, causing him to sneeze into his hands.

“Bless you,” Tristan Drake immediately mumbled. 

Sebastian’s whispered response was equally as swift, “Thank you.”

Sebastian rubbed his eyes before squeezing them shut tightly for a moment. The away team had been missing for almost a day, and he’d managed little sleep during that time. Any attempt to land an away team on the surface of Tarnis III had been thwarted by storms that appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly.

“How’s Commander Drake?” Rix asked.

Doctor Myrena Jorin, Challenger’s chief medical officer, sat forward. “He suffered a severe concussion on that last landing attempt. I’m keeping him in sickbay overnight, and I don’t anticipate that he’ll be fit for duty for at least another twenty-four hours after that.”

“He’s gonna love that,” Drake’s husband, Tristian, muttered, drawing a snort from Sebastian.

Rix ignored the comment and turned to the Challenger’s Vulcan chief engineer. “What about the runabout?”

“Repairs to the Slieve Donard will take two point three days to complete,” Commander T’Vira reported.

A frustrated sigh escaped from Sebastian. Tristian Drake patted his shoulder.

“Alright,” Rix looked around the assembled officers. “What are our options?”

As much as he wanted to do something, he had no ideas. In addition to trying to beam down and sending shuttles and runabouts, they’d sent out general hails at regular intervals and received silence in return. The away team were somewhere on the planet below, and the not-so-random weather events suggested an intelligent life was at work, presumably holding the away team.

“Bridge to Captain Rix.”

Lieutenant Kali’s disembodied voice echoed around the ready room. “Go ahead.”

“Sir, we’re detecting a power buildup on the surface.”

The senior officers jumped out of their chairs and followed Rix out onto the bridge.

“Report,” Rix barked as he strode briskly to the command chair.

Lieutenant Kali relinquished the centre seat. “The power buildup is coming from the northern continent, twelve kilometres from the away team’s beamdown site.”

“Do we know what’s down there?” Rix asked.

Once he’d studied the scan data, Commander Jalor replied, “No, sir. The minerals in the planet’s crust are preventing us from getting a clear reading of the site. But this power buildup is massive.”

“How massive?” Sebastian asked.

Jalor slowly looked up from his console, “Enough to destroy an entire city.”

Could this be the away team’s doing? If it was, why? What reason could they have for setting in motion a buildup of power like the one they were seeing now? Perhaps this was an attempt to disable whatever technology was generating these overpowering weather events.

Captain Rix took a deep breath and released it noisily through his nose. “What the hell’s going on down there?”