“They are not telling us the whole truth, Lieutenant V’luth.”

The Vulcan’s steely-eyed gaze remained locked with Lieutenant Barzo as she paced the office, venting about the current situation. They were sharing the office in the admin building of the main colony city on Astridina III.  The logic of the situation demanded a rational process to examine, investigate, and then prove or disprove the links to the Orion Syndicate.

V’luth had discovered early in his working relationship with Barzo that she did not have those guiding principles instilled in her instincts like he did.  “It is as I had surmised, stated, and am now repeating.  Humanoids such as the Astrids do not trust the Federation as quickly as others who are closer to the center of the UFP.  You are a mystery to them, as I am.  The Syndicate operates within a grey area with most colonies.  It is not as simple as it being right or wrong for these people.”

The Bajoran Security Lead Investigator sat back in her chair, frustrated.  “You’re saying that they see more benefit from the Syndicate than they do from us?”

“That is the crux of my claim and argument, Lieutenant.  The Astrids have called the rimward home far longer than we have.  To tell them to shift their allegiances because we hold the belief that we are the ones to help them will not change their hearts and minds.”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“It is the old human expression – actions speak louder than words.  We cannot hope to dislodge the Syndicate’s influence by talking them out of it.  We must prove it.”

Barzo frowned.  “You want us to stop investigating?”

“Quite the opposite.  We must dig deeper into the colony’s relationship.  We will have to work within the medical, engineering, and operations teams to create a reasonably believable cover.”

Barzo nearly gagged. “I’m not a fan of medical.”

V’luth replied in his measured logic, “I’m aware of your fainting spells.  I have taken on the medical duties.”

A curious silence enveloped the two of them.  Barzo’s face was one of curiosity.  “That’s the first time you’ve shown feeli…deference towards my needs.”

V’luth remained impassive. “It was the logical choice.”

“This can’t be right, Doctor Dawson.”

“We’ve run the tests three times, Captain Walton.  I’ve had Lieutenant Maguire recheck the medical records they provided us.  The lifespan of an average Astrid is forty years.  It’s been steadily decreasing as long as they’ve kept records.”  He glanced at his PADD.  “Over 500 years they’ve gone from living to over an average of 70 to where they are now.  The oral stories that were eventually written told tales of the ancients being nearly immortal.  I’ve got more tests to run and interviews to sort through.”

Walton let him go and turned to the beguiling report he’d provided.  A troubling aspect was the prediction that the average life expectancy would drop below thirty within twenty years.  What had happened here, she wondered?  Had the mysterious people discovered in the Thomar Expanse come from the rimward?  Had they created a civilization in the shadow of another one of their mysteriously powered planets? She walked out of the lobby and onto the streets of the Astrid city, Galk.  The people gave her quiet stares as they went about their business, and she studied them as she walked back towards the administration building in the center of the busy city.

They were a quiet people and practiced in their observance of the cycles of the system they called home.  They built the temples from a craggy stone that resembled marble in its white color.  The rough shape was central to their tenets of imperfection.  Make-up was absent, and fashion was one of three colors: brown, black, and deep purple.  Hair was another element.  How people wore their hair signified their level within the community.  The longer it was, the more prestigious the person was.  Braids, ribbons, and subtle colors of the hair signified layers of the culture.

This had been the practice as far back as anyone could remember.  As life expectancy dropped, the challenges facing the culture rose.  Walton had been sitting in the interviews and sessions with the Astrids.  She surmised that the engagement with the Syndicate had been a recent development.  The conversations among the younger generations had circled around the future and how little of it they felt was ahead of them.

Wren wasn’t sure what to make of it.  They were there objectively to investigate what‌ influence the Orion Syndicate had over the Astrid people.  The layers of the culture, along with the unfolding discoveries surrounding Astridina V, were complicating matters.

“Ensign Soojin to Captain Walton.  I have someone for your mission.”

“My name’s Peter Joura.”

Wren shook the man’s hand.  “My chief counselor tells me you’re one of the few interested in helping us with Astridina V.”

Joura’s face blanched at the mention of the planet.  He nodded, still nervous. “None of my friends think this is a good idea.  They think it’s a suicide mission.  My parents are gone, and I’ve only got ten years left on my clock.  I keep telling them this is a chance to find out the truth.”  He shuddered, his eyes falling to stare at the floor.  “They’ve called me a heretic and threatened to report me to the authorities.”

She asked, “What do you think, Peter?”  Wren watched his eyes as they stared at the floor for a moment longer before shifting to meet her gaze.

“I think there’s more to the world than just us.  The ships of ours that come and go…only the rich and well-off can fly into space.  We’re dying as a people.  I’ve read the underground news. I’ve listened to the voices of our ancestors.  Whatever is out there…I have to know what it is.”

“And if it’s something else entirely?  If it’s not the answer you wanted?  If something goes wrong?”

The thirty-year-old Astrid gave her a long look.  “Risk should be a part of life, don’t you think?  We live in a very safe society here.  There is no real adventure or excitement.  We live; we die.”  He scoffed.  “I’ve never felt like this was where I was supposed to be.  I kept looking up there, trying to figure out a way to get there from here.”

Satisfied, she handed him a PADD.  “Well, you’re about to get that chance, Peter.  Captain Park will brief you on the way.”  She gestured to a waiting shuttle, a figure leaning against it.  “Let’s find out what’s out there.”