Diego was sleeping peacefully on his cot in the back of the security office.  Must of the crew were being billeted in the communal barracks.   He preferred more solitude than that could offer.  Besides this meant the security office had someone in here 25/7.

Something woke Diego.   He lay motionless staring up at the dark ceiling and letting his other senses take over. Something had awoken him.  Then he heard it, the soft shuffle of boot over sandy floor. The tiny bits of silica made a soft grinding sound as they were crushed between sole and floor. The individual was moving towards him.

He had his hand under his pillow already when he was asleep. Slowly his fingers wrapped around the grip of his phaser pistol. In a smooth motion Garza threw off his blankets and leveled his phaser, but as he did so a beam of energy hit Diego in the chest.

He gasped in shock, his eyes wide in terror.  The phaser fell from his loosening grip and clattered to the floor never discharged.   A second later the alien had stopped the energy beam and Diego slumped back into bed.  He twitched in spasm for a few seconds and then silence. 

Ensign Anthony Talon entered the silent security office.  The suns were up and it was already getting hot.  He wiped the sweat from his brow missing the protection his old Stetson provided.  “Hey Gramps! Rise and shine buddy! The captain wants to see us on this Green case.”

There was silence. 

Anthony frowned. The computer clearly indicated that Garza was in the security office.  Pushing through the door that lead to the back part of the office where the holding cells were Garza slept.  “C’mon Gramps. You can’t sleep all day.”

His heart sank seeing Garza.  He lay face down on the floor, with his legs still in the cot. He dropped to Garza’s side, “Talon to Crazy Horse! Medical emergency: two to beam up!”

A second later Anthony and Garza were in sickbay. “Come on buddy wake up!” Anthony pleaded slapping the older man’s cheeks which were cold to the touch.

“What the hell happened?” Dr. Mulder demanded as she and several nurses lifted Gaza onto a biobed.

“I don’t know,” Anthony said stepping back and out of the way. 

Dr. Mulder opened her tricorder and scanned her patient.  Any sense of urgency was now gone. “Sickbay to the Captain.  You better come down here.”

“On my way.”

“What are you doing?” Anthony demanded something hitting him in the pit of the stomach. “Do something for him.”

Dr. Mulder frowned and placed a hand on Anthony’s shoulder, “Ensign I’m sorry.”

“No!” He replied stepping back. “Do something…”

“Ensign, he’s dead, and according to my scans he died six hours ago. There’s nothing I can do.”

Anthony blinked the rational mind taking over from the emotional. He knew the doctor was telling the truth.  He knew it when he first found him, but something kept himself from accepting it.  Approaching his friend Anthony looked down.  “Sorry buddy.  What happened?”

Dr. Mulder shrugged,  “I haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Anthony nodded and stepped back to get out of the way.  And stood guard over his friend.  Dr. Mulder sighed and closed the scanning apparatus around her patient.  She entered commands into it and by the time Captain Órlaith Murphy entered sickbay flanked by Commander Kevan Torin.  Commander Torin was covered in dust from the moon.

“Doctor, Ensign,” Órlaith acknowledged as they approached.  “What happened?”

Mulder drew back the sheet to reveal Garza’s lifeless face, “Ensign Talon discovered Lieutenant Garza at 0901 and called in a medical emergency.” Drawing the sheet back over Garza she turned to the Captain and XO.  “Lieutenant Garza was DOA.  Cause of death is… well for lack of a better term massive internal organ failure though that’s not exactly what happened. Lieutenant Garza’s lungs, liver, heart, kidneys, and parts of his spinal cord were surgically removed.”

“Removed how?” Órlaith asked in shock.

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen anything like it. I am running this through the Federation database,  but it’s going to take the computer some time to figure out.”

Anthony was white as a ghost,  “Could the organs have been beamed away?”

Dr. Mulder considered it for a moment, “Not any transporter I know of, but yes, I suppose they could have.”

Torin realized where Anthony was going, “Vidiians.”

“Vidiians!” Órlaith and Dr. Mulder exclaimed in surprise.

“It makes sense,” Anthony continued.  “The use of a planet with or displaying dilithium as a way to bait ships and crews to visit the planet wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done that.”

“And the desert has a way of hiding secrets and destroying evidence,” Órlaith said thinking out loud. “Now that we know who we are looking for now what do we do?”

“We find them,” Anthony growled. 

“And then what Ensign?” Órlaith asked. “We are far out of Federation jurisdiction,  and this is…”

“The Devore claim this territory,” Anthony replied.

“That’s a dicey admission,” Órlaith said glancing at her first officer.

“That would delegitimize our claim that we are in unclaimed interstellar territory, and we would be subject to their laws,” Torin observed.

Órlaith thought for a moment.  “Get what you can of the normal dilithium,” she said to Torin.  “At this point I don’t give a damn about that blood dilithium.  In the meantime I will contact the Devore.  Mr Talon, we need a chief of security. Do you feel up to the task?”

Anthony nodded solemnly,  “Yes, ma’am.” 

“Good. Work with Commander Hayden and see about tracking down the Vidiians.  They have already murdered two of my crew I am not going to allow a third.”  With decision made Órlaith turned on a heel with Torin following leaving Anthony and Dr. Mulder alone in sickbay. 

“Are you really up to this Ensign?” The doctor asked. 

“Honestly? No, I’ve never served in security.   I’ve had training obviously,  but this is…”

“You have big shoes to fill,” Dr. Mulder replied.  

Anthony nodded. 

“I think the Lieutenant would he proud of you.”

Anthony glanced over at the biobed, “I hope so.  Excuse me Doc, I have work to do.”

Dr. Mulder nodded, “Good luck Ensign.”