NOTE: THIS STORY TAKES PLACE SEVERAL WEEKS AFTER THE ATTACK ON RISA.
“CONFRONTATION”
MONICA VEASEY
‘Stop right now! Just turn around and forget the whole thing. There is no need to do this. You can’t get anything more out of him. Others better than you have tried and failed.’
Lt. Ren Carstairs walked straight up to the Security Guard outside the special detention cell at Starfleet Headquarters where one of the Khynah prisoners taken during the Risa attack was being held.
‘This is insane’, her little voice continued. Ren pushed it back. “Lt. Ren Carstairs to see the Khynah prisoner,” she said in a clear, firm voice, masking her inner thoughts.
“Yes, sir,” responded the Ensign on duty. “I was expecting you. I’ll let you in.” The Ensign touched a panel on her desk which opened a door to Ren’s right.
“Sir, he’s behind an energy field so you shouldn’t have any problems.”
“Thank you Ensign,” said Ren as she stepped through the door. Problems. I should have no problems. Right. I should have a psych exam just for being here, she chided herself. Other Starfleet Officers had already interrogated the prisoners and had gotten nothing out of them. What made her think she could do any better? ‘Because I lived with them and they didn’t’, she said, silently.
The thoughts of her imprisonment on Den’a kept trying to force their way to the front of her mind—the torture--the loss of friends—the pain. She pushed them down –again. Deep down into the buried recesses of her consciousness. She had already indulged herself in those memories for days now. Now was the time for them to die—or at least hold no more power over her. This is why she requested this. That and the fact that maybe, just maybe she could coerce something useful out of this prisoner.
The room was round and painted a soothing blue—hopefully to help calm prisoners. The Khynah warrior was standing in the center of the room, a cot, toilet and sink the only things inside the forcefield with him.
Ren entered, holding her hands behind her back, resisting the urge to run her fingers through her hair. She looked him directly in the eyes—a sign of confrontation, then she walked slowly and deliberately around the Khynah, never taking her eyes off him.
He stood, tall and silent, hatred glaring from his eyes. He never moved while Ren made her round.
After completing a 360 degree walk, Ren stopped then leaned back against the wall, still silent and still looking him directly in the eyes. Khynah prisoners weren’t allowed to do this she remembered. She could, even now, feel the energy lash again as it whipped into her body causing intense pain. ‘Not now.’
After several minutes of silence, he asked, “What are you looking at, you bii'cho?”
Ren remained silent, a slight grin crossed her angular features.
“Terran!” he yelled at her.
Just what she was waiting for.
“Khynah. Tall. Weak. Stupid,” she said calmly.
“Terran! It is you and your kind who are the weak and stupid ones!” he shouted.
Good, Just what she wanted.
“Oh really? I’m not the one behind a force field in enemy territory, Khynah. And how can you say WE are the stupid ones, when after the more than three years you’ve had to prepare for war, all your…so called scientists—she spat on the floor—could come up with is a nanite weapon which our Federation scientists have already counteracted?”
“Lies! That is impossible!”
Ren began her walk around again, never taking her eyes off the Khynah. She laughed. “That only proves how stupid you really are, Khynah.” Even though the nanite weapon had not been conteracted, Ren knew it soon would be.
He turned to follow her around the room.
Good. I have his interest now.
“Even if that were true, do you think we don’t have other weapons?” he snarled.
“Idle boasts,” said Ren. “I know your people, Khynah. I was a…guest of yours for several months, so I know your limitations. You are not an intelligent species. Warlike, yes. Physically strong, again yes. But intelligent?” She laughed—a long and loud laugh.
“You are nothing more than a basca! If it were not for this forcefield I would tear you apart with my bare hands. Then I would tear out your heart and drink your blood!”
“Well, that might make you smarter, Khynah—Terran blood. I’ll see what I can do to provide you with a transfusion if you like,” she said, smiling.
He hit the forcefield hard. It flared brightly, knocking him back. “I spit on you Terran! You coward! Our scientists on Den’a are far superior to your Federation nutrahl. We have many more weapons for you. The nanites were just a beginning—a test. Within a few months’ time your space stations will go dim. Your people will die an agonizing death! We will crush you one by one. Our weapons will---“. Suddenly he stopped. “You will die, Terran. All of you.” He sat down on his cot now, signaling his dismissal of her.
That was it! The information she came for. But there was more, she could feel it. Something else to be learned here. She had to continue just a bit longer.
“Yes, yes,” continued Ren, trying to contain her excitement at what he had inadvertently revealed to her, but being careful to act as if what he had said had little value. She stopped walking. “I’ve heard all your petty Khynah boasts before. The fact is you would never have dared to attack us again, since the last time we met, Starfleet kicked your Khynah ass. You are no more than a s'ahma. She laughed again.
He laughed too—a loud bellowing sound. “We crippled you Terran. We were only testing you. You and your pitiful Starfleet.”
“Oh, pitiful are we? So pitiful that this time you had to call on others to help you in your fight with us. You asked MANY others, Khynah. That is a sign of weakness. The Federation needs no others to assist it. Tsk, tsk tsk. Poor Khynah, so weak, so helpless.” She shook her head.
“Allies for now. Enemies later. After we have destroyed the Federation,” he said, calmly, a gleam in his eyes.
Ren sighed heavily. THIS was the other info she had been waiting to hear. Now she could leave. And maybe put part of her hell behind her.
“I grow weary of your idle boats, Khynah. I'll leave you alone now. Alone with your thoughts of how strong the Khynah species is—as long as they have allies to fight their battles for them.”
“We need no one, Terran!,” the Khynah yelled, and stood up once again. “NO ONE!”
Ren turned her back on him and left the room.
He was still yelling when the door closed.
“Gosh, Lieutenant,” said the Ensign guard, “whatever you said to him sure made him mad.”
Ren hit her comm badge. “Commander Remington from Lt. Carstairs.”
“Remington here, go ahead.”
“Commander. I need to see you immediately.”
“I’m in a meeting right now, Ren. Can it wait?”
“No sir. I’ve just completed my interview and I have some info you need to hear ASAP.”
“Understood. My office, five minutes.”
“Thank you, sir. Carstairs out.”
Ren turned to the Ensign. “Watch him closely, Ensign,” she said, indicating the Khynah. “He may try to kill himself.”
“Sir, that is impossible. There is no way for him to do such a thing.”
Ren turned sharply on the young officer. “He is Khynah, Ensign! He will FIND a way to kill.”
“Yes sir,” responded the chastised ensign.
“Good.” Ren turned and rushed down the corridor
towards the lift. “This is worse than I suspected,” she whispered to herself.
“Far worse.”
Ren rushed into Commander Vanessa Remington’s war room office. The room was just an office and unlike the others’ rooms, it contained nothing more than desk, terminal, two chairs and replicator. Remington sat at her desk and stood when Ren entered.
“I’ve just called up your video on the interview Ren. I want to look at it before we begin.”
“Fine.” Ren paced slowly back and forth while Vanessa reviewed the tape.
“Interesting. We didn’t get so much as an insult when we interrogated him,” said Remington.
“Your officers didn’t live with them as their prisoner,” said Ren.
“True.” The tape ended. “I see why you’re excited Ren.”
“They have bio weapons, Vanessa. That and some other kind of weapon designed to take out our spacestations. Something has to be done to stop them before they can release them.”
“He didn’t exactly say bioweapons, Ren, but I agree. As for the spacestation weapon, yes, he DID say that outright, didn’t he. I’ll talk with Ranger One about this. We’ll need to send a team to Den’a as soon as possible. From what this Khynah said, that’s where their scientists are located. We suspected that the first attack was mearly an exercise to feel us out so to speak, but we never suspected bio weapons. Good work, Lieutenant. I know that must have been hard on you.”
“No sir. Living with the Khynah was hard on me. This was just my job.”
Vanessa nodded.
The other thing he said, sir—about their allies being their enemies in time.”
“Yes. I suspected as much. The Khynah don’t like working, or sharing profits with others. After their first attack, they discovered we were stronger than they first suspected and as such needed help in overthrowing us. This doesn’t surprise me.”
“Sir, if we could somehow let their allies know about this, maybe we could get them to turn on the Khynah,” suggested Ren.
“That would be great, wouldn’t it? But, even if we could get this tape in one of their allies’ hands, they either wouldn’t believe it or they already know the Khynah will turn on them once this war is over. Either way, I don’t think it would do us much good.”
“Maybe not. But if there were some way to instigate an insurrection among their allies, it would help end this war faster.”
“Probably. If they are fighting each other, they wouldn’t have as much resources to throw our way. I’ll suggest to Admiral Wong we look into this possibility.”
“Thank you.”
“Ren, again, good work. Maybe this will help put some of your demons to rest now.”
Ren smiled. “I think it will take a little more than this Commander. But it’s a start.”
“Commander Remington from Ensign Parsons, emergency.”
“Remington here, go ahead Ensign.”
“Sir…ah, the Khynah prisoner…the one Lt. Carstairs just interrogated…”
Yes, Ensign spit it out.”
“He’s dead sir.”
Ren turned quickly towards Remington. “Damn! I TOLD him to---“
Remington held up her hand to silence her. “I’m on my way Ensign and I expect a good explanation for this.”
“Ah yes sir.”
“Ren, do you know something I don’t?” asked Remington on her way out the door, Ren close behind.
Ren caught up beside her. “I thought the Khynah might try and kill himself after having told me what he did.”
“But he didn’t tell you much.”
“I know, sir, but even that bit was enough for him to kill himself.”
“Over some honor thing?”
“No sir. Not honor. But if he ever got out of our custody, and it was found out what he told us, he would have been killed in a very slow and torturous manner.”
“Ah. But I don’t see how---“
Their lift stopped and they hurried down the same corridor Ren had just returned from and into the prison cell which was opened.
Ensign Parsons and two security officers were standing in front of the Khynah detention cell.
“Report,” called Remington.
“Sir,” began Parsons, “after Lieutenant Carstairs left, the Khynah just sort of threw himself into the force field and stayed there.”
“And you didn’t turn it off immediately, Ensign?” asked Carstairs.
“Yes, sir I did. I knew he couldn’t escape as long as the door was closed. When I shut the field off, he fell to the floor, right where he is now. I turned the field back on and came in to check with my tricorder. I didn’t touch him, but the tricorder said he was dead. The security officers came in just then and I called you.”
“The forcefield isn’t set to kill, Ensign. Are you sure you turned it off immediately?” asked Remington.
“Yes sir! I wouldn’t lie, sir.”
“Of course you wouldn’t, Ensign,” said Remington. “Call for medical. I want an autopsy immediately and I want to review the tapes. Send them up to my office, Ensign and remain here.”
“Yes sir,” replied Parsons.
“You two,” Remington signaled to the security guards. “You stay with the Khynah at all times and never let him out of your sight for a second in case this is some kind of trick. In fact, call in four--no six more large guards to assist you.”
“Yes, sir,” they both answered.
Ren and Vanessa returned to her office in silence.
“Computer play incoming tape.”
The tape came up immediately and showed Ren just leaving the Khynah’s cell. The Khynah walked around his small area for awhile then yelled: “Geb’oji Federation! I-kosh!” and threw himself against the forcefield, holding himself in it until it was shut off, just like Ensign Parsons explained.
“Geb-oji Federation?” asked Remington.
“It means kill the Federation and I-kosh means to live,” offered Ren.
“I don’t see how that would have killed him,” said Remington.
“Neither do I,” said Ren. “The Khynah are more resistant to energy weapons than any other species in the galaxy. It should have burned him a little, if that much.”
“Well, maybe medical can give us some answers.”
Two hours later the Khynah autopsy report came into Remington’s office. She called for Ren after having read it.
“Ren, I think we know why our Khynah friend died.”
“Yes?”
“It appears that the Khynah have a certain gland which when stimulated to a high enough degree releases a poison into their system and kills them instantly.”
“But how can that be?” asked Ren. “We’ve used phaser weapons on them and they barely touched them.”
“I don’t know,” answered Remington. “Maybe something else has to be stimulated as well—fear, anger, depression, I don’t know. But if we could find a way to release that poison by using just our phasers, this war would be over in no time. I’ve ordered medical to continue trying to find the reason for the poison release.”
“Sir, would it be possible to replicate the poison?” asked Ren.
“Replicate it? Hmmm, that’s an excellent idea, Ren. I’ll tell medical to get right on it. If we can…”
“Yes, said Ren. IF we can…”