The Senior staff was listening intently as Captain Forrester explained their latest mission. Forrester sat in his chair at the head of the table in the Conference Room. "The two planets, Neuras and Denag have been at war with each other until the past year," he began, " The Federation has been negotiating with Neuras regarding joining. Denag, until recently has opposed these negotiations but now appears to be in agreement with Neuras and also wants to discuss joining. Our mission is to help bring these two planets together in an agreement which our Ambassador, Mr. Blake will take to the Federation. We are to hold meetings aboard ship for each representative from Neuras and Denag. While these negotiations are taking place, Denag has requested that our medical department take a look at their facilities in order to make suggestions and update them on medical equipment and medicines."

"Captain, if Denag is not aligned with the Federation, would it be wise to share our medical knowledge with them?" asked a concerned Commander Remington.

"Ordinarily we wouldn't Commander, but for the past year, Denag and Neuras have been under our protection. They expressed their interest in joining then and requested our protection until the Federation decided on their status. At that time their four year war had just ended and the Federation wanted to wait a year to see if their peace treaty would hold. Apparently it has. Now we go to step two. That's where we come in. Ambassador Blake will make the arrangements for Dr. Montgomery and team to beam down to the planet."

"Captain, excuse me," began Blake, "but the Denags will not permit anyone to use transporters on their planet. They forbid this type of travel on religious grounds. The medical team will need to travel by shuttlecraft."

Forrester leaned back in his chair, "Oh, I see, Ambassador. I was not aware of this. Very well. Dr. Montgomery, see to your away team. Ambassador Blake, please inform Dr. Montgomery of any other information which you feel she will need in order to complete her mission."

"Yes, Captain. I will see to it," replied Blake.

"Captain," began Remington, "you know that a subspace shield encompasses the entire planet in order to prevent anyone from transporting in. This will interfere with our tracking the away team. Although it will not totally block all sensors, it will distort their signals.

"Yes, Commander, I am fully aware of the shield. However, I don't believe this will compromise our away team. But, they may not be able to transmit comm signals through to the ship. Please see that this is dealt with."

"Yes, sir. I will get an engineering team to recalibrate our sensors to penetrate the shield."

"Good. Commander Taggert. You will prepare an away team to inspect the Neuras' power facilities in addition to handling this shield problem."

Yes, sir," replied Taggert.

"And Commander MacLaughlin, the Neurasittes have also requested a science team to inspect their plant life. It appears that since the war, the plant life has not been growing as it should. Maybe your team could offer a reason why and a solution as well." "We'll do our best, Captain," answered MacLaughlin.

" Good. Then I will leave you to make your preparations. Everyone should be ready to leave at 0700 tomorrow. Dismissed," said Captain Forrester as he got up to leave.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

0700--Shuttlecraft Curie Dr. Montgomery with her staff of Dr. Lonara, Lts. Renos Farallon, Wendy Lynn and. Kate O'Sullivan, Ensign Samantha Beckett, Dr. Callahan and two Security Officers, Fletcher and Taylor headed for the planet of Denag. The Endeavour was in orbit around Neuras which was approximately one hour away from Denag by shuttlecraft. Along with the Endeavour officers were two diplomatic liaisons. Mr. Kintic from Denag and Mr. Polteer from Neuras. They were there to oversee the operations of the officers. It appeared that one planet still did not completely trust the other. The Endeavour officers could feel the tension between the two diplomats as Dr. Montgomery and Lt. Farallon piloted the shuttlecraft to a pre-arranged landing area on the planet.

The passengers were met by Denag officials and escorted to their main medical facility. As they entered the Denag Medical Facility, Dr. Lonara leaned close to Montgomery and whispered, "I sense deception, doctor, something is not as it should be here." Dr. Montgomery didn't say anything, only nodded her understanding, her instincts heightened. She would be even more alert now. She quickly glanced around the area. Nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary--at least for the moment. The Endeavour officers proceeded with their inspection of the med facility.

During the inspection process a Denag doctor came up to Doctor Montgomery with a request for her to take a look at one of their patients who was not responding well to any medication. Dr. Meris led her over to where a patient lay on an examination table. After scanning the patient, Dr. Montgomery noted, "I believe this patient is suffering from a kind of genetic poison. I can't be sure until I do a more intensive scan. And I can't do that with the equipment I brought with me. I will need to get him back to the Endeavour."

Mr. Kintic walked up to where the doctors were standing, "I'm afraid I can't permit that, Dr. Montgomery."

She turned to him, "What do you mean, you can't permit that? This man needs medical attention which he cannot receive on this planet! His doctor has requested that I treat him and I will do just that!" Montgomery looked Kintic directly in his eyes. She didn't appreciate anyone telling her that she wasn't going to treat a patient in need!

"No, Doctor, you won't be! I was afraid it would come to this when those ambassadors took it upon themselves to call in the Federation! Now it is too late!"

"What are you talking about, Mr. Kintic?!" Montgomery had raised her voice by this time to alert the other Endeavour officers to what was happening. They had stopped their inspection to watch the exchange between the two.

"You see, the genetic poison which you so aptly termed it, was generated by a bio-genetic weapon which my planet released against Neuras shortly before the war ended. Unfortunately, some of the poison was inadvertently released into one of our own laboratories."

"What!?" exclaimed Mr. Polteer. "Bio-genetic weapons were forbidden by both planets!"he shouted.

"Exactly," replied a cool, calm Kintic. This is why we have been trying to negotiate peace for the past year without interference from the Federation! No one was supposed to find out what we did. But now..."

"Now what?" asked Montgomery. "You know that I cannot and will not keep this a secret. I'm afraid your planet's chances of joining the Federation just evaporated!" Montgomery hit her comm badge, "Dr. Montgomery to Captain Forrester." No response. She tried again. Still no response.

Kintic took from his pocket a small, square-shaped box. "I'm afraid your communicators will not work, Doctor. Our subspace shield will not permit your signals from reaching your ship."

"This is outrageous!" shouted Montgomery. "When I make my report to Captain Forrester---"

Kintic interrupted her, "Doctor, you won't be making any such report. I'm afraid that I cannot permit you to leave. What is at stake here is much more important than a few expendable people."

Montgomery's blood ran cold as she read in his eyes what he intended to do with them. "Then how do you intend to stop us?" she inquired.

"The plan is to stage a shuttle accident. Your ship will never know the difference. You may live out the rest of your lives here on this planet. We will not harm you."

"Somehow I don't believe that, Kintic. You can't take the chance that one day we will contact Starfleet with this news. You intend to kill us."

Mr. Polteer was outraged,"Mr. Kintic, what are you talking about? My government will not stand for this! I will contact my superiors immediately!"

"No, you won't Mr. Polteer! And my government is sanctioning my actions. They have been monitoring our conversations and have already put the plan into action. In a few minutes the Endeavour will be notified of an unfortunate accident in which all aboard were killed. Now, all we have to do is take care of you, Dr. Montgomery, and your team."

Dr. Lonara walked up to stand beside Montgomery, sensing that she might soon need his assistance.

"Kintic, have you not noticed that my two security guards are armed?" asked Montgomery.

Kintic sneered, "Dr. Meris would you please explain to the Doctor about medical facilities?"

Montgomery looked at Dr. Meris who was shaking his head. "During the war, all medical facilities on both planets were designed with a weapons deactivator. It automatically drains all energy weapons of their energy. It worked for the large part and so has never been deactivated. I'm sorry, Dr. Montgomery."

"Ensign Fletcher, fire at that wall," ordered Montgomery.

He did, but nothing happened. Fletcher checked his weapon as did Ensign Taylor, but neither worked. Their weapons were useless.

"Look, Kintic," began Montgomery, "you may be right about our weapons not working now but once we re-energize them, they will work and I can assure you that we will not be hanging around here any longer! Medical Team, get your gear together and follow me!" she ordered. But before they could get out the door, they were met by a force of Denag security officers. Montgomery had to think fast . She was responsible for the safety of the away team. Once they were outdoors, the Denags would recharge their own weapons, she was sure. Even though this was a medical team, they were still Starfleet Officers and able to defend themselves when necessary. The would make a stand here and fight their way out!

The doorway was blocked by eight Denag security guards dressed in black from their helmets to their black boots. Scary, but not very fashionable, thought Montgomery. She tended to make jokes whenever she was nervous. She knew their only chance of getting away alive would be to fight it out before the guards had the chance to confine them. She also knew that her team would take her lead and follow.

Montgomery walked up to the head security guard who was carrying a large baton, obviously for use inside medical facilities. She noticed also, that each guard carried a phaser strapped to their waists. "Well, it looks like we have no choice, team," she spoke in a low, even voice as she slowly pulled her med kit's strap from her shoulder, appearing to drop it in a sign of surrender. Dr. Lonara, who was standing directly behind Montgomery, knew what she had planned and slowly dropped his med kit to the floor.

As the head guard relaxed a bit, Mira swiftly kicked him in the chest knocking him back then quickly brought the kit around hitting him on the side of his head. He was stunned, but did not go down. She quickly followed the hit with another well placed kick to his chest which succeeded in knocking him off his feet.

At the moment she first kicked the guard, the others took action as well. Lonara grabbed one guard and was struggling with him; Lt. Farallon, who was standing to the right of Montgomery, punched another of the guards in the face. Ensigns Fletcher and Taylor were now in full hand to hand combat with two Denag guards while Dr. Callahan managed to knock another one backwards with this dentistry kit, following that up with kicks and punches.

The last two guards were being kicked and punched by Lts. Lynn and O'Sullivan who were also wielding nice hits to the guards' head and chest areas with their medkits. Mr. Polteer was no where to be seen, having disappeared when the fighting began.

The guard Montgomery was fighting with started to get up when she kicked him in the face, knocking him out. Mr. Kintic started to advance toward her back with the guards's lost baton when Mira heard a crash and turned around to see Dr. Meris standing over him with the remnants of a large specimen jar in his hands. "I couldn't let him kill you! This is not what we're all about," answered Meris to Montgomery's puzzled expression.

Mira swung around to see that her medical team had all the guards under control. "Not bad for healers!" she said, smiling at them.

"Dr. Montgomery, you must leave immediately," began Dr. Meris," more security guards will be on their way soon. I'm sure they've figured out what has happened by now due to Kintic's comm channel being opened and now closed. The communications channels automatically deactivate whenever the user is unconscious or dead. This signal was used to alert others to their situation and also prevent anyone else from using the comm badges during the war."

Montgomery looked around at the incapacitated guards and her medical team, "Get your medkits and pick up their phasers and batons. We might need them," she ordered. "You must get to the city, to the governor! He will help you get back to your ship. He is a friend of mine and I know that he is not involved in this," offered Dr. Meris. "And one other thing. Those phasers are programmed to each individual's brain wave patterns and will not work for you."

"Maybe not, but no sense in letting the guards have them back." reasoned Montgomery. " Thank you Dr. Meris. But will you be all right here?"

"Yes. As I said, I am a friend of the Governor's and he would not be pleased if anything should happen to me. Now, go! Head due north through the woods and you will come into the city. Get to the Governor's quarters as soon as you can. It is the largest building in the city. And be careful!"

"All right team, to the woods!" Montgomery ordered as they all fled out of the building into the thick woods which surrounded the medical facility.

****************************

"I wonder if we could recharge these phasers somehow with our tricorders," Lt. Farallon asked Dr. Montgomery as the group ran directly into the dense forest between them and the city.

"It would probably be rather easy, Lieutenant, " she responded as she turned her head all around her to make sure everyone was present and accounted for. "But we just don't have the time to find out at the moment."

The Away Team jogged further into the woods and stopped a few minutes later to catch their breaths. At that moment, both Dr. Montgomery and Lt. Farallon turned their heads in the direction from which they had just come. "They're coming, " Mira said softly.

Renos looked up at her, "So you hear them too," he said. It was clearly not a question but a statement.

"I don't hear anything, " said Ensign Beckett, looking in the same direction.

"Bajorans and Tyrans can sometimes hear certain sounds at frequencies that most Terrans cannot," Mira explained. "Renos, get out your tricorder and check for lifesigns. We need to know how many are following us and how close they are." Renos did as ordered. "They are 147 meters behind us, and there are eight lifesigns."

"Let's get going, team. Before we can all hear them!" ordered Montgomery.

Unfortunately, Mira and Renos had been so distracted by what they had heard behind them that they hadn't noticed a small group of guards just a short distance in front of them, just coming into view.

"Sorry, Doctor," said Renos, "but I didn't think to scan in front of our position!"

"Great," Lt. O'Sullivan signed.

"Now what do we do?" Dr. Lonara asked.

"Split up," Montgomery suggested. "Each of us head a different way, but remember, go as due north as possible, we must reach the city!"

The officers wasted no time thinking about what Mira had said. As they split up, so did the guards heading from the north and the south.

Dr. Lonara was nearly knocked over as two guards suddenly came at him, one from each side. He had just enough time to duck under them. This move allowed him to grab each one by the hair and butt their heads together.

Lt. Lynn ran to a nearby tree and quickly shimmied up. One of the two guards following her climbed up as well, with the other on the ground waited just in case she decided to jump down. These were apparently the guards they had just fought as they didn't have any phasers with them.

Wendy carefully balanced herself on a branch as the guard who had followed her closed in. She stood her ground, ready to defend herself. The guard rushed her and they collided. They locked in struggle, each trying to push the other out of the tree. Wendy managed to knock her attacker off his feet, causing him to tumble to the ground. The veterinarian jumped down onto the other one and punched him in the face. The fist one came at her and was quickly met with a foot right in the kisser. "That's no way to treat a lady!" Wendy said with an almost sarcastic tone as she ran northward once more.

Dr. Montgomery and Kate had each knocked out two guards themselves by this time, and three more were headed their way. "Boy, they just don't give up, do they?" Kate commented as she readied herself again.

"Under other circumstances, I'd admire their determination," said the doctor. She ran up to one of the guards pretending to surrender and kicked the phaser out of his hand. She was surprised that so far, not one of the Denag guards had fired their weapons.

Mira elbowed the guard in the mouth, reached down, grabbed at his neck and squeezed with just the right amount of pressure. The doctor felt a wave of triumph wash over her as she watched the guard fall unconscious. The Vulcan neck pinch worked!

Kate didn't have it so easy, however. Both of the guards held her tight in their grip. "All right! Give up now or we'll tear her apart!" cried one of the guards.

"Let her go!" ordered Mira. Before she could utter another word, Samantha and Renos each came up behind the guards, both holding a stolen phaser to the base of the guard's necks.

"I'd do as the doctor says, "Beckett said as she pressed her phaser a little harder into her guard's neck.

"Those phasers won't work for you people!" shouted the guard in front of Renos, "They have been drained of all energy and you could not have recharged them! You are bluffing!"

"Oh, really?" asked Renos as he and Samantha each made a quick gesture with the phasers. Each guard now felt an uncomfortable heat where the phasers were pointed. "Does it feel like we're bluffing?"

Kate took this opportunity to send her elbow into the left guard's abdomen. The other three joined in, knocking both guards out.

Dr. Montgomery gave Sam and Renos a strange look, "How in the universe did you manage to recharge those phasers so quickly?"

"Actually, we didn't," Renos confessed.

Sam held up her phaser, revealing the endoscalpel beneath. "Those medkits really came in handy! she said, smiling.

Dr. Montgomery smiled, shaking her head, proud of her two officers' ingenuity. "Very good, you two! Now, let's continue towards the city!"

Dr. Montgomery," began Ensign Taylor, "Obviously some of these guards are the ones we left behind and a few are new ones. I suggest we tie them up and hide them. That would prevent them from coming after us again and telling others which way we went...at least for a short time."

"Excellent idea, Ensign Taylor, but we don't have any rope."

"If I may make a suggestion, Doctor," offered Lt. Wendy Lynn. " Whenever I need to subdue a nervous or frightened animal I usually---"

"Tranquilizers!" exclaimed Montgomery.

"Yes, " smiled Wendy.

"Good idea. Don't know why I didn't think of it before!"

"Well, you have had a lot on your mind lately," offered Kate.

"Ok, everyone, inject these guards with 15ccs of Melorizine. That should keep them out for awhile."

The med team went quickly about dosing the guards while Fletcher and Taylor hid their bodies and covered them with brush.

"Maybe this will give the other guards something to concentrate on besides us!" replied Fletcher.

**********************

Jesse Sanchez was standing watch. This was his usual shift, but the circumstances were not usual.. The Curie had left taking her cargo to the planets surface. Jesse sighed, stretched and glanced at the board.

"When was the last transmission from the Curie?" Commander Sinclair asked.

"Shortly after departure at 0700 hours," Jesse answered smoothly.

"Hmmm."

"Excuse me sir?" Jesse wondered, anticipating the next set of orders.

"Mr Sanchez do you find it odd that we have not received any communications what so ever from the away team?"

"Yes sir. Dr. Montgomery is known for her punctual reports. Her last scheduled check in was for 0900."

"Are sensors picking up anything unusual?"

"Anomalous readings? No sir."

Rebecca Sinclair paused and stared at the main view screen. "Try and raise them Mr. Sanchez."

Jesse grumbled slightly in frustration a few seconds later. "Unable to raise them." "Capt. Forrester to the Bridge, Commander Remington Report," Sinclair ordered smoothly. She glanced at Lt. Sanchez, "I smell a rat," she reported.

Commander Sinclair glanced at Capt. Forrester then turned her attention back to the conversation at hand. His blue eyes clouded slightly, his hands composed and steepled before him. Clearly he was weighing this development very carefully.

Lt. Cmdr. Remington continued her briefing with her usual dispassionate discourse. To her left her assistant sat in sullen silence. "And in conclusion the government is insisting that the Curie has suffered "A regrettable accident'"

Forrester allowed himself a deep breath. He glanced around the conference table at his stunned and silent department heads. Maxine Taggert had one of her typical brooding expressions that indicated a blow was immanent. Cam MacLaughlin looked stricken as if she was trying to contain strong emotion.

"Lies within lies!" Captain Forrester stated. " I don't believe they realize how closely we monitor things! They try and deceive us with the lie that the shuttle crashed...and yet sensors DO pick up the Curie where she landed.

"Sir?" Lt. Jesse Sanchez spoke up. "In reviewing this matter, I have discussed this fully with Cmdr. Remington. I feel that an extraction team should be assembled."

"Are you suggesting military action?" asked the Captain.

"I feel that in utilizing our resources we would have the upper hand."

"Commander, what threats do they pose to our people?"

"From what we can tell, our people were under heavy guard in a secure area. We lost contact with their locator beacons an hour ago. I speculate that their comm badges have been either destroyed or are possibly in a vault which blocks their signals completely. Sensors cannot distinguish their life signs from those of the natives due to the subspace shield."

"Commander Sinclair," began Captain Forrester, "keep trying to locate a comm signal and recalibrate our sensors to distinguish human life signs from the others. I must inform Starfleet Command of this development. Dismissed."

"Yes, sir."

*************************

"I hate this," Jesse whispered to Cam.

"Hate what?"

"This," he said with his eyes flashing. "Things we aren't supposed to know or discuss."

"Umm I think I see what you mean." She fiddled with the report in her hand. "I don't particularly care for this assignment. I've never configured the sensors in such a way. It gives me the creeps."

The lift doors snapped open and Cam and Jesse stepped onto the bridge. Forrester glanced at them as they stepped up to the main science panel. Cam entered her clearance codes and Sanchez concurred.

"Just take a deep breath, it's no different than probing a nebula," He said softly.

"Yeah right," she grumbled, letting her fingers fly over the touch padds. "Ok the link is set up all you need to do is patch in from your board."

Jesse took three quick steps over to the tactical panel and ran his hand over the control.

Vanessa Remington nodded when her screen came alive with the new information.

Forrester moved out of the center seat followed by Sinclair.

Jesse glanced at Cam, who he saw take a deep breath.

"How's sensor performance Commander?"

"I've got 68% resolution, I don't believe I can push it further than that," Cam reported.

"Sir, I am not picking up any further information in that sector."

"Might they have been moved Commander?"

"Unknown, sir."

"Have there been any modifications to their story yet?"

"None sir. They still stand as they did an hour ago. They maintain that the Curie was destroyed," Remington said in level tones.

Jesse momentarily closed his eyes and exhaled. Cam blanched and stared at her panel blinking. The words stung, in a vital personal sort of way and it was difficult to dismiss the feelings associated with the fact that she knew the people involved.

Jesse stepped over to the science panel and feigned an adjustment. His fingers brushed Cam's. She glanced at him as he turned back to tactical.

****

Kate leaned against a tree trunk. She glanced at Fletcher then at Sam Beckett who was trying to hide behind the same tree. The girth of the trunk afforded them both coverage. Sam took a deep breath and wiped the smear of blood off her lip. "How's everyone doing?" Mira wondered. "Remember just get your breath and we must push on. The city proper is about 6 kilometers beyond these trees.

"Sir I must point out that I think we may encounter further resistance and possible capture once we enter the city," Ensign Taylor spoke up. "I mean we are different than the natives and...I feel we must assume that word of our escape has traveled that far."

"There are many unknowns and risks Ensign," Montgomery pointed out. "For instance, maybe they've already told the Captain we were killed."

"But the Endeavour monitors away teams," Ensign Fletcher pointed out. "In fact, odds are that they are trying to contact us."

"We have missed the check-in, haven't we?" Dr. Montgomery sighed, mostly to herself.

"Our communicators are still disabled, said Kate as she tried hers again. I thought we would have communications back once we were clear of the building,"she said.

"The Endeavour may not be able to pick up any signal at all from us now. We must assume that we are on our own," said Montgomery.

Fletcher glanced at the doctor.

"Take our chances?" Taylor inquired.

Dr. Callahan glanced skeptically at the Deltan and at Renos Farallon.

"Let's move people and cover that last bit. We'll have to take those chances in the city."

"What if going to the Governors residence is a trap? We don't know for sure if that residence is really that or not. It could be some kind of headquarters or...something else," Kate sighed with a big dose of skepticism.

She glanced at Wendy Lynn who simply shrugged in response. Wendy swung her acquired baton. "At least we won't go down without a fight."

"Haven't we fought enough already?" Kate quipped sourly, wondering how much more they could take.

***************************

The team decided to start their run towards the city again. They ran about three hundred meters when they came to another group of guards. There seemed to be more than the last time. Two guards came at Verran and fired their phasers. He dodged the shots and leg swept one of them while punching the other one hard in the stomach. The hit stunned the guard and gave him time to quickly deal with the other guard, who was getting up. Verran kicked the guard hard and threw him down and was hit hard from behind by the other one. Wendy Lynn then used her baton to knock the guard out. "Thanks".

"No problem doctor," Wendy replied.

The guard who was thrown to the ground was up and charging Lonara again. Verran threw him against a nearby tree and slammed his elbow into his face, knocking him out. The doctor then went to help Kate who was having some problems.

After helping Kate render another guard unconscious, Lonara quickly looked around the battlefield and noticed that Dr. Montgomery was fighting two guards, one appeared to be the leader. He noticed that one guard was sneaking up behind her with a knife, apparently having lost his phaser. Verran ran and tackled him before he could reach Montgomery. The two struggled. The guard was stronger than he seemed and delivered a kick which knocked Verran to the ground. As he started to get up, he saw the guard rushing at him with the knife. He tried to dodge the knife but wasn't successful, the knife cutting deeply into his right arm.

Lonara then tripped the guard and delivered a quick punch to his stomach. Verran then took the guard's knife and struck him with the handle, knocking him out. The doctor looked around and saw that the team was still fighting, but winning. Dr. Montgomery had finished her duel.

"Are you okay?" Dr. Montgomery asked, noticing the cut on Lonara's arm.

"I'll be okay."

"That's good." The two decided to get back into the battle. Mira wanted to end this quickly before reinforcements could arrive.

Verran was suddenly tackled hard from behind by another guard, knocking him to the ground. He threw the guard off him, quickly got up and was nicked in the shoulder by a phaser. He felt a surging pain flow through his body as everything began to fade to black.

Dr. Montgomery saw Verran being shot from behind by a guard. Mira began to run over to help, but she was stopped as a thick smoke screen formed from a couple of smoke grenades. She tried to go through the smoke screen, but found that the smoke made it impossible to breathe. As the smoke began to clear, the other guards had disappeared. Mira noticed that Verran was gone as well.

"Where did Dr. Lonara go?" Wendy asked, looking surprised.

"I believe he was captured by the guards. He looked like he was stunned, but I couldn't tell for sure," Dr. Montgomery stated.

"But how? These people don't use transporters, it's against their religion. Besides, I didn't hear any transporter 'hum'," Kate wondered aloud.

"I believe they have some type of underground tunnels, " suggested Wendy. "We could locate the entrance with our tricorders."

"We could, but we just don't have the time! If we don't get to the governor soon, we'll all be dead! Now, quickly, sedate these guards and get their bodies hidden away." ordered Montgomery. "We'll have to find Dr. Lonara later. Hopefully, he'll be okay. But there's nothing we can do for him now."

After the guards had been sedated and hidden, Montgomery said, " Let's start heading towards the city people!" The group started their run towards the city again, all hoping to find Lonara still alive.

After a few minutes of running Montgomery looked back at her team. They all looked exhausted. "I think we could all do with a rest," she said. They stopped under a large tree and relaxed, except for the security guards who remained alert. Mira looked around her, "We still have a ways to go, but I'm sure we're almost there."

************

Kintic sat in his chambers drumming his finger on a table, when his assistant Arken ran in gasping for breath. "What is it? Have you captured them?"

Arken shook his head, "No, sir. They are still free." Arken wasn't too bright. The only reason Kintic had hired him was because he was loyal . . . and cheap.

"Well what then?" Kintic asked beginning to lose his patience.

"We cant' find Polteer,"Arken said. "He's gone."

Kintic angrily regarded the man in front of him. "I know, you fool! That's why I sent my troops after him."

"Well, sir," Arken said timidly, "there are unofficial reports that a Neuras ship has landed on Denag."

"What!" Kintic shouted.

"There are unofficial reports that Neuras ship has landed on Denag," repeated Arken.

Kintic slammed his fist on the table, "I know!"

"But, sir! You just asked and I. . ."

"Shut up! Just shut up! Don't speak again until I tell you to!" Kintic felt sick. If they didn't find those Starfleet officers their secret would be revealed and Denag's application would be rejected from the Federation. Neurasittes were landing on the planet unannounced which upset him. Who knows what else would happen. "Too many loose ends," he murmured.

"Sir, there's something else. . .Arken said quietly.

"What did I just tell you. . .oh, very well, what is it?"

"We have reason to believe one of the Neurasittes has disguised himself as a Denagan soldier and has taken one of the Starfleet officers."

"Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse. How do you know this?"

"Unidentified source," replied Arken.

"Great, send out some guards on hose anti-grav bikes. They should be able to catch those Starfleet idiots before they get to the city!"

*****************

The medical team has resumed their trek when they heard a hum behind them. Wendy strained to see what it was and found her answer--several guards were coming straight at them on some sort of anti-grav vehicles. "Doctor, she said, "We have a problem."

Mira followed Wendy's gaze. With no time to plan or even to think, she said, "Quickly! Everyone pair off and split up--head for the city!

In the moment's panic they divided themselves and began to run, separating into groups of two with the hope that at least one person would survive to reach the Governor in the city. Mira and Wendy took off in one direction, Kate and Taylor in another. Renos Farallon set off at a desperate pace with Callahan. Samantha Beckett, flustered for a second, hesitated then started to run and stumbled over her own feet. Lyndon Fletcher saw her go down and darted over to help her up.

"Come on!" the security officer held her hand in a death grip and dragged her along at an incredible pace. They were the last to join the disjointed race and were spotted by one of the riders.

Samantha dared to glance over her shoulder, "They're coming!" she gasped as she struggled to keep up.

Lyndon didn't slow down, he knew they couldn't outrun the bikes. . .but if hey could keep them busy maybe they could give the others a chance. An inspired plan formed in his mind and from the sound of the vehicle closing in on them, he didn't have time to work out the finer details. He skidded to a halt, small rocks scattering as his feet dug into the trail. Samantha, not ready for this bumped into him and they both fell.

"What. . .are. . .you DOING?" she screamed as she caught her breath, "We'll be captured!"

"Never mind," Lyndon got to his feet and gestured for her to stay down,"I'll hide and when he comes to get you I'll take'em by surprise." With that he disappeared into the undergrowth.

"No wait--" Sam's protest was greatly in vain as their pursuer rounded the corner. She ducked and closed her eyes, expecting to be run down, but the bike stopped with incredible accuracy and the guard piloting it swung to the ground quickly. The nurse peered up at him, anticipating some gruesome death or torture. . . or al least harsh words.

"Are you hurt?" the guard knelt beside her with every evidence of concern.

"What?" she couldn't believe this. He studied her with sincere worry and compassion.

"Are you injured?" he repeated with the same degree of kindness.

"Aren't you going to arrest me?" Sam dared to ask nervously.

"No," he glanced back to see if any of the other guards had followed, "I'm not from Denagan forces,' he showed her a concealed badge bearing an insignia she didn't recognize,"I'm an agent from Neuras, I'm here to help you."

"Then the others on the bikes, are they---"

"No, they are Denagans, we must avoid them. . .I'm an imposter," he allowed a brief grin to cross his face, "If they should join us I'll have to pretend to take you into custody, but you'll be safe."

"But one of our colleagues has already been captured---"

"A Dr. Verran Lonara?" he didn't wait for her to confirm this, "I was the one who took him. I tried to thwart the attempts of the other guards during the fight earlier, but I couldn't stop them outright because___"

A black and gold blur came hurtling through the bushes nearby. The guard was attacked in mid-sentence and Sam had to scramble backwards to safety. She realized instantly what had happened and shouted, "Fletcher! No, he's on our side!"

Lyndon, already pinning the man to the ground, paused and turned awkwardly, "What?"

The Neurasitte soldier, equally trained in combat, quickly broke free and pushed Lyndon aside. "I'm working undercover, acting as a member of the Denagan forces in order to protect you Starfleet officers." He seemed a little annoyed that a Starfleet ensign had almost gotten the better of him.

"I hope you can prove that," Lyndon eyed him distrustfully.

He produced the secret badge again and Sam said, "He's been helping us, he knows about Lonara."

"That's right," he added, "I managed to get him to safety. The Denagans think he is being interrogated, but he's been taken to the Governor."

Lyndon crossed his arms, "So, we can trust you, the Governor. . .and that's it?"

"My people are trying to help. We have one ship already here and two more on the way."

"What about the Endeavour?" Sam asked then, "Do they know what has happened?"

"I don't know, but we don't have time to discuss this," he walked over to where the anti-grav bike waited,"I'll take you to the Governor and begin looking for the other Starfleet officers."

"Will it carry us all?" Lyndon asked skeptically.

"Maybe not," the Neurasitte considered this and rapidly devised an alternative,"You two go ahead into the city, you'll see the Governor's house easily enough---go there," he let his gaze drift back along the trail,"I'll go on foot and try to round up some of your comrades."

The hum of a second vehicle reached them and the Neurasitte turned to go, "Good luck!" he set off at a run.

"But, but--" Lyndon and Samantha stammered in unison. The didn't know how to operate the bike.

"Do you have any idea how---"

"No," Sam interrupted, "I don't. You get to pilot."

With no time to argue they clambered aboard and Lyndon fumbled with the controls, "I don't even know which---"

"Go! Go!" Samantha spotted someone heading for them. She reached around him and swatted the nearest button.

"What are you---" Lyndon gave up trying to complete an entire sentence and could only hope for the best as the bike shot forward. He struggled to steer while maintaining enough speed to outrun the other bike. In less than a minute the trees began to thin and they found themselves nearing the edge of the city.

"There!" Sam shouted above the noise of the wind and pointed at the tallest structure. It was well within the city, towering above the surrounding buildings. If size alone hadn't distinguished it, the artful style of architecture signaled its importance. It had to be the Governor's house, their goal. They headed down a narrow street. . . and were lost. They had to find their way through the streets, against traffic running by foreign laws with only an occasional glimpse of their destination to guide them.

"What was that?" Mira thought she recognized a flash of familiar Starfleet color on the distant bike that vanished into the city. She and Lt. Lynn had just reached the forest's edge.

Wendy squinted, "I can't tell. . ." she turned to glance back through the trees, hoping to see that some of the others had made it. But she saw no one. The city lay invitingly before them, but with no more trees to offer cover they would be easy targets. "Shall we make a run for it?"

"No, we'd never get far," replied Mira. They retreated into the safety of the forest. "I have a plan," she said.

Wendy Lynn lay on the ground, a green gash on her forehead. Two Denag soldiers on anti-grav bikes pulled up and stopped. One got off and walked towards her. "Looks like this one's hurt. She put up a fight judging from the injury on her head and the baton she's holding."

"What do we do now?" asked the soldier on the bike.

As the first guard turned to reply, Wendy jumped up and hit him over the head with her baton. The second guard pulled his phaser to fire, only to have it knocked from his hand by Dr. Montgomery who came up from behind him. The guard was surprised but managed to kick out, catching Mira on the shoulder, knocking her to the ground. He pulled his baton from his belt and threw it at her, managing to hit her on her left shoulder as she tried to roll out of the way.

Just then, Wendy jumped on he guard's back and both went crashing to the ground. The guard managed to turned Wendy on her back and was pulling back his fist to give her a punch when he suddenly stopped dead and slowly fell over, unconscious.

Wendy looked up to see Mira standing over her with a baton in her hand, smiling. She reached down and helped Wendy to her feet. "Are you okay, Wendy?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Your arm. . .is it broken?" Wendy noticed that Mira had to drop the baton before helping her up with her right arm, not using her left one at all.

"It's my shoulder. I don't think it's broken, but right now we need to sedate these two guards. Then we can attend to our wounds."

After sedating the two guards and hiding their bodies, Wendy ran a tricorder over Mira's shoulder. "It's not broken, Doctor, but you do have a hair line fracture."

"Get the Knitter and run it over my shoulder, Wendy. Then we can attend to that gash I gave you."

"Right. I'm sure glad we have those pain killers in our kits, or else I don't think I would have let you give me this injury," she smiled.

"Now, let's see if you can get this bike to run, Wendy."

"Me? What about you?" Wendy had a worried expression on her face. She didn't like the idea of leaving Mira behind by herself.

"You need to get to the Governor and tell him what's been going on and to send help."

"What will you do, Doctor?"

"I'm going to find the others. I can't leave with them still out here."

Wendy looked at Montgomery and knew she was right. She grabbed her medkit and jumped onto the bike. After studying the controls for a few moments, she decided that she could probably make this thing work.

"Good luck, Wendy."

"You too, Doctor. Stay safe," she said as she hit the switch she thought would accelerate the bike.

Montgomery watched as Wendy headed off into the direction of the city, then picked up her tricorder and began scanning for human and Tyrun lifesigns.

Mira stayed undercover in the brush as she scanned for life signs, finding three human and one Tyrun signs only 200 meters south of her position. They were traveling her way at a faster pace than running would allow. Mira surmised that they must be on anti-grav bikes as her tricorder was also picking up eight energy discharges around them.

I'm too late! They've been captured! she thought. What do I do now? Try and rescue them or head toward the Governor's house? She couldn't leave her team as prisoners so she headed toward their position. As she did so, she would scan every few minutes.

Mira decided to try and intercept at least one of the guards. With only seven left, she and her team would at least have a fighting chance. She searched the ground and soon found what she wanted--a large tree branch. She quickly took a position which would allow for the guards to come close by. When they did, she would be ready.

She didn't have to wait long as a Denag guard came flying close by her. When he was within reach, she swung the branch, knocking him off the bike which went crashing into a tree and exploded. The explosion knocked Mira off her feet as the other guards quickly surrounded her position.

Mira jumped to her feet ready to do battle again, but she noticed that all were still on their bikes and out of her reach. It seems the battle had come to an end. "Great! Just great!" she sighed.

**********************

Dr. Montgomery sat in a chair in Governor Salteer's office. "I'm sorry about your Security Guard, Governor. I didn't know he was one of yours."

"That is understandable doctor. You had no way of knowing that Dr. Lonara had been brought to me or that Lt. Lynn and Ensign Fletcher had made it to us. They were able to give us your location at which time I ordered my guards, who were already in the area, to find you and your team. You were the last one we found. Again, I want to apologize for your troubles. We have known about Kintic for some time now and I can assure you that he and his followers will soon be contained, including those who gave that false report to your Captain about you being killed. Really, Dr. Montgomery, most of our people are in favor of peace."

"I hope you are correct, Governor Salteer. But I'm afraid that my report will not be a favorable one. Until the Denag and Neuras people are united in their desire for peace, the Federation will not interfere. It appears you and your people still have a lot of work to do."

"Yes, " Governor Salteer said sadly, "it appears we are not as advanced as I had hoped. But I'm sure that soon, we will be and will again petition to join your Federation, Doctor Montgomery. As for now, you and your team will be escorted back to your shuttlecraft. I have already been in contact with your ship and Captain Forrester and have informed him of what has been happening here."

"Thank you, Governor," Montgomery said rising," Now I must return to my ship and attend to my team. Oh, by the way, did anyone find Mr. Polteer?"

"Yes. As a matter of fact, he was the one who alerted my guards to try and help you. We have worked together on numerous occasions before."

"And I thought he was just scared when he ran away," said Montgomery.

"The Governor smiled," Yes, that is the impression he likes to give to others. It is just a facade, Doctor. I can assure you that Mr. Polteer is quite a brave man."

"Goodbye, Governor Salteer. I hope to see you again someday, under better circumstances, of course."

"Goodbye Doctor Montgomery."

When everyone was safely aboard the Curie, Dr. Montgomery looked at her tired and bedraggled team--dirty, torn uniforms, dirty faces, scratches and bruises on each and every one of them-- and she smiled. "Team," she began," I want to tell you how proud I am of what you did here today. You have performed above and beyond the call of duty. We came to this planet as medical and security personnel and ended up as soldiers, fighting for our lives. Each and every one of you performed magnificently! I will be sure to write all of you up for a commendation. Now, let's get back to the Endeavour. I'm sure we can all use a bath right about now."

"I'll say!" remarked Kate, laughing. "And I could use a massage too!"

"And a chocolate sundae," replied Sam.

"And a good steak," replied Fletcher.

Montgomery began the pre flight check as each team member took turns reciting what they wanted when they returned to the ship and she smiled again. Who says medical personnel can't fight! I bet we could even take on the whole security department! Though, I don't think I'll challenge them just yet! she said to herself.