CHAPTER THREE
The
sun rose from behind the tall trees, the sound of water rushing by was soothing
but the pain that was burning on Retan's back was not going to be soothed so
easily.
He
groaned as he pushed himself up to his knees, his clothes were covered with mud
and dirt and so was the right side of his face. He scratched off some of the
mud that had dried upon his face and got up to his feet.
What
am I doing here? He asked himself, looking around the clearing in which he
was standing.
Then,
it all came back to him…The moving shooting star, the security station, the woods and…
And
people?
His
memory was blurred; he tried to concentrate on what had been happening the
night before…
He was running away from
something…Someone…Then he felt the pain in his back…The flash of light. Yes!
Now he remembered! He needed to get to the security station to inform someone
of this.
He
began walking defiantly towards the woods and suddenly stopped.
Ah
yes…He thought. I forgot that I'm lost…
He
shrugged and plunged into the large mass of trees.
* * *
The
capital of Taran was the city known as Uan,
three million people lived in this city which was as large as it was high. The
architectural style of the Taranians was amazing and
the president enjoyed exploring the city and checking out all the different
skyscrapers and especially the older buildings that had been spared by the
Great Revolution that had happened two centuries before.
It
was very interesting to take walks in a Taranian
city, there were always things that happened that were unexpected and almost
nothing unpleasant. The sanitary organizations did their jobs with amazing
speed and efficiency; the large complexes installed for the homeless were giant
buildings that spanned hundreds of square meters. Yes…Taran
was a paradise that many people wish they could have as a home.
President
Tmish tugged at his earlobe…
Well…Maybe
not a perfect paradise…
The
Taranian people, like the Bajoran,
had a religious tradition to wear earrings on both ears all the time. Every
hour of every day of every week… And due to his high position, the president
had the largest earrings on the whole planet. He wasn't used to wearing
earrings at all…
After
all…He had only been on this planet for a few months…
He
had arrived on a sunny day… His shuttle had landed in the desert after having
suffered from a meteor shower. He had been on the run from Starfleet
Intelligence for three months and his shuttle had been thrashed around in every
single direction since then.
In
the desert, after walking for days and surviving off the microscopic quantities
of emergency rations he had acquired, he met a Taranian
male named Zeelon who brought him to his home and
helped him.
Taranians were very similar to humans in appearance, except
for their earrings and some minor internal differences; they were exactly the
same…So it was easy for him to pose as a Taranian who
had lost his memory.
Soon
enough, he had made it to Uan, the glorious capital
of Taran. He began working on new scientific projects
with the local technology corporation and, using his knowledge from the outside
universe, turned himself into a worldwide known scientist. Then he ran for
presidency and won the elections with over 90% of votes…
Soon,
his scientific studies on Warp technology would come to an end and the Taranians were going to come to a new age of space travel.
They were going to learn everything about the Federation, the galaxy and life
on other worlds! It was exhilarating to know you were the one who changed the
face of a whole planet. He smiled.
Someone
knocked on his door, he turned and said: "Enter."
The
doors opened and his First Advisor, a young Taranian
woman known as An, stepped in.
"The
most recent reports from the scientist working on your "warp" drives
have just come in." She said.
"Excellent…"
He nodded appreciatively as she set the pile of papers down on his desk. "Anything else?"
"Yes."
She said making sure the door was closed.
"Oh?"
He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes…It's
about your project."
"My
project…You mean the project to eliminate the people who oppose me?" "Yes…We have a potential danger to
you. He is the director of the Meradan
Corporation."
"The
Meradan Corporation…" He repeated. "I
suppose you mean the corporation in charge of computer hardware."
"Exactly." She said. "This man is known to
absolutely despise you and he's prepared to launch a campaign against
you."
Tmish sighed: "Another one of those…" He shook
his head. "All right…What's his name then?"
"Retan."
She said. "Director Retan…"
"I
see…Well…" He scratched his head thoughtfully. "I suppose our only
option is to take him into custody and make sure he doesn't make any trouble
again."
She
nodded. "As you wish…"
* * *
"Ow!"
"Stop
fidgeting."
"That's
easy for you to say…Ouch!"
"There…"
Agatha nodded with a smile. "That's perfect."
Sylvia
scratched her earlobes from which were hanging two large earrings: "Are we
really supposed to wear these?" She asked.
"Yes."
Agatha said. "If we don't we won't look like Taranians.
The Taranian people all wear these, even the lowest
of the lowest."
Sylvia
sighed: "Right…So what's the plan?"
"The
plan…?" Agatha blinked.
"You
have a plan, right?" Sylvia asked. "And not only: One: We walk in.
Two: We shoot the president. Three: We leave."
Agatha
smiled: "Yeah…I do have a plan…And it's slightly better than yours."
"That's
good to know." Sylvia said.
"Okay:
One: We walk in. Two: We try to take the president back. Three: If it doesn't
work, we shoot him. Four: We leave."
Sylvia
said nothing, just glared at her sister.
"To
put it simply…That's what we're going to do." Agatha clipped the earrings
onto her own ears. "'By any way possible' that's what they said."
"Your superiors?"
"Who else?"
Sylvia
nodded: "Okay…Then let's get moving."
They continued walking straight
ahead with Agatha in the lead.
"Are
you sure you know where you're going?" Sylvia asked after a few minutes.
"I'm
more than sure …Why do you ask?"
"Hmmm…Just
wondering…"
They
walked for a few more minutes than Sylvia spoke up again: "Are we there
yet?"
Agatha
sighed: "Nope."
After
another few hundred meters, Sylvia asked: "Are we really going
north?"
Agatha
groaned: "Are you always like this?"
Sylvia
shrugged: "Like what?"
"Like
what you are like now." She said. "I wonder how the other members of
Team One can stand you."
"They
can stand me pretty well, thanks." Sylvia said acidly.
Agatha
smiled: "Hmmm…"
"What?"
Sylvia demanded.
"Oh,
nothing…I'm just trying to imagine you on board the bridge of a starship."
"And
why does that make you smile?"
Agatha
waved her hand dismissively: "Just forget it."
Sylvia
grunted something and they continued walking.