Star Trek: Colony Website

Episodes
Season One
Season Two
Season Three
TV Movies
Latest

Introduction
New Lhasa
Characters
Downloads
Links


USS Darwin

Darwin TNG

Season Two
203 Safeties, Secrets, and Freedoms
You would have found eventually anyway - Ashok, on a secret of his
Heart and Heraza compete against each other for the votes of the planetary council, each hoping to become the new governor. Whilst Vox and Lama Nang-so Rimpoche discuss politics, the news of DS9 being retaken breaks. Meanwhile, Stadi is punishing herself in Akai (Betazoid fighting stick) holodeck combat, and Kath'lar is meeting M'Kress in the holodeck to teach her Bat'leh skills. At the same time, planetary security are escorting the young Vulcan NLS victim Rasa into the same holodecks for a therapeutic program.

M'Kress and Kath'lar egin their Bat'leh practice against holodeck opponents. It quickly becomes apparent to Kath'lar that M'Kress is not entering into the Klingon spirit of things and she chastises M'Kress for this. M'Kress is nonplussed, and demonstrates the Vulcan martial art of Khaiya (or blind archery). Kath'lar is disgusted at this failure to look an enemy in the eye.

Ashok went to visit Stadi, and finding she wasn't at her office tracked her down to the holodeck. He could determine from his side of the controls that the safeties were set just short of off (still allowing for serious injury). He jury-rigs the lock (!), and enters. Suddenly, and just after Kath'lar storms out of a holodeck elsewhere, power to the Starfleet holodeck facility goes down.

Feebly, Stadi says that she thought she locked the holodeck. Ashok rounds on her angrily, demanding to know why she had set the holodeck setting so high. If she cares so little for her life, why did she give him her grandfather's old Starfleet communicator in case he was ever in trouble? Stadi cries out that he doesn't know what she has done. She explains how she let Voyager go and how she could have sent them a message to stop the fateful mission from ever taking place. Ashok tells her that it would have damaged the timeline if she had done so and says he believes the ship is still out there and her sister is still alive. She responds it is difficult to keep faith. He tells her she must take a holiday and they will do something together. Stadi agrees and promises to talk to him in future rather than using the holodeck in such a manner.

Lt. Sila goes to the block's power supply and discovers sabotage. Veltr'a arranges for the block to be cordoned off with Starfleet security and force fields, while sensors sweep the area. Petersen communicates the problem to Stadi, and Ashok manually opens the holodeck door. M'Kress discovers unconscious civilian security, whilst Stadi tries to escort Ashok out of there. When Stadi and Ashok approach the exit, Ashok sees figures shadowing them. When the force field is taken down to allow them to leave, something invisible pushes past them, evading Starfleet security.

While the Starfleet officers recriminate, Heart is elected planetary governor. Attempts to explain what happened centre around psi-based invisibility, and examinations of the scans (pointed out by M'Kress in the senior officers meetings) include Ashok (who claimed to be an Orion) as a psi-sensitive. After the meeting, Stadi calls Ashok to her office and hands him the readings. She asks if he is suffering from NLS. He replies no, and tells her that he his half-Betazoid. She is horrified when he reveals that both he was a slave - and his Betazoid mother still is.

Last  Next

© Ian McDonald 2001   colony@startrekmail.com