Deck 90

[Cptn Corizon 0]

The lift descended carrying Captain Ah-Windu Corizon to a deck that didn’t exist. As it did, his thoughts wandered. There were approximately four people in this system—quadrant who knew about his destination and the fact that he’d been summoned there had him concerned.

 

Over the years, as an operative for an organization whose purpose was to detect, evaluate and sometimes dispel tactical threats to the Federation and Starfleet, Corizon had done many things, some of which he wasn’t as proud of, even if they’d saved the lives of millions, sometimes billions of people in the process. None the less, he’d never wavered in his duties to the Federation.

 

As he approached “Deck 90,” the sinking feeling in his stomach began to rise—there was feeling that he…and likely his crew were about to be called upon to defend the Federation, just as he’d done before.

 

--

 

Corizon glanced towards the young Starfleet officer to his right. This was his homeworld. Once a Federation world, free and peaceful, it now found itself under the boot of the Dominion aggressors.

 

Leaning back against the hard wooden surface of a large tree, the Dameon took a deep breath. "The only way into the facility...is a small shaft, south of the river...correct?"

 

"That's what Intel says," J'kastor replied, bending over to catch his breath. The Commander moved quickly even through unfamiliar terrain. "The old factory used to have other entrances, but I talked my cousin in town --" A quick jerk of his head indicated the way they'd come. "-- and she says they've been closed up."

 

Nodding, "Then that's where we're going," he said finally. "Though we need to be swift...the Jem'Hadar patrols will be around any moment now..."

Stifling a groan, the lieutenant nodded. "There's a trail higher up," he offered.

 

"Overgrown but still passable."

Nimble on his feet, Corizon moved quickly, though still on two legs. "Lead the way."

 

J'kastor pulled himself upright and strode quickly up the hill, ignoring the ache in his quadriceps. The trail took a bit of work to find; he hadn't been here in about four years, after all. Still, they eventually stumbled onto it, and from there the going was easier.

 

Tentatively, he glanced at the commander. "Sir?"

 

Corizon looked up from his wristband scanner, "Yes?"

 

"What... How..." He struggled for words for a moment, then burst out, "How do you expect to destroy the facility with just the two of us, sir?"

"Stealth," Corizon replied coyly. "And some high-tech explosives."

 

Sighing, accepting that he would get no more from the closed-mouthed commander, J'kastor trudged onwards.

 

Coming to a small ventilation shaft, Corizon glanced around before approaching the concrete structure.

 

"Once we're inside," Corizon said as he worked quickly to loose the locking mechanism that held the iron bars shut. "We'll have to go to the third lower level to the power relay network..."

 

"And the Jem'Hadar?" he asked, nervously keeping an eye on the autumn foliage around them.

 

"With any luck," Corizon said as he slipped down the shaft and began descending the ladder. "We'll avoid them entirely."

 

J'kastor's head snapped around; he stared at the commander's retreating form. "Luck?!" he demanded, his voice emerging in a strangled croak.

 

Letting a bit of humor into his voice, "You're people have a few dozen gods don't they? I'd suggest praying to one of them..."

 

Muttering under his breath about the arrogance of certain canine commanders, J'kastor followed Corizon down the ladder, carefully closing the bars behind him.

 

It had taken a bit of maneuvering, skill, and—luck, but the two found themselves just above the power relay network on the second lower level. Leaning against a cylindrical, metallic object Corizon looked at his wristband. "One more floor."

 

"And then what?" The lieutenant kept his voice low, but there was a note of demand in it despite that. Aside from guiding the commander up here, he knew little of what the mission entailed.

 

"We're going to blow this facility back to Cardassia," Corizon said dryly as he pulled the pack from his back and began unzipping it.

 

He stared at the Dameon for a long moment, then said, "I wish you would give actual answers, sir."

 

Fishing through the bag, he produced a silvery box with blinking electronica, and handed it to J'kastor.

 

The lieutenant turned the box around in his hands, barely understanding what he was looking at. In some ways it resembled other devices he had seen, but in others... "Sir?"

 

"Careful," Corizon cautioned. "Anti-Gravitons aren't to be played with lightly."

 

"Anit-gravitons?" he yelped, then caught himself and lowered his voice. "Sir, isn't that dangerous?"

 

"Aren't all explosives?"

 

"But... anti-gravitons can't be contained post-detonation."

 

Corizon glanced over for a moment. "It's a risk we're willing to take.”

 

J'kastor frankly stared at the commander. "But... the town..."

 

"Is an acceptable loss," Corizon remained unemotive. Flat and business like, he pressed a button on his wrist band."

 

"Acceptable!" The lieutenant grabbed Corizon's arm. "What about my people? My cousin's there, and my best friend -- for Janu's sake, he has children!"

 

Flattening his ears, and letting a low growl escape clinched teeth and bared fangs, Corizon looked directly into the eyes of J'kastor. "Do you have any idea how many lived we're going to save?"

 

"Do you have any idea how many people you're going to kill? Innocent people!"

 

"Yes," Corizon said flatly. "I do."

 

"But.... but... How can you just..." J'kastor fumbled for word. "Damnit, how can you wear that uniform and do this?"

 

Shifting slightly, "Your letting your personal feelings affect your judgment. Destroying this facility will bring us one giant step closer to ending the war, and if a few thousand people have to be sacrificed for the good of the entire Quadrant..."

 

"Oh, not that Vulcan crap again." He snorted derisively. "That's what the Federation said about the Cardassian Treaty, and about outlawing the Maquis -- and look where that got us! I thought we'd learned better!"

 

"This isn't a debate in your Academy classes," Corizon's tone grew deadly serious. "We're completing our mission."

 

"You can't be serious."

 

Ears against his head, "And if you try and stop me, I will kill you."

 

J'kastor's jaw dropped and his mind went blank. This was so far outside his expectations of a fellow Starfleet officer that he literally could not think of a response.

 

"Now, this goes one of two ways," Corizon placed the Anti-Graviton device back into the bag. "You can sit and blink, and likely be here when the whole place goes boom, or you can come with me. Make your choice, because I am not usually really patient."

 

Numbly, he nodded, still barely thinking. At the moment, the few thoughts skittering feebly through his mind had mainly to do with changeling infiltrations.

 

Skittering down a ramp, Corizon headed towards the power relay net. The consequences of his next series of actions would chance the course of history for an entire species.

 

The plan had been perfectly laid; infiltrate, blow up, a minimal loss of civilians. But what no one at ATAG had known, or even considered were the toxic materials left over from the facilities long history.

 

When the facility detonated, it rained toxic gas into the air, combined with the Anti-Gravitons, the atmosphere of the Lakth Celsti become permanently toxic.

 

--

 

Shaking off those thoughts, Corizon exited the lift to find himself in a dark, low lit room with a hand full of terminals and one very surprised, for a Vulcan, Captain Sorehl.

 

“Captain….Corizon,” the Vulcan said, his cool baritone voice quickly covering the momentary lapse. “I did not expect to see you here.”

 

“I am sure you didn’t,” Corizon said as he made his way towards Sorehl. “I didn’t think you were aware of my knowledge of this…facility.”

 

“That would be a correct assessment,” Sorehl replied flatly. “Did Admiral Day inform you?”

 

“No,” Corizon said straightly.

 

“Then how?”

 

“I’ve been aware of this facility since its inception,” Corizon tapped in his clearance code into a consol. “My ATAG clearance gains me access to this facility…we set up the beacon system ourselves.”

 

Lifting an eyebrow, Sorehl motioned towards the panel. “Indeed,” he said. “It seems your beacon network has failed.”

 

His ears moving slightly backwards, “I can see that…Irdan …and New Bajor…”

 

“It could simply be a malfunction,” Sorehl offered. “Perhaps local interference, the systems are close to one another. Perhaps an ion storm?”

 

“Wouldn’t we have detected that by now?”

 

“Likely.”

 

“Do we have any ships in the area,” Corizon queried, though he knew the answer as he looked over the information.

 

“Unfortunately,” Sorehl responded, “We don’t.” The Vulcan offered a PADD to Corizon. “These are the last few transmissions we received. I’ve been unable to establish a link or communications with Deep Space Nine…”

 

--

 

Corizon looked over the PADD Sorehl handed him, sighing to himself as he read it for the fifth time. The sinking feeling in his stomach since the Battle of Sector 42-GX had finally materialized into something. Placing a hand on his communicator, "Corizon to Michaels."

 

Daniel quickly paused the soft music playing in his quarters on Camelot. "Michaels here."

 

"Report to Deck 90," Corizon said lowly.

 

Sorehl's eyebrows raised quizzically. "Is that...wise Captain?"

 

Corizon nodded, "He's cleared for this," he said flatly. "He's an assistant of mine."

 

The Vulcan nodded and returned to the consol he was working on, as Corizon finally laid the PADD down.

 

Daniel paused for a moment, before returning the comm. "I'll be there briefly."

 

He quickly let his quarters and made his way into a TL. "Computer, deactivate Turbo Lift. Authorization: Michaels, Gamma 3 Epsilon 669."

 

The Computer beeped, as Daniel cleared his throat. "Deck 90."

 

The small quarters of the secret relay station and listening post were dark, lit only be a few monitors and low lights. Corizon stood near the lift entrance at a consol, he turned as the doors opened.

 

Daniel's eyes glanced over the darkly lit room for a second. He had been briefed on it's existence of course, but he had never seen it. "Captains."

 

Sorehl nodded only slightly as he continued to work, Corizon motioned Daniel closer to him.

Daniel moved towards him, personally wondering what could be of such importance to bring him down here this soon into his tenure on the Excalibur.

 

Corizon didn't have to tell the Lt. of the sensitive nature of the information he was about to share with him, he motioned to the PADD on the consol. "We've lost contact with the Irdan system...and New Bajor..."

 

His display of shock was well hidden behind a controlled brow raise. "The Scorpiads?"

Ears flattening, "We can't be sure..."

 

The Vulcan Captain swiveled slightly, "We should inform Admiral Day..."

 

Nodding, "Lt. Michaels and I will continue working down here," Corizon said. "Make sure he's alone..."

 

Moving with grace and poise, Sorehl tucked a PADD into his uniform jacket and entered the lift.

 

Daniel watched the turbo lift door close before turning back to Corizon. "I assume a ship as already been dispatched?"

 

Letting his ears fall down to either side, "Not yet," Corizon said. "We don't have anyone in position...and most of the fleet isn't in any condition to move..."

 

He frowned as he looked through the fleet list. Corizon was right, there were hardly any ships that hadn't taken damage in some form from the Al-Ucardians. "I'd hate to have to let this information to the Allies...yet."

 

"I don't have any intentions of letting this information out of the box. Not until we know more about what's going on."

 

He merely nodded, his suspicions, and hopes about Corizon being confirmed. At least he wasn't too much of a diplomat to know when discretion was best. "Agreed. However, the question remains on how to gather the proper intel, with the fleet in the condition it is."

 

"Indeed," he said begrudgingly. "Our best bet is on the Klingons..."

 

He slowly looked over his PADD. "If you believe so. You have more experience with them then I. I couldn't make a proper suggestion."

 

"Hopefully," Corizon said, "The beacon network went down..."

 

"I fear..." He paused, looking down at a display. "The masters have thrust their servants up as a distraction."

 

Corizon was smart enough, and realistic enough to agree with the assessment, "But let's pray not..."

 

Daniel let out a near shrug at the statement. "I have no time for Gods. I prefer something more tangible."

"What ever you prefer," Corizon said finally, "For now...let's see if we can remotely reactivate the beacons."

 

"Agreed." If Daniel had any sort of reaction to the Captain's last statement it didn't show as he moved towards nearby console.