"Parting at Zoalus"

[Joe Manning 0]

The Bajoran's eyes looked drowsy, as if he'd dared to steal three or four hours of sleep before being awakened by one of his crew. The creases in his face were clear on the monitor in Verbistul's infirmary, and Joe regarded them with ample sympathy for the aged.

 

"I am disappointed that we could not finally meet face to face, Captain, before your ships depart," Tomar Raj said. He was sitting in the middle of a Starfleet Bridge that appeared eerily devoid of activity.

 

"Likewise," Joe answered. "But in my haste to question our new Vulcan friend, I may have exposed myself to something he picked up on the planet. Probably just too much caution on the part of my doctor -- I could leave if I wanted to -- but I'd rather humor him just now."

 

"My best wishes to you, then, and likewise to any of your infirm crew. It has been quite an interesting three days -- for both our crews I am sure. And I understand full well that we owe you several debts of gratitude for the aid you have given us ... despite the questionable means by which we first acquainted ourselves."

 

"And I will remember the means and the debts, Captain Tomar," Joe was quick to point out. "I promised your people what aid I could offer with your food shortage problems ... in exchange for future favors, of course. I'm ready to help you with the first steps now."

 

Joe tapped at the controls of his ODRI, relaying data along the communications link to the curious Bajoran. "You'll want to have your man Holstrum and any science experts you've got on your crew to look over this. It's some of the data we managed to collect on the planet below along with details of our two excursions to the surface."

 

"A dreadful place," Tomar shook his head. "Even the raider bands of the Expanse know well enough to avoid Zoalus."

 

"A dangerous place, yes," Joe finished transmitted the data and the ODRI off. "But it's the danger of unsupervised technology, not of angry spirits or any other superstitious nonsense folks might cook up. It can be beat. We managed to send two teams to the surface and to retrieve both relatively unscathed. Your transporters made for an especially smooth second trip, so you've got that goin for you.

 

"The schematics I included there are for a device my science chief put together, a device that can render you practically invisible to the planet's patrol drones. You'll still need to be cautious -- they can hear intruders and pick up indirect signs like footprints and maybe shadows -- but as long as you remain still and in the shade if any patrols show up, you can buy yourself some time down there."

 

The Bajoran's brow piqued with interest. "Time to salvage goods for sale? Though finding an interested buyer would prove difficult for us ... "

 

"Yeah, roamin' around Bull's Head in an old Constellation class ship might draw the wrong sort of attention. But you'll also find that there's more life on Zoalus than tavern talk might indicate. There's some kind of serpentine creature that burrows through the ground ... and there's quite a variety of deep sea life. Maybe you can strike gold and find something edible."

 

Tomar's eyes looked hopeful, but also conflicted. He gave voice to what was troubling him. "What of the cultists that you encountered on the planet? And this organism that infected your Mr. Selek? And ... perhaps more importantly, what of Xorax colony? Will they not object to our presence here?"

 

"Well, as to the Rainmakers," Joe replied, "I'm bettin our barrage of the surface along with an underground blast provided by Mr. Selek himself did a good job of cleaning out the scum. I still can't say what kind of interest the Rainmakers have in this planet and whether that interest'll bring any of them back around here; Selek still ain't even woken up for us to question him. I'd say that big ol' battleship gives you a pretty worthy insurance card if they come around here lookin for trouble. But you'll also want to be mindful -- the Rainmakers can be awfully subtle these days about beatin' anyone who's in their way from the inside rather than the outside. Surround yourself with people you can trust and keep close eyes on the rest. And be smart enough to turn them away if they try to recruit you or any of your people openly. I was quite clear that the price of our aid is your future loyalty; that belongs to me, not to Minos."

 

"Yes," Tomar replied simply, his facing showing stern resignation that Joe wasn't sure was resentful. Behind the mild-mannered facade, what kind of man was this that was going to take Diklyt's place as leader of the Noretians?

 

"As for Xorax Colony, leave them to me. Most of our troubles here were caused by a man they put in charge of their ship. I ain't about to be scolded by them for any bargains I made, with hijackers or anyone else. I'll let them know how you managed to sneak Holstrum onto their staff, how he collected and relayed sensitive info back to you, what steps they'll want to take to close up any security leaks. It'll be a little gift for them, but also a roundabout way of getting the message across to them that you have all the dirt on their Eden Project and that I have it too. They'll think twice about screwin with either of us ... especially as I'm handing over their rogue agents who nearly got all of us killed with their power play."

 

"That is quite an interesting sort of relationship for a mercenary to court with his employers."

 

Joe grinned morbidly. "Oh, we may not get paid for the job we were hired to do. But we'll get paid somehow. And we won't forget your people, Tomar. You might just find an important place in some plans for this region that have been startin to take root in my mind. The Rimward Territories got lots of promise; it'd be a shame for them fall under raider control."

 

"I fear there's little that you or I could do to stop them, though your plans intrigue me." The Bajoran grinned and nodded once. "Thank you for everything, Captain. Good luck to you in your voyages."

 

"Good luck to us all ... " Joe answered. He cut the comm, confident that this would not be the last time he would speak to Tomar Raj.