Captain's Log

[Cptn Elias Moore 0]

"Nagen and the Tellarite intruder, whose real names, I have been informed, are Melina and Arman, have been turned over to the authorities on Midgar. Their leader, Quantus, is dead. One of the two transmuters who escaped has been detained on the planet. The other is still at large and being hunted by the Midgar authorities, but this matter is now out of our jurisdiction. We thwarted their plans, got rid of their molecule, and recovered our stolen ship.

 

"Unfortunately, our stolen ship is now so much debris. In order to repair the temporal rift, or whatever it was, that we caused while attempting to transport the Omega molecule, we had to detonate Achilles' warp core. ID's have started coming in on the eight corpses my Starfleet Security contact found on Earth--sure enough, one belongs to Lieutenant Commander Joshua Maynard, and another belongs to Commander Lillian Crane. Quantus and his 'transmuters' had been busy for some time stealing identities so that they could track down our cloaking device; their efforts have ultimately resulted in the loss of a Starfleet ship and both of its commanding officers. We have Achilles' crew on board Challenger; they'll likely be sent off for reassignment when we arrive back at Nequencia.

 

"Between the rescue of Achilles' crew and the defeat of the Omega molecule threat, I would consider the mission a success. But the destruction of one of Starfleet's Lexington class vessels is sure to go over as poorly with the Admirals as its hijacking did. I imagine that I'll be dealing with another call from Admiral Gardner in the very near future.

 

"We have our three Nausicaan prisoners sitting in the brig. Sergio and T'Parek are going to have to see to interrogating them as soon as possible. The files our team glimpsed on Kappa Persei hinted at a rather widespread criminal organization operating throughout this region, possibly even into Romulan territory. The fact that we encountered a Vulcan among their command ranks is disturbing, to say the least. Quantus was the organization's leader, but there's no telling what his death will mean for its future; a band of criminals broken up and leaderless could be even more dangerous than one with a new guiding hand. As we're now maintaining a presence in this region, we'll have to assess their threat level."

 

Elias looked up sharply from his computer terminal to see Rufus seated on the end of his bed. He stood and turned to face the old man, trying to hide the pain from the bruises he suffered in the shuttle pod. "You really should try to contact us before you pop in like that. I could have been showering or something."

 

Rufus blinked and glanced around the bedroom before a knowing smile spread across his face. "Ah, yes, the human need for privacy. Indeed, some traits are more prevalent among your society than others. My apologies, Captain. Your crew will be leaving soon, I understand?"

 

"Yes," Elias answered. "Your invitation to the planet is appreciated, but we're really needed back at our Nequencia outpost, especially with the extra personnel we're taking on. We'll be departing as soon as we finish cleaning up the site of the explosion."

 

"That is quite courteous of you, Captain. Though I was sorry to hear of the loss of your starship. In fact, I have come to apologize on behalf of the Arcane Council and, thus, the King himself for all the trouble that Quantus caused you and your allies. I have come, as well, to extend our thanks to you and your crew for your part in his capture. After these many long years of searching for him, we may now put this matter behind us and fill his seat on the Council."

 

Elias crossed his arms and gave Rufus a measuring gaze. "Well, I'm glad that we were able to get relations with your planet off to a good start. Though... I must offer my apologies that we were unable to preserve Quantus' life. We kept him on life support as long as we could, but the fight aboard Achilles caused too much harm. I was surprised to learn that he was a member of your family... though it does make some sense considering what you've told me about them."

 

"Oh, yes." Rufus grinned half-heartedly. "My terribly unique family. My seventh oldest brother Antegard, what I call him for short, was quite a... perverse individual. Five children he sired by rather... distasteful arrangements, unspeakable I might say. Quantus was among them, but he always seemed to be above the moral shortcomings that are a trademark of my family. I took him in when he was a teenager; his talents were remarkable even then. Looking back, I can't say if his more pleasant demeanor was a deception aimed at gaining him special favor, or if, over time, he lost an internal war against the twisted nature that was passed on to him by his father. Either way, I failed to recognize the beast before it became capable of overwhelming us."

 

"Well, if a desire to destroy a world is something that can't be considered unusual among your family," Elias said. "I'll take your word for it that they aren't the most gracious of people."

 

"Captain, if only you knew of the politics that run throughout Midgar's history." Rufus sighed deeply. "My family is rather large, and many of its number bear mortal grudges against the monarchy that extend back hundreds of generations. I know of cousins, siblings, aunts and uncles who have reasons far more pervasive than Quantus' apparent bitterness to want to see Midgar destroyed or the King overthrown. Why, my grandfather, Zichalin, has been plotting to seize the throne for centuries. He may be the worst of the lot, though the younger folk can be quite driven, as you have observed. They are all quite elusive, and some of them boast formidable talents... 'powers' as they are often more apt to call them."

 

Elias blinked at the old man's rambling. "Umm... Rufus... you don't think that what happened here could make certain members of your family... angry with Starfleet or my crew, do you?"

 

"Oh, goodness, I don't think so!" Rufus chuckled softly. "If there is one thing for which we are fortunate, it is that loyalties between branches of my family are often quite loose. They are usually just as busy scheming to dominate or destroy one another as they are Midgar or the King. If I understand correctly, the sibling rivalry between Quantus and his brothers was terribly heated."

 

"I hope you're right." Elias said.

 

Rufus planted his walking stick into the carpet and stood. With his free hand, he reached into the front of his shimmering robe. "Now comes the time that we part, though I hope that it is not the last time. I bring a gift from the Council, a show of our gratitude to your crew."

 

"That isn't necessary." Elias said as Rufus pulled a crystal sphere, about the size of a fist, out of the robe. Elias wondered just how many pockets the old man had in there. "Er, what is that?"

 

"An Arcana globe serves many purposes." Rufus replied. "But I'm sure that, as an explorer, you realize that the process of discovery is often far more gratifying than the possession of knowledge. As such, I leave most of the discovery to you, and offer only the knowledge that I can contact you via the globe. Since this can help us maintain our good relations, the Council insists that you take it."

 

"Well, if you put it that way..." Elias accepted the globe and looked down at it. It was a curiously opaque silver, and, although it was held still, a swirling motion could just barely be perceived inside of it. A gas or gel of some sort, perhaps? With Rufus, was there even a point in speculating? "Thank you, Rufus, I'm sure--"

 

Elias had looked back up, but Rufus was no longer standing in front of him, nor anywhere else in his quarters. The 'Arcana globe,' still resting in his hands, and an indentation in the carpet, left by the walking stick, were the only evidence that Rufus had even been in his quarters.