Reap the Whirlwind

Examining its multilayered metallic skin, Sandesjo speculated, “Scan-shielded duranium composites?”

“Yes,” T’Pry

Sandesjo walked the rest of the way inside the box and stood in the center of its main room. A single-person bed was pressed against the wall on the right. Beside it was a low table. A round-cornered viewscreen was mounted on an adjustable swing arm attached to the wall near the foot of the bed. Tucked into a corner on the other side of the compartment were a food slot and a waste reclamation slot. In the middle of the rear wall was an open door leading to a lavatory and shower. Much of the rest of the interior volume of the large shipping container appeared to be filled with life-support apparatus.

T’Pry

Every attempted kindness by T’Pry

“I saw to necessities,” T’Pry

Sandesjo had thought she would have more to say to T’Pry

For a moment she felt as if T’Pry

All was silent inside Sandesjo’s dull gray purgatory. She sat on the bed and folded her hands across her lap. No one had told her how long she would be inside this portable prison, or even where she was going. Probably some remote dustball at the far end of the Federation, she predicted pessimistically.

A new name, a new face, a new begi

I’ve already forgotten what I used to look like, she thought. Now I probably won’t even recognize the sound of my own voice. I’ll look in the mirror and see a stranger.

She growled and shook off the numbing comfort of self-pity. Stop whining like a petaQ, she scolded herself. You’ve done this before, you can do it again. Wild things don’t feel sorry for themselves. Be a Klingon.

From outside the container came a bump and a slight lurch. She was in motion. Sandesjo wanted to be brave, to face her circumstances head-on without fear or mercy, and to believe that she was participating in her own destiny. But bouncing around inside a sealed box, being shipped away like an unwanted parcel, she thought of T’Pry

She lay back on the bed and folded her hands behind her head. Like any prisoner, she knew that her future was out of her hands. There was nothing to do but wait and see what happened.

Cervantes Qui

“You look like you’re going to a job interview,” Pe

“Just turnin’ over a new leaf, that’s all,” Qui

They dodged around a loose knot of Starfleet perso

Pe

“Shut up,” he replied with his own crooked grin.

“Just kidding, mate,” Pe

Shaking his head, Qui

They neared the bay four gangway, which had just been opened by a chief petty officer. Through another observation window, Qui

Captain Nassir was the first one to emerge from the gangway portal, followed by a slender, dark-haired woman and Theriault, the woman Qui

More of his crew exited the gangway as he strode over to greet the two civilians. He put out his hand to Qui

“Most folks just call me Qui

Nassir nodded. “Whatever you like is fine by me, sir.” He released Qui

The reporter smiled. “I thought I panicked,” he said, “but I’ll take her word for it.”

Letting go of Pe

Qui

“No doubt,” Nassir said.

Behind the Starfleet captain, a trio of medical perso

“He will be,” Nassir said. “We fixed him up well enough to get him home, but he’ll need a few days of intensive care before he’s back on his feet.”

Qui

“He’ll be glad to hear that, thank you.” Nassir tilted his head back toward a nearby turbolift. “If either of you would like to join me and my crew in Manón’s for a celebratory drink, consider yourselves invited. First round’s on me.”

Pe

“Absolutely,” Nassir said. “You put yourselves on the line out there. You gents are heroes; I won’t forget it.” Brightening his expression, he added, “So how ’bout that drink?”

Qui