The Darker Side Of A Trade

Posted on Thu Apr 13th, 2023 @ 5:41pm by Captain Ethan De Havilland

915 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Ethics, Morals & The Prime Directive.
Location: Administrators Office - Colony - Eta Serpentis
Timeline: Current

The air was thick with tension as Ardon Jiddad paced the window that lined the rear of his office. Finger and thumb brushed through his beard as his eyes flicked from the rain-drenched view outside to his overbearing guest. Things had become complicated, everything was threatening to unravel and he was not sure what to do.

"You said we'd be left alone if we did what you asked, you said Starfleet wouldn't take notice. What did you expect them to do once that freighter was taken?" Ardon spoke an edge of panic in his voice.

"Taken.....an interesting perspective." The guest spoke. "Considering it was you that offered it to us on a plate, in exchange for your lives." The Nausicaan spoke his voice almost loud and boastful. The Freighter and its cargo served his own ends rather handsomely but he knew an opportunity when he saw one and exploited the weak and defenseless colony.

"Starfleet is sending a ship, here, I got the notification this morning." Ardon poured on. "They will discover what happened here and it will be the end of everything."

"You said the same about the Ferengi marauder, we dealt with it. We will deal with Starfleet all the same." The Nausicaan spoke as he stood up, even some distance away on the other side of the table he towered over the Human in front of him. "You will keep to our agreement, or I will.....change it...again." He walked around the table to join Ardon by the window pausing for a brief moment to take in the grim view outside then diverting his gaze down. "I gave your colony weapons, defenses, a means to protect yourself."

"The freighter, you never told me what happened to the crew. Some have family here." Ardon spoke, intimidation and fear rife within him and his voice. The weapons were meager at best, some particle cannons, 4 orbital weapons arrays and a shield array that would encompass the entire colony. A trade of 60 scientists, seemed worth it at the time...at the time.

The story he'd come up with was the freighter needed help but exploded killing everyone. A monument of those lost stood once proudly in the colony square but had long since been cleaned or tended to. Now looking dreary like the current weather.

"The people on that freighter were destined for nothing other than a violent death. I could have starved them, kill them of dehydration, or simply let them die trying to resist the situation they found themselves in and it would never have mattered." There was a detectable hint of pleasure in the Nausicaan's voice as he spoke.

"Instead, their lives were turned into meaningful deaths. You Humans have a saying. Everything has beauty, but not everyone sees it. But death, death is an art. Or murder to be more precise. A weak Human will kill an enemy and leave it at that, He will claim revenge, justice or a desire to leave his enemy dead where they lay."

"I kill because I can, because I am strong. I make sure that when someone sees what I leave behind it sends a message not to follow. I made a message out of them.....I still do." The Nausicaan ran a claw down the cheek of Ardon, not enough to break the skin and cause him to bleed but enough to drive a point home.

"Honour our agreement, I will deal with Starfleet." He wrapped his hand around Ardon's throat. "Test my patience again...." The grip lingered for what felt like long seconds as Ardon's face turned red before being released and walking out of the room.

Ardon sank into his chair as his mind raced with what to do. Starfleet was coming and they would discover what had transpired. They would find out everything. Since the agreement had been made he'd done well for himself, even if it was out of desperation to save his own skin at the cost of those he once called friend and colleague. He knew once he ventured down this road there would be no going back, dealing with a Nausicaan was dangerous, owing one was far worse. He felt helpless, the Nausicaan was smart, all communications were linked so he could read everyone, he'd mingled his own people in with the colony population so Ardon was not sure if anyone could be trusted.

What started out as a terraforming goal turned dark when the raiders arrived, protection in exchange for services. Projects turned illegal and experimental, and not only did the demand for more grow but so too did those people installed by the Nausicaan push for results.

So many people were lost, taken, bartered, and worse. Replaced by raiders, people with no talent or skill beyond weapons and pain enjoy a luxurious life in the homes of the displaced. Ardon thought back to when the colony declared itself self-sufficient, where walls were clean, gardens were beautiful and now it was as dark as his mood. At first he tried to reason with himself that sacrifices had to be made, for progress, the mission. Tried to justify to himself that he did the right thing but as the days went on and the demands kept coming in, it got harder.

He didn't know what he'd say to Starfleet when they arrived. They would want answers, send teams, and investigate and he was not sure how much he could hide....if that was even possible.

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