Preparing The Ground

Posted on Sun Oct 21st, 2012 @ 11:01am by Eldren Tohr
Edited on on Sun Oct 21st, 2012 @ 11:10am

Mission: Sections of the Delta Quadrant
Location: Somewhere on SB900 tubes
Tags: eldren, tohr, terror, bajor, bajoran

***** Bajor many years ago – Ma-Dahn Town *****

Tohr opened the door of the cabin with a kick. Huffing and panting he let down his burden of wood near the fireplace. Passing the forearm on his sweated forehead he watched Dolen Vral. He was standing near the window, binoculars on his eyes observing some spot outside.

“Any news?” Tohr asked as he set the wooden logs in an orderly fashion. “It’s been more than one month now. What are we supposed to do? Just fraternizing with the population?”

Dolen vral kept watching outside the window for a moment. “You should not be impatient. Our job is that of the predator. We stalk prey, motionless, barely breathing… Until the time is right. Then we strike.”

Eldren Tohr rolled eyes at that well-known philosophy. Vral repeated that, or something similar, to him each other day. And days passed in idle waiting for something or someone he was never told about.

“In any case it seems our target is finally coming this way.” Vral commented guessing Tohr’s thoughts.

Eldren Tohr stood from the fireplace and moved to the window close to Dolen Vral.

“Here.” Vral said with a smile offering the binoculars “Take a look . Down the road.”

Tohr pointed the binoculars in the direction Dolen Vral had indicated. The road twisted its way down the hillside and, coming up from one of the first curves a vehicle climbed its way to Ma-Dahn. As Tohr could see it was a simple civilian vehicle with a bajoran standing in the aft part and greeting the people in the fields. He was flanked by two cardassian soldiers seemingly none too happy with their duty.

“I take it we have to free that bajoran from his cardassian guards, even if it seems to me a waste. All these days posted here to take out two cardassians.”

“You’re wrong.” He heard Vral’s answer as he kept watching the vehicle. “The bajoran on the vehicle is our target. He is Adua Tal” Vral ended as if that explained all.

“What?” Tohr responded lowering the binoculars casting a sideways glance to Dolen Vral.

“A collaborator. Behind his writer and philosopher façade Adua Tal actively helps cardassian government with political support. His famous school in the capital gather the finest youth of Bajor and transform them into more supporters for the cardassians. Those who see through the ruse or in some way resist his plagiarism are never to be seen again. Sent on some distant labor camp to die. He’s used to make this trips to the countryside to gain more young to the cause… The cardassian cause that is.”

The vehicle had come closer now to the entrance of the town and more people were nearing it as they recognized Adua Tal and wanted to salute him. The bajoran was close enough now to see his face. He was smiling and encouraged adults and children to come near the truck as he talked and delivered sweeties.

Tohr lowered his eyes fixing them on the windowsill. His hatred for the cardassians boiling in his blood, rushing to the head, almost making him see through a red mist. Still, he would gladly avoid harming one of his race. In his own very personal view they were all victims of the infamous conqueror. Everyone of them could be saved. Or not?

When he turned again Vral was watching him looking straight into his eyes. It took a moment for Tohr to realize vral was offering a hand-disruptor to him.

“You do that.” Vral stated coldly.

Eldren Tohr’s eyes went from the weapon to Vral’s and then to the weapon again. Slowly Tohr took hold of the disruptor.

“The truck’s almost here. You go out, take a clean shot to Adua Tal and be certain he’s dead. Cardassians are second order objective. Then we vanish from sight. Understood?”

Eldren Tohr nodded slightly as he checked the disruptor setting it on kill.

The truck had stopped in the open space at entrance of Ma-Dahn and Adua Tal had jumped down to mix and shake hands with the folk surrounding him.

“Go Now.” Vral ordered. “I’ll cover you from here.”

Tohr exited the house putting the disruptor in the belt behind him. Forty paces, no more between him and his target. His stride steady, not too quick, as he eyed all people around and the cardassian soldiers descending from the truck. His heart started pounding but not as times past.

Twelve paces.

Eight.

Six.

Eledren Tohr roughly pushed aside a villager obstructing his sight. “Adua Tal.” He said leveling the disruptor.

Hearing his name the man turned to him, his smile dying the instant he saw the weapon in his the hand.

Tohr pulled the trigger. The blast took Adua Tal in the shoulder sending him to the ground screaming.

bad shot.

The second time he pulled the trigger the beam seared through the cardassian guard’s neck who was still unslinging the rifle.

Cries and screams filled the air around him as the startled Ma-Dahn bajorans panicked and tried to flee to safety.

Tohr hesitated looking at a little girl crying desperately. She had fallen trying to escape. A woman, probably her mother or elder sister, looked at him, terror in her eyes. No need for words… An unspoken plead to let the girl go.

The second cardassian guard came over from the other side of the truck, seeing the terrorist standing still he grinned leveling his weapon but another blast, coming from the house, got him first sending him sprawling to the dirt.

Tohr watched him die before shaking himself. He stepped forward to Adua Tal who was writhing in pain on the ground. Watched him for an instant Adua suffering eyes met his.
The third shot, right in the chest, made the philosopher still.

Tohr looked around then and all he could see were the other bajorans fleeing and hiding from him, crying and struck by fear.

“What were you thinking? You almost got yourself killed.” Vral shouted coming quickly to his side. “Get into the truck and start the engine we’re going.”

Without replying Eldren Tohr mounted at the driver’s place, who had conveniently made himself scarce in the ruckus, and started the engine.

Tohr watched again the body of Adua Tal. the scorched wound on his chest… And the people of Ma-Dahn warily watching him from hiding places. Then he heard Vral’s voice shouting to the address of the hiding bajorans before climbing to his side in the vehicle.

“This is what happens to thieves and traitors of our race.”


***** SB900 present – Jefferies tube*****


Eldren Tohr connected the cable to the plug which sizzled faintly. Working in the cramped space of a Jefferies’ tube wasn’t the best of situations but he had definitely seen worse.
Checking his padd he could see that the communication was working. He wondered how Federation security measures could get so low when they felt safe and secure. Perhaps a state of war would have taught them better.

He typed some commands on the padd and watched the tiny light on the screen as the frequency was selected.
To his relief the device got hold of a very low frequency band of transmission. Quality would have not been the best for sure but to him what mattered was being able to use the station transceivers undetected, mostly.

After a few instants a bloated green face appeared on the small screen slightly scrambled by neutrino waves.
Sticking an earphone in the ear Tohr listened to the other’s greetings, if you would call them that.

“Yes, yes… I’ve had some minor problem but now I’m on the starbase.” Tohr responded to the other’s questions, this sparkled another discharge of badly garbled words as Tohr nodded wearily.

“Your money are not going wasted.” He tried to explain “I have to contact someone able to get me out after mission completion. There’s a guy here… Owns a Romulan shuttle. Should he have cloaking device too it would be perfect. Have to seek him out. By the way the piece you want is not just a toy in a girl’s hand. It is property of the Commander of Security here on SB900 you know?. It is not going to be a cakewalk, that’s for sure. Are you copying me?”

Again the garbling flowed into his ear.

“There will be no problem into getting the piece but I need to work it out quietly.”

And I have personal matter to settle first. Tohr thought, but did not add it to the conversation.

The garbling from the other side grew more concitate and Tohr decided he had enough of it. “I’m sorry but I have to close transmission. Federation personnel are not so stupid and, if I linger too much, even on such a low frequency I could be detected. I’ll turn up as soon as possible with good news.”

That said Eldren Tohr unplugged the cable and the bloated face vanished from the Padd screen.

He put the disruptor and some equipment inside the cavity along with the padd and cables before setting the panel back into place. Then, grunting, he crawled out the Jefferies tube and walked down the corridor to the nearest turbolift.



*************

Eldren Tohr
First time killer of his own kind

(Dolen Vral
Applying Terror
Strategy)

Mysterious Interlocutor
Who knows?