"To Kill An Admiral" Part 2

Posted on Sun May 24th, 2015 @ 1:03am by

Glare-shades, thick, round, and dark, glinted in the high sun. The air was dry and hot, and dust kicked up as the car ripped across the barren wasteland.

New Jericho looked like a town on the edge death; sandstone structures built like dome mounds in the middle of nowhere, clustered around what appeared to be the only source of water out this far; a single well. Stern pulled back on the throttle and the car slowed to a crawl.

He peeled back the glare-shades and blinked a few time; the sky was a sharp blue, almost painful.

Elizabeth found the atmosphere fascinating. As she adjusted her eyes to the change in light, she started internally going through all of the biological intricacies of the climate, unaware of being looked at.

Townsfolk watched them as the car glided through the dirt street; old men and women, weather-worn and thin, as well as children and young couples just starting out, all stopped what they were doing to stare at the Starfleet Officer's passing through.

While Starfleet certainly had a presence on Cestus III, it was clear that they did not have much of one here.

"Where do we go from here?" she asked casually, her mind more on the science of the area then on the purpose of their being there.

"Eastern edge of town," Stern said. "There's a Starfleet clinic there."

She nodded once. "This is where..." she started, letting him finish the statement.

He furrowed his brow, but let the statement hang in the air as the car sped across town. "Let's go see if the Doctor is in," he said.

Elizabeth lofted a brow and stepped out of the vehicle. She was not sure what information they could gather, but any information was good information.

"Wait here," Stern told her, sliding out of the car and slipping down the street without waiting for her to respond.

The hospital was a massive two-story building painted a royal blue color; the paint had flecked and chipped in places, revealing chrome metal underneath. It was clear it was never intended to be a permanent structure, but given the poor population had probably remained to help treat those who could not afford to go anywhere else.

Stern slipped one of the twin phasers out and slid up against the wall as he neared the doorway.

Inside cubicles spread out across the main floor; small chambers with sheets to separate them for privacy, each no wider than a small closet. Beyond three rows of them was a wide, open space. Metal beams rose up to the high ceiling; what had appeared to be two stories was actually just one, giving the massive chamber a gymnasium feeling. Yellowed glass windows gave everything a golden glaze.

Stern slipped into one of the small chambers and found a small table with several worn instruments, as well as a locked cabinet. There was a battered bench that a patient could sit on, but not much room to lay down and be examined. The standards were deplorable, and not up to Starfleet regulation.

Stern ignored it and pushed through another sheet. One more row and he found himself behind a metal beam; the beam itself was easily as wide as he was, and made of thick black steel.

Beyond it there was a single blue metal and chrome desk, the Federation symbol emblazoned on the front of it. A glint of light caught it and he could see the Intelligence insignia recessed into it; a fractured Starfleet combadge, with Latin text running through the pieces and a comet wrapping around it.

Sitting at the desk was a single man. He wasn't a very large man; his narrow frame was hunched over a document, and in his left hand he held a very old fashioned pen that he was using to transcribe something from datapadd to paper text.

His head was peaked, and balding, with stray brown strands falling down across his thin, hawkish face. His face was oddly handsome, and rather calming when you stared at it. Perched on his nose were a thin pair of glasses.

He wore a simple blue robe and longcoat in lieu of a Starfleet Uniform, and Stern realized there was blood on the sleeves. He wondered if he had just come from surgery, or something more sinister.

"You can come out, Ibraham," he said, without looking up. His voice was soft, peaceful, and even toned. "No need in doing this the hard way, is there?"

Stern smiled as he slipped out from behind the beam and strode towards Thadus Tillmar. "Everything is the hard way, Doctor."

Tillmar smiled. He placed the pen down and sat back in his chair. "I can't cure you," he said.

"I know," Stern replied. "I'm not here to be cured."

Tillmar nodded, placing both hands submissively on his desk. "I know," he said. "I just wanted to be sure."

Stern had to fight everything inside of him not to shoot Tillmar right then and there. Everything down into his core told him to point the phaser at him and fire it. The old pattern Type II had enough power to vaporize everything that was Tillmar, leaving nothing but a smoking crater where he once existed.

He kept his finger off of the trigger-plate. It was set to stun, but he knew at close range even that setting was deadly on the ancient weapon. He guessed Tillmar knew it too. The man was cautious.

Tillmar was still smiling. "So am I to assume you aren't going to kill me either?" He lofted a thin brow. "If you were, I'd imagine I'd already be dead by now."

Stern took a careful step closer to the desk. "I have questions."

"Oh?" Tillmar acted surprised. "What questions?"

"How frequently do you contact Gohan?" Stern asked.

"Every forty-eight hours," Tillmar replied. There was no hesitation. "Often it is nothing more than a code verification."

"When do you next contact him?"

Tillmar shrugged. "In twenty minutes."

Stern cursed. That wasn't good. If Tillmar didn't check in, that would put Gohan on the alert.

Tillmar smiled. "Ah, how could you know? Don't beat yourself up. The worst that will happen is that he'll know you are coming for him."

Stern placed his free hand on the butt of his phaser pistol. "Damn right I am," he said solidly. "Him and every bastard that works for him."

Tillmar chuckled. "That would take some time," he said. "And I am afraid you simply do not have enough." He lowered his head slightly until his eyes became hooded, shadowed in the darkness of his brow.

Stern managed a smile. "I have enough."

"No," Tillmar said, his tone venomous. "You do not."

The desk exploded forward, ripping across the tiled floor so fast that it kicked sparks up. Stern had been expecting something, but Tillmar kicking the desk so violently surprised him.

He managed to jump over it, but Tillmar was on him, laser scalpel in hand. The red beam came up and took Stern in the face, cutting a violent and bloody line across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. Tillmar's follow-up kick was savage and sent Stern sprawling, his phaser skidding across the floor.

The wind knocked out of him, Stern pulled himself up coughing and retching. "Bastard," he wheezed.

He realized Tillmar was not there. Had he run? Stern spun around quickly, but the man was truly gone.

A sound from behind drew Stern's attention and he whipped around just as a wooden beam took him in the face, bowling him over. Tillmar stood over him holding the wooden beam, a wicked smile twisting the calm face into a sinister one.

Stern had pegged him months ago as an adept killer; he'd been right. The man was viciously efficient; he wouldn't have been in Gohan's employ if he had been otherwise.

Stern slipped his bootknife free and came up as Tillmar swung the wooden beam; Stern's free hand caught it mid-swing and, using his greater strength, ripped it free of Tillmar's hands. At the same time the small black blade came up, forcing Tillmar to jump back. It was all Stern needed.

Putting space between them was good for two reasons; one, it gave Stern breathing room. He was at a disadvantage right now being winded and hurt. The second reason was that it meant Stern could strike with his newly acquired beam; in close and the weapon isn't effective. Far away...

Stern scored a direct hit across Tillmar's forehead, dropping him. He swung again, but Tillmar rolled back, drawing his own knife.

Stern tossed the beam of wood and unshipped his other phaser, pointing it at Tillmar. He started to issue a warning, but thought better of it.

He shot Tillmar in the shoulder. The bright blue beam ate into his shoulder, boiling the flesh; Tillmar's shoulder popped in a shower of tattered skin, fat, and blood. Stern had to give him credit; he didn't scream as he fell back, the agony written across his face. His arm was draped across the floor, limp, utterly useless.

Stern walked up and buried his boot in the torn flesh; this time Tillmar screamed. Ibraham smiled.

"Ibraham," came a voice behind him. Stern lifted his foot, caught off guard as he spun around.

The voice was metallic, almost digital. The desk, now damaged, had a holographic display mounted into the center of it. Standing on the desk in blue was a holographic visage of Admiral Damian Gohan.

Gohan was tall, thin, and powerfully built. He was a man in his late forties, but he looked no older than thirty. His pitch-black hair was short and his blue eyes were like twin sapphires, shining in the darkness. He had marble-pale skin.

He wore his Admiral's uniform, and over that a blue long-coat with the black Intelligence collar. "That sort of brutality isn't normally your style," he said, his voice soft, commanding, deadly.

Hearing the scream Elizabeth approached quietly and with caution, her phaser drawn; her movements nearly undetectable. As she peered around the corner she could see Stern standing over the fallen body of whom she could only assume was Tillmar. Her eyes cast around the room to assess the situation. On the floor she noticed Stern's phaser only a short distance from where she hid. Assessing the situation to be safe, she stepped in, quietly and reached down to pick up the fallen phaser.

Stern walked towards the holo-display. "I'm coming for you," he said.

"I know," Gohan replied, folding his hands behind his back, his fingers interlocking. "Unfortunately you won't make it," he said. "I've examined the odds; they are decidedly against you. The likely outcome is that you will either be killed by one of my agents or succumb to the Kvilla Virus long before you are able to ever reach me. Should you somehow manage to reach me, the odds are even greater that one of my personal guards will kill you." He looked off at something Stern could not see. "In the extremely unlikely scenario where you manage to get through them - and I mean unlikely Ibraham; you are an old man and they are exceptionally well trained assassins - the odds are still against you."

"Why is that?" Stern asked.

"Because I will kill you," Gohan replied. "That is no boast."

"I know," Stern replied. Gohan was not one for boasting, rather he simply stated the facts. Stern was fairly certain that Gohan was an augment of some sort; it was the rumor, and everything he had ever seen of the man suggested it was true. Even if it wasn't true, Stern would have a hard time fighting him. He was one of the best. "I'm still going to try."

"Of course," Gohan said. He turned to the young woman who had just entered. "How... Peculiar," he remarked, lofting a brow. "Admiral Heyworth's daughter?" He looked at Stern, an expression of chiding. "You would put her in danger? Surely you know better than that."

Stern looked at Heyworth as she came up to them. He took the phaser from her as she held it out to him. "She's not in any danger," he said.

Gohan frowned. "Unfortunately, now she is." He nodded to her. "It's unfortunate, but Lieutenant Stern has brought you into something you should not have been part of. I try not to target families of my enemies, but it would seem I may not have a choice now."

"You mistake my own free will," she said plainly, "and clearly misunderstand your own." She pause for a moment, "Sir," she added. She lofted her left brow before pocketing her phaser and clasping her hands neatly behind her back, clearly seeing no immediate danger.

"Free will," Gohan repeated. "Yes, I suppose it will play a factor. However, my calculations are rarely wrong; it will only change things a marginal amount." He looked at Stern. "The end result will be much the same."

"Why?" Stern asked. "Why poison me?"

"I didn't poison you," Gohan said, already turning away. "I suggest you review Tillmar's notes," he added, as the holo-display began to flicker. "Oh, and Ibraham." He glanced back. "Don't worry about Tillmar; he won't be missed."

Tillmar had managed to pull himself up some, and looked pained by Gohan's words. They had been friends since the Academy, and even though he knew it was just part of the job, there was a part of him that thought Damian would protect him.

The holo-display faded. Stern looked at Heyworth, and then back at Tillmar. "Can you bandage his wound?" he asked. The beam had cauterized it, but the man was still losing blood and would probably slip into shock soon. "At least well enough that he can survive the trip back."

"Of course," she replied, nodding once, moving over to a medical bench, "and yours too," she added over her shoulder.

Stern sifted through the papers that were strewn about the chamber. Most of the notes were nothing more than medical records, research, and personal journals. A name on a scrap of paper caught Stern's attention and he began rifling through the papers nearby. The document was hand-written, and as Stern began reading, he suddenly stood straight up, his eyes darting across the paper at a fever-pitch. "This can't be right," he hissed.

"What isn't?" she asked plainly, mechanically pulling out the items she's need to repair Tillman's shoulder. It was superficial, at worst.
He strode over to Tillmar and grabbed the man roughly. "What the hell is this shit?" he spat. Tillmar mumbled something incoherent, moaning in pain. Stern shook the man. "What the hell is this!" he repeated, more forcefully.

Elizabeth sighed, walking over to the pair. "Hardly helpful," she said nonchalantly, gently placing her hand on his to try to separate him from the man so that she could tend to the wound.

Stern let go of the man and he dropped back again. He took a step back and regained his composure, taking a deep breath. "This document spells out the entire scenario; that Tillmar was employed to terminate me and four other agents as part of a cover-up surrounding the weaponization of the Kvilla Virus, something that was sealed and shut down over a hundred years ago. It was considered too dangerous to attempt. It says that the Intelligence Officer in charge went against orders and tried to weaponize it for his own personal use." He looked at Heyworth while she worked. "The problem is it doesn't list Admiral Gohan as that Intelligence Officer."

She paused at her work, first cleaning the wound, and looked over at Stern. "Interesting. You don't believe it was Gohan, then?" she thought for a moment. "It would seem unlikely. I would doubt he'd have the medical and scientific knowledge to do so." She lofted a brow and continued to clean. "You have a theory?"

"I don't need a theory," Stern said. Under the hand-written journal note was another sheet of paper, which he held out to Elizabeth. This one was on thicker, finer stock, and embossed at the top of the page was the Starfleet Intelligence symbol. The note explained, in official language, what Tillmar's orders were. At the end of the paper was a single name and rank, and underneath it a personal signature and thumbprint; Admiral Charles Heyworth.

Elizabeth paused for a moment. For his own personal use? Impossible. It was his signature, of that she had no doubt. "If I understand correctly, my father was planning to weaponise Kvilla. He, along with four other agents were involved in this and to be killed? Including yourself?"

Stern scowled at her. "That's what it says," he said.

She tended to wound without looking at Stern. "Were you involved in such a plot?" she asked, her voice devoid of any inflection.

"Of course not," he replied. "And neither was your father; this is obviously a set-up." He knelt down over Tillmar. "A simple call will straighten this up," he added.

Tillmar stared up at him, his eyes slightly glazed over. He smiled. "Do you really think it would be that simple?" He winced. "This runs a lot deeper than you think. It certainly doesn't stop at the mere suggestion of weaponizing Kvilla."

Stern's eyes widenned. "You... You actually did it," he said. "You actually weaponized it?"

"Not me," Tillmar said softly. "The official report is going to say Admiral Heyworth did it." He smiled at Elizabeth. "Did it and used it."

"I see," she replied matter-of-factly. "Things often run deep." She knit her brow and looked clinically at the wound. "Hmm," she replied, caulking her head. Without a word or strange movement, she plunged her thumb deep into the wound causing Tillmar to scream in agony. "Like this wound." She did not look up or change her demeanour in any perceptible way. "Did you have questions for him Lieutenant Stern?" she asked. "I think now might be an opportune time while I tend t this."

"Where was Kvilla used?" Stern asked.

Tillmar screamed and then laughed. "Does it matter?" He closed his eyes, his breathing heavy. "It's already done; Damian took nothing to chance. But since you asked, a planet in the Demilitarized Zone... A Maquis Colony. New Graham, I believe, was the name of the colony." He opened his eyes. "They were... problematic. Refused to relocate, and continued to harass both Cardassian and Federation ships and stations in the area."

Stern looked away and swallowed. "Give me a name," he said.

"There are no names to give," Tillmar replied.

Elizabeth plunged her thumb more deeply, adding to it the knuckle of her index finger.

Tillmar screamed again, his body convulsing. "There are no names!" He breathed hard. "There... We were all kept apart," he managed, his entire body shaking. "The only name I could give is... Chesa," he said.

"Chesa?" Stern frowned. He had never heard of anyone named Chesa. "Is that a person or a place?"

"Figure it out," Tillmar said, smiling.

Stern stood up and pulled Heyworth aside. "I need to get to Gohan," he said. "He's on Earth, though; too far away for us to make it before our leave runs out."

"He's not on Earth," Tillmar croaked.

Stern and Heyworth looked at him. "Where is he?"

"Ventax II," Tillmar replied.

Stern rubbed his chin. "Up for another trip?" he asked, looking at Heyworth.

"We do have the time," she replied coolly. She pulled out her fingers, wiping the blood casually on a cloth, and began to bandage the wound. "It's cleaned. I felt no debris," she added.

"Wrap him up to go," Stern said as he folded the documents up and tucked them into his uniform. "Also, Tillmar, really?" He gestured around the facility. "This is the best you could offer these poor people in the way of medical care?" He shook his head.

"This is why I say," she said, packing up a medkit and taking along some additional supplies, "that a medical physician is not a Doctor."