When Shadows Meet

Posted on Sat Oct 31st, 2020 @ 10:57pm by Lieutenant Victor Barclay de Tolly & Commander Arrianna Salannis an Vantar

Mission: Side Mission: The Aftermath of Kronos
Location: Sena Alindar
Timeline: Current
2502 words - 5 OF Standard Post Measure

A young hooded woman was in the Imperial Gardens waiting for Cassius when she began singing a song. Maybe it was a way to calm her before a mission. Maybe it was a way for her to express herself besides the cold demeanor she radiated. But she was Alindari, attracted to beauty and serenity. Her eyes had the same mermaid brilliance. Especially when she started to sing.


Ave Maria
Gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Maria, gratia plena
Ave, ave dominus
Dominus tecum
Benedicta tu in mulieribus
Et benedictus
Benedictus fructus, fructus ventris
Ventris tui, Jesus....


She was a beautiful soul, just like the rest of her people, living the life of a spy, with secrets inside that she kept alone.

Doctor Cassius Blaire showed up showing a tough look in his flyer similar to the one Tom Paris designed on Voyager. Most people know him as Cassius. In his deep voice he says to her , song. "My mother used to sing that." He sighed a bit because he missed his mother. "I am Cassius."

She looked at him silently, her body language communicated much.

"Do not worry," Cassius said, "I am discrete and I never read a partner's mind. That is a gray level I never want to cross."

*I do that because I want to remember what I once was. What I want to be again.* She communicated. *I may seem cold, I may seem heartless, but even you would know by sensing me what I really am.*

"I am a Talosian Betazoid born to a Betazoid Mother who two years before I was born was given drugs by the Romulans to increased her first child psychic abilities," Cassius says shrugging, "So I have seen cold many times. I learned to keep my distance. Sometimes I become friends with them. Your past us in the past. Unless you are a time traveler like my mother, past remains in the past."

*Because of the time shift?*

"Yes," Cassius says, "I felt the time shift recently. Going to have to find a sweetheart I once knew name Nichelle but that is for another time. How did you know about the time shift?"

*People who meddle with things beyond them. Deranged scientists who mistake themselves for gods.*

She didn't answer completely and he did not pry. "So what did they tell you about these mad scientists?"

"Lunatics who believe they could give a normal person telepathy." Ilya noted. "I've been tracing these fools for years."

"Well I have some resources too," Cassius says, "Two days they were on the Ingavi planet. Inhabitants look like apes or chimpanzees. My ship here can get us there in one day. Thanks to someone I know, it has a cloaking device. Your reputation says you have crossblows and blades. Please bring them. If we get surrounded, I can create illusions and my own weapons plus your weapons as well. Phasers creates sounds and illuminating light but an arrow can be silent as an ant."

"Shadows is what we require to solve this riddle Cassius." Ilya noted. "Do you like my singing. I have more during our journey."

Cassius sensed this was her way of coping with reality. "Singing is good for the soul. One should sing like no one is listening."

"Good. I intend to sing." She said simply, still a woman of few words.

"We leave in ten mutes unless you need longer time?," Cassius says, "So have you been completely briefed on the mission?"

"I am ready." She already read the Mission Brief and had resources in posion. "We go to Lissepia. It is a waystation of illegal vice in the Alpha Quadrant between Ferenginar and Cardassia. I am confident we will quickly learn about this drug." Ilya stated in her calm and cold tone. "Furthermore, the Special Institute of Defense Intelligence is aware of Lissepia's history in the transactions of illegal genetic mods on the Lissepia market. The world is a hub of both legitimate and illegitimate enterprise. The Cardassians keep it for their vice, the Ferengi, The Breen, The Romulans even. It was too valuable to be conquered during the Dominion War. The Lissepians threatened to consider all of Cardassia's loans defaulted if they did." Ilya noted. "They have extensive influence in economies as far as Klingon Space."

"I do believe drugs can solve everything," Cassius says as he opens the door of the flyer. "My mother was captured by the Romulans hoping to create a child to being an ultimate weapon. This happen few years before I was born. My mother manages to escape while she was pregnant." Cassius sits in the pilot seat waiting for her to sit. "The Romulans chased her, so she went to the only place they would not go."

"Talos IV." She said simply.

"That is right," Cassius answers. "She went to Talos IV. She had my brother Zodok and a couple years later she had me and last but not least she had my sister Angelica. My sister and I have the same father. He is Talosian". He takes off in the flyer. After they left the atmosphere, he placed it in Warp 1 and ibpncreased it gradually. "Now tell me about yourself."

She looked at him quietly and began to sing again.


Agnus Dei
Agnus Dei,
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
Miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei,
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
Miserere nobis.

Agnus Dei,
Qui tollis peccata mundi,
Dona nobis pacem.


Cassius just sighed because did not answer but she sang a beautiful song.

"I will speak of it, Cassius. When I desire to... But I will tell you.. I sing to stay at peace with the violence that's in my life." Ilya noted. "Do you do something for peace? Even though we are two shadows?"

"I try not to be part of violence but one observing me might say I am," Cassius says, "Little do they know peaceful I am. "When someone eats a whole fish minus the bones, do they think about the fish's life. "

"Nor the Fisherman's life." Ilya stated simply.

"Be prepared for warp speed," Cassius said bracing himself.

She nodded softly and put her hood over her head.

The Flyer Cassius named The Blaire Incarus made a gradual jump to Warp 9. Eventually they made the Badlands. Ilya pointed out Lissepia was her Intel. They were a good distance from it and as he slow down the sped to Warp 2, he sent a message to his sister Angelica. All the code intention to indicate where he was.

"My sister Angelica Blaire will meet us there," Cassius says as he looked around, he clocked the Flyer. They could observe all the ships around the galaxy. Three Warbirds, Ferengi ships, Cardassian Freighters and over five thousand shuttles. "Seems a lot more company than usual."

"How many are on course for Lissepia?" Ilya was wondering who the players would be on Lissepia. "And watch for freighters that look like they're flying too rigidly."

"I count nine, maybe ten," Cassius answers.

She went quiet as she pondered the situation.

When the Flyer reached the destination, Cassius parked underneath a freighter as he scanned the planet. "Interesting. There seems several shuttles are in an area where you would not expect."

"Hmmm.."

"If you ever read the book called the Oddyssey," Cassis says as opened several frequencies, "Ulysses surveyed what was in his city before returning home. That way he would know what he was up against."

Ilya drew what appeared to be a ninjato and checked the blade before sheathing in in a scabbard on her back. She then checked two elegantly designed phaser pistols. "What kind of shuttles. I want to know who's at the party. I can certainly guess they're here for the serum. I wonder if they know how dangerous it is? For a non-telepathic being to suddenly have telepathic ability. It's like being thrown into the deep end of the ocean. You hear thoughts around you loudly, and you cannot turn it off. I have trackers set on a delay. I want to know where all these shuttles go to so we can remove them one by one." Ilya mentioned.

"Some can handle it but others can not," Cassius says as he did another scan. "Ilya, there are more coming to the party. There are Cardassisns, Bajorans, Ferengi, El Aurians, Vulcans, Catians, Romulans, Trills, Hybrids or they may be experiments gone wrong, Changeling but not Founder kind and of course my sister. I told her to wait."

"Founders? They wouldn't risk themselves like this." Ilya mentioned.

"The Changeling kind is one that can morph into anything," Cassius says as he set the Teleporter on his sister. "If my sister gets into trouble, I can teleport her here." Cassius received a signal but it was not his sister. "Are you ready?"

She just nodded.

Cassius brought the Flyer to a safe location. After doing so, he placed an overcoat over clothes that looked very bad ass. He takes out a very special round clicking device for her. He scans her thumb. "In case of an emergency, this will Teleport you back here."

"I will use it when needed, but first I must know who to remove from the equation." Ilya mentioned. "Beam us down. It's time to find out where all these people are going."

Cassius beamed the two of them down to the gathering. They were practically unnoticed until his sister came up with his favorite Romulan Commander.

Angelica pokes her brother. "I ran into your Romulan friend here. She was gathering her Intel."

Romulan Commander Thena who was dressed in a Marauder outfit. "Cassius. Old friend. I had a feeling you would show up."

Before Cassius asked what they had found out, he does the introduction. "Ilya, this my sister Angelica Blaire and Romulan Commander Thena."

Ilya kept silent, always listening.

"Thena," Cassius asked, "Did you bring your husband?"

"My husband is no longer a Romulan Commander," Thena said firmly like Romulans do. "He is a Romulan Senator."

"Splendid," Cassius says, "So what kind of Intel do you have?"

"First they laid you a trap," Thena says, "Second the head of this DNA Syndicate is name T'Vell. She might look like a Betazoid Vulcan but she is anything but that. Her real name is Magdalena Malkin."

"Ah yes," Cassius said turning to Ilya, "She used to be head of a Marauder group station in Hellsguard until Thena and I broke it up."

"Interesting, continue." Ilya mentioned.

Thena said one thing else. "They have come up with a hybrid DNA serum of Changeling, El Aurian and a third species we do not know about. They tried it on two and it was successful. The recipient could live up to two thousand years."

"We require this woman alive. The rest of the confirmed buyers must be eliminated. They're too dangerous to remain in play." Ilya mentioned. "Especially the Ferengi."

Very few times Romulans ever crack a smile. "I agree your partner Ilya. Can I get to torture her?"

Cassius kept his voice low. "Only if necessary. She might have a strong telepathy abilities now. I can hear her from distance.

"Brutal, for such a race devoted to each other." T'Vell spoke talking to her assistants.

"We're peaceful, but we are not sheep. If there is a threat to the Imperium, we will dismantle it." Ilya noted. "We cannot afford Alindari Genetic Mods flowing through the black markets."

"We will more than dismantle it," Cassius says in a low voice. "We need to find out who her number one henchman is and capture him or her as well. Preferably one that is not Psychic."

Angelica says to them as she was scanning thoughts. "We have some coming our way,"

Ilya spoke. "I'm shielding my thoughts. I think I can get the drop on her." She separated from the main group and got into position.

T'Vell was walking around her attaché who was carrying the case of DNA shots and her Ferengi who was making each transaction. First one she met in the crowd was a Trill who wanted be a Caitian because her husband was one. The T'Vell gave her the DNA shot to her arm. "Now give it a day and you will purring in no time."

Next one was Platonian who wanted to be a Trill. "Sure you would not want to live for centuries," T'Vell showed the The One in the Latinum vial. "I gave three of thriller"

"No thank you," the customer said, "If I was a Trill, I can live longer inside a consciousness over many hosts."

"Very well," T'Vell says giving her the DNA shot. Finally she saw Cassius. "Ah Doctor Cassius Blaire. We have been expecting you. Men, grab him."

Cassius knew this was going to happen and felt each of her men psychic abilities were heighten. The fight was concentrated on Cassius which allowed Thena and Angelica to join in the fight. Angelica grabbed the case from the attaché which followed by Thena knocking out the attaché.

One of the men extracted blood from Cassius with syringe that immediately converted it into one that could be used.

T'Vell focus was on the fighters not noticing or sensing Ilya.

Ilya suddenly came out of nowhere and spun a kick right into T'Vell's head. Knocking her out completely.

Thena immediately grabbed the one that had Cassius DNA in it as she gave it to herself.

Cassius notices finally Ilya was taken care of T'Vell. "Do you need some help there?" He says as he had arms around two of men as he knocks each one out.

Ilya spoke. "I'll ask for help when it is required." She drew her phasers and began to take out the buyers one by one before they could escape.

All of a sudden, Cassius felt a sharp needle go into his arm. Turning around he was surprised it was his sister Angelica. "WHAT DID YOU DO!"

"Brother," she said smiling, "Now we will both live long enough to see our mother one day."

Cassius had not felt anything yet. "Looks like T'Vell is in custody now. Time to call in the cleanup crew to wrap this up."

"Dammit. Not the way I wanted it to go down, but this is what we got, Cas." Ilya noted.

Next thing there was an explosion blowing up T'Vell's ship. The Romulan Warship the Ravenclaw appeared over them. Romulan Commander Zodok, half brother to Cassius and Angelica said from Athena's communication badge, "Brother. Take your prisoner back to Alindari. Bring the evidence. We will make sure NOTHING of their operation remains."

"Thank you for having my back," Cassius says looking at Ilya next. "Are you ready to go?"

"I am going with Zodok and Thena," Angelica says, "You only have enough room for you, Ilya and the prisioner."

Ilya stared at Angelica. "Was it worth it? Death is not something that should be feared, but embraced."

She tapped her communicator and beamed back to the shuttle.

TBC