Tricia and the two unconscious males re-appeared in the medical center.
"Klara, quick help me get Steven onto the bio-bed," Tricia requested.
"What about him?" Klara asked, pointing at the assassin.
"He’ll be out for a while yet. Let’s get Steven looked at first,"
Tricia replied.
The two of them lifted Gregholt onto the bio-bed.
"Activate the LTMH," Tricia stated.
Almost instantly the long-term medical hologram appeared.
"What happened here?" he asked.
"He was hit by something," Tricia replied.
The hologram started to examine the body. "Here’s the culprit."
He said, picking up a pair of tweezers and extracting what appeared to be a
hypodermic needle.
The doctor started to scan Gregholt with his tri-corder.
"What’s wrong with him ?" Klara asked.
"I don’t know," The doctor replied. "Let’s see if we
can get anything from the needle."
The doctor picked up the needle and moved into the research lab.
"Fascinating," The doctor stated.
"What’s so fascinating ?" Tricia asked.
"There are traces of a virus in the needle," the doctor replied.
"A virus?" Tricia replied.
"Yes. From my research I’ve discovered that the virus that’s
been effecting the Valarian population isn’t a natural one. It was engineered
to skip across to the Valarians," the doctor stated. "From my studies
of the Valarian immune system, they are an extremely healthy race, with an immune
system of ‘iron’."
"That is true," The first minister announced. "The average life-span
of a Valarian is over two hundred years."
"So someone engineered a virus to make the Valarians sick, but why?"
Klara asked.
"I think I can answer that question," The first minister announced.
"No," The monarch announced. "You can’t tell them."
"Can’t tell us what?" Tricia asked. "If you have information
about all this, then I think it’s in everyone’s interest to share
it."
"Sire, we must tell them about those that oppose you desires," the
first minister suggested.
"Then I guess we must," the monarch replied.
"Ever since our government made contact with the Federation, there have
been those within our society who have opposed our actions. When they learnt
of our request to join the Federation, the voices grew stronger. They don’t
have much support in the general public, but their voices have been heard within
the government. We thought that we’d managed to get over all this and move
on, but now it looks like things have gone further,"
the first minister explained.
"So someone has ‘created’ an alien virus to effect the general
public in the hope that it would turn them against off-worlders and against
Valaria joining the Federation," Klara remarked.
"Precisely," The first minister acknowledged.
"Can you help Gregholt " Klara enquired of the doctor.
"I just don’t know. This new virus is far more potent than the modified
Klingon flu and it was designed to infect and disable the strong Valarian immune
system. By attacking the immune system, anyone infected would be vulnerable
to any infection. The effect on the human immune system is far worse, in a couple
of days the virus will have totally destroyed his immune system," the holographic
doctor replied.
"Isn’t there anything you can do for him?" Tricia asked.
"At the moment, I’m afraid not. There isn’t enough of the original
virus left to examine. Without a large sample of the virus I can’t begin
to extract the RNA sequence and develop a cure," the doctor replied.
"What about the assassin's weapon. Maybe there's more of the virus,"
Klara said.
The group moved back into the main room and walked across to the still unconscious
assassin. The assassin was still hooded as Tricia and the doctor lifted the
body onto the third bio-bed.
Tricia then went and retrieved the assassin's weapon and started to examine
it.
"Nothing here. Looks like a single shot weapon, pneumatically powered,
efficient and silent," Tricia announced, returning to the bio-bed where
the assassin lay.
"Let’s see who we have here," Tricia said, removing the hood
from the assassin. "What the…"
"He’s human," Klara remarked.
"Interesting," The holographic doctor stated.
"Makes sense," Tricia remarked. "The Valarians had to have obtained
their medical knowledge from somewhere. Do you recognize him ?"
"No, but we should have a record in our immigration database," The
first minister announced.
"Erect a level ten force field around the bio-bed," Tricia ordered.
Tricia, the doctor and the first minister all walked across to the doctor’s
office.
"We should be able to access the database from here," Tricia announced.
"There. Checking immigration records….. Here he is. It says here that
his name is Andrew Hill, a medical researcher from Alpha Mentra. There’s
not much more here. He came here a couple of years ago to study the Valarian
immune system. I wonder if Starfleet has any more information."
"Yes, I remember him now," The monarch said. "I remember one
of our top doctors introducing him to me when we opened the research facility
in Vexla City."
"Let’s see if there’s anything in the Starfleet database. Accessing
the Pendragon’s system, searching…Here he is, but that’s odd...
here it gives his name as Addison Hillstead. Former medical officer from Earth,
given a dishonorable discharge after being accused of two counts of murder and
one of attempted murder. Left Earth four years ago, no further information available,"
Tricia stated.
"Is it possible that they are the same person?" Klara asked.
"There’s one way to find out. A sample of his DNA will tell us,"
The doctor said, walking back to the assassin and extracting what was required.
Five minutes later, the doctor had the answer. "Yes, he’s definitely
Addison Hillstead, Andrew Hill must have been an alias."
"So what now?" Klara asked.
"The assassin will be tried and most probably convicted of making an assassination
attempt of the king. Usually assassinating the king would have a mandatory death
sentence, but that hasn’t been invoked in over a hundred years," the
first minister announced.
"The assassin is a Federation citizen, but he committed a crime on Valaria.
The prime directive dictates that Valarian law has precedence here. Hillstead
is your prisoner, to do with as you will. My main concern is for Gregholt,"
Tricia announced.
"His only hope is to put him into stasis until a cure can be found. But
we don’t have the facilities to keep anyone in stasis long-term,"
the doctor replied.
"But we do. The Pendragon’s bio-bed has an inbuilt stasis field and
the Ronin has one of the most advanced sickbays aboard a starship," Tricia
stated.
"Then I guess that’s what we’ll have to do," the doctor
announced. "I can keep trying to find a cure here, but getting access to
the original pure virus would help a great deal."
"We can investigate and I’m sure that we’ll find the answers,
starting with the research lab in Vexla City," the first minister announced.
"OK, I guess we should get Gregholt transferred to the Pendragon and into
stasis as soon as possible," Tricia announced.
"Young lady, might I have a word with you in private," the king asked
Klara.
"Certainly, sire," Klara replied.
The two of them walked into the doctor’s office and sat down.
"You are a unique individual. The first minister has told me about you
predicament and Captain Evans request for you to remain here, under our protection.
You saved my life today and there is no way that I can ever fully repay you
for that," the monarch stated. "So I have a proposal for you, one
which I hope you will accept. If you do, then your safety here will be secured."
Klara just sat and listened.
"I am only one hundred and twelve years old, I have if I’m lucky,
another ninety years to reign here. I would like you to join my royal court
as my personal bodyguard. Your abilities would be a great asset. If you accept,
your life here will be one of the best we can offer," the monarch continued.
Klara thought for quite a while before answering.
"Sire, what I did today was nothing. My development was ‘programmed’
to seek out those who sought to hurt my former masters. I was just acting on
my own instincts, nothing more. I would be honored to accept your offer, I have
nowhere else to go and I do feel at home here," Klara replied.
"Then it is settled," the king announced, a big smile crossing his
face.
Next day….
Steven had been transferred to the Pendragon and placed into the stasis field.
Tricia was making the final pre-launch checks before departing, when Klara arrived
on the flight deck.
"Hello, Tricia." Klara announced.
"Hi," Tricia replied. "You look the part, royal bodyguard."
"Don’t be sad, my friend. The king, his guards and myself are going
to try our best to seek out those who created the virus, and the doc’s
confident that when we find the virus, he can develop a cure," Klara said.
"And I’ll always be with you, here and here." Klara continued,
placing her right hand first to her head and then to her heart.
"Good luck, my friend," Tricia replied. "We’re almost ready
to leave. Let me see you out."
The two girls walked to the rear of the cockpit and down into the living area,
before Klara left by the port hatch. Tricia closed and secured that hatch. She
then turned and double-checked the bio-bed.
Sleep well my good friend. She thought to herself as she looked at the unconscious
body of Gregholt. We will find a cure.
Tricia climbed back into the cockpit and started to take the Pendragon home.
As she cleared the outer atmosphere, she opened a channel to the Ronin.
"Pendragon to USS Ronin," Tricia announced.
[Ronin here, good to hear from you, Tricia.] Captain Evans replied.
"Requesting rendezvous co-ordinates. We’re coming home. I’d also
like to request that the Doctor be available when the Pendragon arrives, with
a portable stasis chamber," Tricia requested.
[Problems?] Ryan enquired.
"I’ll explain everything when I arrive," Tricia replied.
[OK, I’ll await you away mission report. Sending rendezvous co-ordinates
now. They should take you about two days to reach the co-ordinates, so we’ll
see you then. Ronin out.] Captain Evans replied.
"Pendragon out."
Tricia set the auto-nav to the rendezvous co-ordinates and put the Flyer on
auto-pilot.