Questionable Morality - Chapter 14
Questionable Morality
Chapter Fourteen
Her orders were clear. Kill anybody and everybody who stands
a chance of testifying against the syndicate. Doctor Liz Cutler was just coming
off the rush of the kill and entering her damage control mode. She shoved
Archer's shredded uniform into her bag and checked for his pulse. There wasn't
one.
"One down, several hundred more to go," she sighed
to herself. She walked into the bathroom and looked at her reflection in the
mirror, straightening a few errant pieces of hair away from her face. She
walked back into the cell and ran a PADD over Archer's cadaver then took some hyposprays
out and injected him with them.
She opened her communicator. "Cutler to Tucker."
Cutler tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for a
reply. "Go ahead."
"S-sir," she paused for dramatic effect. "I-I
killed him."
She heard a rustle and a curse.
"What are you talking about?" Tucker asked.
"Where are you?"
"I'm on board the Grissom in Archer's cell," she
announced shakily and rolled her eyes. She really did hate playing helpless.
"Stay where you are. I'll be right there."
--
"What the hell happened? What are you doing here?"
Tucker questioned as he pushed Cutler out of the way. He knelt next to the bed
and checked for vitals.
Dried tears stained Cutler's face, and Trip grasped her by
her arms and shook her. "God damn, Liz! What happened?"
She tore away from him and shivered. "You know what he
did!" she rationalized pathetically. "R-rumors are going around that
he didn't act alone. I thought I could get information from him."
"What the hell happened in here?" Captain Vale's
voice rang out.
"I used too much serum," Liz stammered.
Tucker approached Cutler again, but she shied away from him.
"What did he tell you?"
"Nothing, sir," she started. "He kept laughing
and talking about how we wouldn't make it to Jupiter Station alive."
Trip looked from Liz to Jon. It looked like the bastard was
sleeping. "Damn you, Liz! Do you realize what you've done?" Trip
grabbed her wrist and dragged her behind him, berating her, Vale shouting after
them. "You just ruined our best shot at getting some decent intel so that
we might stay alive." He placed her on the transporter pad and walked
behind the controls. "You're confined to your quarters until further
notice!"
--
Travis stared at the monitor as the intricate webs of
commerce and power weaved before him. He tapped in his Starfleet Intelligence
clearance to pull up some of his old cases. He had his suspicions and prayed
that his suspicions were unfounded, but what Archer had said tricked a memory
that was rooted deep into his childhood.
Hardly anybody got rich running cargo. Most of your
profit was put right back into the ship. Space was an ever-demanding and
desolate environment and not a mistress to mistreat frequently, lest she crush
you. That wasn't the only threat that followed the lives of boomer ships. You
were always living with the fear of the unknown. Alien races were especially
heady, but meeting quotas and deadlines were even more so than that.
He was twelve when he heard his parents arguing softly. They
would verbally spar upon occasion about daily maintenance aboard the ship, his
father once confiding in Travis that he broke things on purpose just to get his
mother's attention. The urgency in his mother's voice belayed a fear he had
never sensed in her before.
"That's blood money, Thomas!" she whispered
harshly.
"It's safe passage, Rianna," his father's voice
countered. "It's time to make nice with the families and garner a favor,
even if the favor is something as small as protection."
She hissed in return, cursing him. "You fucking idiot!
You even took their mark! How could you? They'll ask for more. They will never
stop!"
That was the last of the conversation Travis had heard. The
instant his mother used the f word, he knew it was time to run for cover.
Several weeks later he saw the mark his mother had referred
to. He was playing basketball in one of the holds with his dad when his father
took his shirt off. Naturally curious, Travis asked what the line and three
dots tattoo meant on his chest. His father slapped him for asking and with no
explanation left his young son holding his cheek.
Travis watched the information and security codes break
before him, the database he was searching for quickly reveling its secrets and
clues. No matter how hard one tried to keep a secret, there were always rumors.
As far as anybody knew, the E.C.S. conglomerate was a loosely knit organization
of human merchants. But, there were other forces that moved underneath that
assumption.
Three houses compromised the inner workings of the
syndicate. In turn, the syndicate influenced the markets. Travis pulled up
another screen and peered at the markings � a line with three dots. It was
representative of a horizon with each of the three houses as the dots. The
relation of the spec to the horizon depended on which house one was sworn to.
His father had sworn his oath to the house on Mars colony, a
wealthy family with a diversified portfolio who wished to stay wealthy and
diversified �The Chaffees. The second house belonged to the Vega colony, the
enforcers and assassins of the syndicate, otherwise known as the Lanes. The
third house ruled business dealings on Earth. They were the generals. When
Travis found a name to associate with this house, he shivered at the
coincidence. The family name was Sato.
Now Travis knew better. It was no coincidence that his
friend shared a tattoo similar to his fathers. He had seen it numerous times.
It was located on her right hip just above her buttocks. Travis had pried one
day and asked her about the tattoo and she shrugged and told him she didn't
know how she'd gotten it.
In his heart he knew Hoshi wasn't guilty. She was like a
pain-in-the-ass sister he'd never had. But the time had come that a doubt
started to linger.
--
She couldn't get off the Intrepid quick enough, nodding to
the transporter chief to transport her to Enterprise. The remainder of her crew
was there. The tingle of the beam engulfed her and the room changed its disposition
before her eyes, the saddened eyes of her crewmates suddenly staring back at
her.
Hoshi didn't know what to say.
Lita stepped forward and hugged her. "Come on, let's go
get drunk."
Hoshi nodded and her crew concurred.
--
"It'll take us five and a half weeks to get to Jupiter
Station at maximum warp." Reed stated as he paced the length of the
conference room. "We could transfer all of the high levels back to
Enterprise and you could cut that time in half at warp five, Captain Tucker."
"That would be exactly what they would want us to do.
At that point it would be like shooting fish in a barrel." Tucker
disagreed.
"Look, the Enterprise is the fastest in the fleet. They
would be hard pressed to catch her," replied Reed. "Your testimony
alone could put Archer and Forrest away."
Trip turned then. "Archer's dead."
"What?" A rage ensnared Reed at the injustice. He
wanted to kill him himself and now the bastard was dead.
Just then Mayweather walked in with a PADD in his hand and
stood near a display panel.
"What do ya got, Travis?" Tucker asked.
A display appeared on the panel and Travis stood to the
side. "It's just a theory at this point," Travis started.
"Go ahead," Trip encouraged, anxious to hear
anything at this point.
"Earth, Mars and Vega colony." A spatial map of
Earth and its colonies appeared on the panel. "Rumors of an underground
syndicate, which controls the conglomerate � well, it's looking like it's more
than rumors. The syndicate is run by three houses � one on Mars, one on Earth
and one on Vega colony. It's very clandestine and tight, run by the 'families'
of each house."
"Members of the houses are branded, some at birth and
others upon initiation," Travis stated, bringing up a record of the
tattoo.
Reed stared at the tattoo, something familiar about it
niggling him at the back of his brain.
"They'll send assassins and mercenaries after us. In
fact, Vega colony is purported to have dealings with Klingons," Travis
pointed out referencing the Intrepid's brush with a Klingon ship.
"Do we know where they are?" Zamora asked softly,
finally breaking his silence.
"What are you proposing?" Vale looked up and
across at his quiet friend. "You're not seriously thinking we go after
them, are you?"
Zamora shifted, but Mayweather intervened. "It would be
impossible. There are too many cells."
"The media," Reed stated simply and bit the end
off of his cigar.
Following his train of thought Tucker jumped up.
"That's it! If the media were to find out then we might have a chance of
making it to Jupiter Station." He could hear his blood pounding in his
ears as the possibilities swirled in his head.
Reed sat back in a chair and tongued his cigar thoughtfully,
staring at the insignia that designated the houses. He had seen it somewhere
before, yet he couldn't put his finger on it.
--
Em Gomez paced the bridge of the Intrepid feeling like a
caged animal. She wanted to pound something or someone into a pulp, the
adrenaline rush of the brief firefight with the Klingons still singing through
her veins. She wanted to blow something up. She wanted to blow up. Her thoughts
snaked their traitorous ways toward Travis and concern for him grew. He was
probably going mad with worry about the Horizon.
--
The door to Cutler's quarters opened and Trip stepped in,
Liz sitting up on her bunk in wakening welcome. "What the hell did you
think you were doing, Liz?"
Cutler hugged her knees to her chest in a defensive posture,
playing hurt.
"And what happened to that bullshit oath of perservin'
life and all?"
"You weren't there! You didn't feel the pain as his
crew raped you repeatedly!" she accused back.
Trip glared at the young woman, her words hitting him hard.
"No, I wasn't."
Inwardly, Cutler smiled. "I-I'm sorry, sir. I thought I
could get some information from him. I had no idea he would react to the serum
that way. I just couldn't sit by and wait for�"
"That's enough, Lieutenant Commander," he stated
softly. "I can not condone your actions and an official reprimand has been
entered in your record. You will face court martial when we reach Jupiter
Station, but for now, I need a chief medical officer for my ship. Do you think
you can handle that?"
She nodded her head in acquiescence and smiled when he left.
He would be dead by her hand before he reached Jupiter Station.
--
Reed chewed on the tip of his cigar and ran a weary hand
over his face. The bridge was quiet, the slight hum of his ship's engines
running at maximum warp. It was agreed. They would stay together and run. They
were running toward Jupiter Station and they were due to make contact with Echo
Twelve in a few days. At that point, they would be able to contact Earth. At
that point, they would be able to expose the corruption.
He scoffed as his own thoughts echoed in his head. Their
plan was ludicrous at best. They had enough to convict Archer and his crew.
With Archer dead now, the link to Forrest was weak and the man would probably
walk. Other than that, all they had was a theory and a bunch of here say.
His thoughts drifted randomly, searching for a rational way
out of this � a way that would ensure her safety.
--
"To Earl, the most foul-mouth piece of shit this side
of the," Hoshi slurred as she sloshed her drink around. "Room."
"Here, here," Lita and the men concurred. She was
perfectly sober and completely able to wallow in the grief while toasts were
drank and stories were told. Lindsey and Bishop had passed out about a half
hour ago and Spangler and Robinson were drunkenly hefting them up and over
their shoulders. The smell of booze and smoke made her stomach churn, yet she
stayed by her Captain's side.
"And here's to �"Hoshi coughed, her eyes glazing
over. "To the survivors � I discharge all debts. You all don't have to
follow a girlie Captain anymore." Hoshi's mirth was laced with bitterness,
as she recalled Earl's designation for her. Truth of the matter was that it was
easier to attract more flies with honey than vinegar and Earl was relatively
harmless once it was established that she would leave his engines alone.
"We're not going anywhere, Hoshi," Lita confirmed
as she settled next to her grieving friend. "When this is all over, we'll
get a bigger ship and make our fortune and�"
"Don't you get it," Hoshi slurred. "You're
fired. Everybody's fired. I've discharged everybody. There is no ship to work
on anymore! You're just going to have to find another position, I'm all fresh
out and�"
Slap!
Hoshi felt the sting to her face and touched where Lita had
slapped her.
"When you come out of your pity party, I'll be �" Lita
huffed. "Well, I don't know where I'll be." She walked out, regret
filling her and uncertainty looming before her. She didn't know where she
belonged now.
Hoshi held her face and reached for another drink.
"Don't you think you've had enough?" a familiar
voice broke through her drunken haze and held her hand down. Hoshi looked up
and saw the concerned, yet firm face of the Intrepid's armory officer staring
back at her.
"What the hell do you know?" Hoshi spat and
wrenched her hand out of Em's.
"You're not the only one this is affecting, you
know?" Em replied and tossed the drink back.
Hoshi listened.
"Everybody's family is in danger. They've already
killed Captain Zamora's family � his wife and three kids," Em stated
softly.
She blanched.
"Nobody's heard anything from their families." Em
sat quietly and let her words sink in. "Travis has yet to hear from the
Horizon." She was here for him, her off duty hours few and far between,
but his if he needed
"Oh my god," Hoshi gasped, not realizing the
severity of the situation. She stood and the room spun. "Where is
he?"
"He's busy," replied Em sadly, recalling her
approach of him in the corridor. He was cold and distant.
Hoshi wavered on her feet, the room continuing to spin.
"Sit down before you hurt yourself," Gomez scolded
and pushed a chair underneath Sato to fall into. She stared at the other woman
and finally broke the silence. "I served on board Horizon while you were
there," she admitted.
Hoshi nodded, not really in the mood to talk with her.
Em took another sip of her drink and set it down. "You
know, he wouldn't have let you go if he didn't think you could do it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Hoshi
leaned forward, fuzzily aware of the importance of the conversation.
"Reed," Em said. "He isn't at fault. Neither
are you. I know it sounds clich�, but you just might want to start cutting
people some slack. The Constitution crew was enslaved for eight months. Reed
thought the Captain of the Celestial was a balding fat man." Em laughed.
"I don't think I've ever see Captain Reed's nostrils flare quite as much
since you've been around."
Em paused and Hoshi continued listening.
"He was � nervous � while you were away." Em held
her hand up as Hoshi started to speak. "I've served with him for two years
now and I've never seen him nervous. You aren't the only one who lost the
Celestial. He'll probably never forgive himself."
Hoshi stared at the petite woman before her and scooted her
chair back. "You're point?"
Em rolled her eyes. "No point, just talking."
Hoshi rolled her eyes back and left, unsure as to where she
was going. She had no home now. It was scattered in space.
--
She glared at the airlock like it had betrayed her. Enterprise
was no longer docked with Intrepid. She had walked around Enterprise trying to
find a place to crash, the corridors echoing with taunts and memories. She
wouldn't be able to stay onboard. She didn't feel safe. She found herself
standing near the transporter pad, aching for the relative warmth of the bunk
in the Intrepid's brig. "Warmth�" Hoshi sighed out loud, flashes of
using Reed as a blanket pervading her thoughts. The familiar want of him
stirred in the pit of her stomach.
--
"Sir, Captain Sato is requesting permission to beam
aboard," the com officer announced.
Reed nodded his permission and said nothing. Hope for a
chance with her sprang to life in his heart, greedily crushed by reasoning. She
was better off without him. She was young and beautiful and had her whole life
in front of her. All he had to offer was the life of a Captain's wife to her,
and that life wasn't much. He shook his head as errant thoughts of her pregnant
with his children presented in his mind. He hated her for what he was feeling,
a bitterness of self-protection forming in his throat.
--
Hoshi half expected for him to be waiting for her once she
beamed back on board.
"Welcome back, Captain Sato," the transporter
chief welcomed.
She acknowledged the greeting and made her way to the brig.
Seeing the familiar doors, she felt a warmth tingle in her skin. She could lie
down and rest. She didn't care if the world fell apart around her. She punched
in the code and the door didn't open, beeping rudely at her request. She
punched the code in again, her mind still inebriated. "God damn!" she
spat, and looked around. He had locked her out! He had taken away everything
now. Oh, he was going to pay!
--
Lieutenant Gomez entered the bridge and nodded to her
Captain. "No offense, sir, but you look like you could use some
rest."
"I'll be in my quarters if any one needs me," he
stated simply, the last twenty-four hours weighing heavily on him.
--
As he walked down the corridor, Reed took a cigar out and
prepared to light it, his mind and body preparing to let go of the day's
events. Naturally his thoughts traveled to Hoshi, those thoughts enough to keep
a heavily sedated person up all night. He pressed his code in and entered his
quarters, unzipping his uniform and kicking his boots off.
"Beep! Beep!" the chime to his quarters sounded.
"Damn!" he cursed and opened the door, unprepared
for her attack.
"Where the hell do you expect me to go?" Hoshi
asked rhetorically and shoved him. "I have no where to go! I have nothing�
only the clothes on my back and you�"
With each syllable she uttered she pushed on his chest and
shoved him further into the room. He had had enough. So he snatched her wrists
and pulled her to him, putting one of his hands over her mouth and silencing
her tirade. He didn't know where she wanted to stay. He didn't know where she
belonged. To say the least, he was taken by surprise when she requested to come
on board. He assumed that her and her crew would be staying on Intrepid. After
all space was limited on board the other ships. He had shifted some of his crew
around to accommodate hers and had even left instructions with the
quartermaster.
"Your quarters are located on D deck," he said
finally. "They are the best I can do for now. There should be a change of
clothes for you in the locker. The same goes for the rest of your crew. I
wasn't really sure where you intended to berth your crew. Just let me know
where and I will submit the appropriate requests."
Hoshi's eyes were wild and her breathing was erratic. For a
man of little words that was a veritable 'Gettysburg Address.' She made no move
to pull away from him as he started to relax his grip, the stirrings of arousal
gathering in the pit of her stomach and the alcohol forming a delectable haze
over her judgment.
Reed let her go slowly, first removing his hand and secondly
removing his arm from around her waist. He found himself holding his breath.
She didn't move away. Instead she pressed closer, letting
her breath whisper against his lips.
"You're inebriated," he stated, his azure eye
boring holes into her dark ones. He was trying to save her � from herself, or
himself, he wasn't too sure. He didn't need anymore emotional baggage where she
was concerned. He didn't need her waking up hung over and blaming him, but he
was finally able to admit that he needed her.
"I'm not drunk enough�" The last word crushed
against his lips.
He should pull away; refuse her, yet reasoning was lost to
him as his hands tore fabric from her skin. In turn, her hands tore his uniform
from him.
She kicked off her boots, moaning encouragement as he
suckled her breasts. "Hurry, Malcolm!"
He grabbed her naked ass and lifted her between himself and
the wall, stabbing his erect shaft deep inside her. That was the first time she
had ever said his name and he groaned. "Say it again."
Hoshi barely heard his request through her impending
release. "Faster, Malcolm!" she moaned. "Harder, Malcolm!"
she keened as his teeth sank into the nape of her neck.
His followed her orgasm closely, his weight pinning her to
the wall as they shook with the violence. He didn't want to withdraw from her.
He didn't want to look at her. He didn't think he could bear the hatred in her
eyes. She was completely relaxed in his arms, her legs wrapped securely around
his ass, his breath heavy in her ear.
"Take me to bed," she whispered huskily against
his ear.
He could feel himself starting to harden inside her,
inwardly damning his own weakness toward her. He would refuse her nothing from
now on. Reed carried her to the bed, pulling out of her long enough to spoon
behind her. He exhaled a long groan as he slid back inside her, his lover
meeting him thrust for thrust and calling his name like a desperate prayer.
Hoshi felt the tears well in her eyes, her lover's
tenderness reaching her on a level she had buried long ago. "Malcolm,"
she moaned into his mouth as she turned her head back to kiss him, meeting his
tongue hotly, movement to movement, imitating the carnal possession they
shared.
She shattered around him, moving her hips with his.
"You're mine," his breath caressed her soul and he
pushed as deep as he could. "Mine� mine�"
"Yours," she repeated in time with his words and
rhythm. "Yours�yours�" knowing he was close as she felt him biting
her. "Malcolm's!"
--
His lover slept peacefully in his arms, him gently stroking
and kissing her hair then rolling out of bed. It felt like the calm before a
great storm and he didn't want it to end.
He picked the scattered clothing up off the floor and
reached for his communicator, flipping it open. "Reed to Stone."
"Go ahead, sir," the quartermaster replied.
"Have Captain Sato's things transferred to my
quarters," he spoke softly so as not to wake her."
"Understood, sir," came the reply.
Reed clicked the device shut and moved back to bed, the
light from the bathroom highlighting her hip and backside. He froze and felt
his heart wrench in his chest as the metallic blue marking on her hip screamed
betrayal at him. He leaned closer, running his fingers over the brand of the
syndicate.
----------
�TBC